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A writer for ESPN.com named Mike Clay wrote a story today with the headline – “Why the Jets, Aaron Rodgers will win the Super Bowl.”
The first paragraph read: “It has been a minute, but the New York Jets are back. And by “back,” I mean legitimate Super Bowl contenders.”
For those uninitiated to what the word “minute” means to the young generation, it now means quite some time. How that word’s meaning got changed, I’m not sure. But just to be clear, Clay is writing it’s been a while since the Jets have had success.
We all know that the playoff dry spell is 13 straight years of missing the second season, tied with the Buffalo Sabres for the longest in pro sports.
Clay finished his column by writing: “But things change quickly in the NFL, and this roster is built to compete for a title right now. If the Jets stay relatively healthy and Rodgers is something close to his old self, you can plan on hearing “J-E-T-S, JETS, JETS, JETS” chants echoing through New Orleans in February.”
Is he on to something? I have no idea. None of us do.
But if Rodgers stays healthy, and an incredibly weak schedule, you never know.
However, one reason why Clay feels the Jets could win the Super Bowl is, “an elite defense.”
That is true if you don’t think run defense is an important part of having “an elite defense.”
I don’t get the elite defense rhetoric based on the run defense we witnessed last year.
They got gashed too much up the middle due to undersized defensive tackles who too often got engulfed by much bigger offensive linemen. Fact.
They also had major issues setting the edge, and too many runners to the corner on them.
Now, the additions of huge, athletic defensive tackles Leki Fotu and Javon Kinlaw should help plug up the middle, but as far as setting a harder edge, we will see if they can improve that. Guys like Michael Clemons and Jermaine Johnson need to take the next step in this area. They traded a player who was inconsistent in this area.
Their pass rush and pass defense should be very good with the edge-rushers and their strength at corner, but the run defense must take a quantum leap.
But if Aaron Rodgers stays healthy, they should be favored in most of their games. As I’ve written about all week, the Jets are not facing a murder’s row of quarterbacks this year.
Rodgers is better than most of the quarterbacks they face outside the guy in Buffalo.
Let’s see what Houston’s C.J. Stoud does in his sophomore NFL season after opposing defensive coordinators have a season of film on him. Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence and the Los Angeles Chargers’ Justin Herbert have tremendous physical gifts, but right now are more in the “good” category than the “great” one.
But mixed in with Josh Allen, Lawrence and Herbert are mediocre and pedestrian quarterbacks.
So if Rodgers stays healthy, the Jets should have a good season and make the playoffs.
I’m not going to get into the Super Bowl stuff for clickbait, but there is no excuse for them to miss the playoffs for the 14th straight year.
May 17, 2024
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