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The Jets’ offensive line is very talented, honestly, one of the most talented on paper in the league.
And we saw them dominate during the Jets’ impressive win in Cincinnati on Sunday. It was an absolute butt whipping up front.
It’s somewhat surprising that, despite having a talented line that has remained the same starting five all season, the Jets are 1-7.
True, they lost guard Alijah Vera-Tucker before the season started, but Joe Tippmann, who has taken over for him, has played guard before for the Jets. So the Jets’ starting unit, entering Week 1 against Pittsburgh, has been intact all season.
So many teams have been devastated by offensive line injuries, like when the Jets played Tampa Bay and Dallas; those teams were decimated. Miami was also a mess.
And that is one of the reasons the Jets are 1-7, the inability, on the other side of the ball, to take advantage of ravaged offensive lines, which they didn’t do in any of these three games.
Philadelphia showed last year how important being stout in the trenches is for NFL success. The Eagles’ offensive and defensive lines were outstanding last year, and that helped spearhead their Super Bowl run.
So one issue for the Jets has been up front on defense.
While some will point to the Jets playing light boxes last week as one reason Cincinnati ran for 181 yards against Gang Green, keep something in mind – the Bengals are starting two rookie guards – Dylan Fairchild and Jalen Rivers, and neither was picked in the first two rounds, often where you find rookie O-Line starters selected. Fairchild was picked in the third round, and Rivers in the fifth.
And even these guys were not necessarily elite draft prospects, and they are still rookies learning, the Bengals had a lot of success running up the middle often behind these guys, who sometimes locked up veteran defensive linemen too easily.
So my point is that the Jets might have a talented offensive line, but have issues on the other side of the trenches, and that has hurt them this year.
We will see what they do at the trade deadlines about this.
So far, they traded for a receiver, coming off a game where they showed they had plenty of receiver depth, with how Isaiah Williams and Tyler Johnson shone at Paycor Stadium.
So maybe the lobby, which has been banging the drum to add a #2 receiver to complement Garrett Wilson, will be happy with the addition of WR John Metchie, acquired in a trade from Philly.
But the Jets have many more issues on defense than they do at receiver, so let’s see what they do at the trade deadline on that side of the ball.
Now, while the offensive line is very talented and has done some excellent run blocking all season, before the Bengals game, and since the opener, the Jets have had issues with blitzes and stunts on their offensive line.
Not a talent issue, but more a communication issue, and they seemed to do a much better job against Cincinnati in this regard.
Some of these issues have been related to the QB holding the ball too long, not ideal for offensive linemen.
While this was better in Cincinnati, we will truly find out if this issue was fixed when Cleveland comes to town next week, featuring defensive end Myles Garrett, defensive tackle Mason Graham, and one of the game’s best defensive coordinators, Jim Schwartz, who likes to bring a lot of pressure.
We will see if things are truly better in regards to the QB holding the ball too long, and the O-Line picking up blitzes and stunts better, when the Browns come to East Rutherford.
But it is a little bit of a surprise, in a sport where offensive line play is huge, for the Jets to have the same five guys, all with a strong pedigree, starting all eight games, and the team being 1-7.
That has got to be one of the more alarming aspects of this Jets campaign so far.
October 31, 2025
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