The New York Jets will be tested in Week 6 with a home matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. The showdown versus the Eagles comes a week after the Jets cruised to a 31-21 victory over the Denver Broncos on the road to avoid a 1-4 start to the season.
Meanwhile, the Eagles took down the Los Angeles Rams 23-14 in Week 5 to improve to 5-0 on the season. The Eagles are one of the most well-rounded teams in the NFL, making this arguably the toughest game the Jets will play this season.
With the Jets looking to hand the Eagles their first loss of the season, here are six players to keep an eye on.
QB Zach Wilson
Zach Wilson didn’t need to do much in last week’s win over the Broncos, and he had arguably the best performance of his career in Week 4 versus the Kansas City Chiefs. The former first-round pick will undoubtedly need to have a mistake-free performance if the Jets want to have any chance of upsetting the Eagles at home.
At the same time, Nathaniel Hackett needs to give Wilson more opportunities to push the ball down the field against an Eagles defense that ranks 19th in pass defense DVOA. A positive outing from Wilson on Sunday against one of the best defenses in the NFL would be a step forward in his development.
RB Breece Hall
Breece Hall exploded for 194 scrimmage yards and a touchdown on 25 touches in the win over the Broncos. Robert Saleh indicated that the Jets would unleash the second-year back in Week 5 and Hall certainly didn’t disappoint.
Sadly, after getting to face a hapless Broncos defense, Hall will now go up against an Eagles defense that boasts the No. 1 ranked run defense in DVOA. The Eagles are giving up a league-low 61.2 rushing yards per game and only 3.4 yards per attempt (fourth-fewest in the NFL), so running lanes will be tough to come by for Hall on Sunday.
OT Max Mitchell
Injuries are ravaging New York’s offensive line and the Jets will have a new-look unit again in Week 6. Alijah-Vera-Tucker, who is arguably the Jets’ best offensive lineman, suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in last week’s win over the Broncos.
Max Mitchell would replace Vera-Tucker at right tackle and there’s a chance he makes his first start of the season against a domain defensive front of the Eagles. It’s easier said than done, but Mitchell and the other linemen on the Jets will need to hold strong to prevent guys like Haason Reddick, Jalen Carter, Fletcher Cox, and Brandon Graham — among others — from single-handedly wrecking the game.
DE Bryce Huff
Entering Week 6, Bryce Huff leads the Jets in total pressures (26) despite receiving the fifth-most pass-rushing snaps on the team. Huff continues to prove he’s the most reliable pass rusher off of the edge for the Jets, and they’ll undoubtedly need him to make things difficult for Jalen Hurts.
Jermaine Johnson continues to start for the Jets and Michael Clemons is garnering a decent number of snaps with veteran Carl Lawson barely seeing the field. With another standout performance versus the Eagles, Huff should continue to see an uptick in snaps for the Jets.
DT Quinnen Williams
The Eagles boast a deep defensive line that features Carter, Cox, Graham, Reddick, Josh Sweat, and Jordan Davis. While Philadelphia’s defensive trench unit could have success against New York’s hobbled offensive line, Quinnen Williams will be tasked with being effective against arguably the best offensive line in the league.
Williams is still making his presence felt this season despite logging just half a sack in the first five weeks. Even if Williams doesn’t get to Hurts on Sunday, he can make a massive difference by making things difficult for the interior of the Eagles’ offensive line.
CB Sauce Gardner
The Jets aren’t going to have Sauce Gardner shadow the opposing team’s best receiver in any given week. Taking that into account, the Eagles will do everything they can to scheme plays for A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith away from the All-Pro cornerback.
D.J. Reed is questionable to play on Sunday after missing last week’s game with a head injury and Brandin Echols is also questionable with a hamstring ailment. Brown and Smith cause headaches for opposing defenses, but Gardner can at least do his best to make Hurts make difficult throws when he targets his side of the field.
