One thing that is a little hard to understand is why the Jets could not get more done in the passing game in their recent loss at New England, considering how well they ran the ball.
In the first half, RB Braelon Allen ran 12 times for 65 yards, Isaiah Davis added 16 yards, and the Jets entered halftime with three points and 93 passing yards.
When you can run the ball like that, and you have weapons like Garrett Wilson, Omar Cooper, Mason Taylor, and Kenyon Sadiq in the passing game, this should theoretically set up wonderful opportunities in the play-action pass game.
You look at some of the most effective offenses in the NFL, like San Francisco’s under Kyle Shanahan and Chicago’s under Ben Johnson; they operate run-first attacks that set up easy passes off play-action fakes.
For whatever reason, even though the Jets are a good running team, it’s not leading to more explosive plays in the passing game.
And Jets offensive coordinator Frank Reich has always been a big proponent of play-action passes.
“It’s a passing league, but you have to run the ball to be a championship team,” Reich said in 2024 while with the Carolina Panthers. “There are exceptions to that, but when you look at the analytics, the statistics over the years, you have to be effective and efficient running the football. We’re gonna run the football because that just [creates] the play action.”
The Jets’ passing game, in a slight swoon the last three games, clearly needs to get their play-action passing game operating on a higher level.
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