The New York Jets (3-6) are still alive for the postseason after their victory over the Houston Texans in Week 9. They’ll head out west in Week 10 to face the Arizona Cardinals (5-4) at State Farm Stadium Sunday afternoon.
There are still some areas that need to improve if they want to get out of the desert with a victory. Here are a few causes for concern that could spell trouble for the Jets in Week 10:
The Run Defense
This has become a broken record, but the Jets run defense has been awful. Even in last week’s victory over Houston, the Texans shredded New York’s defense on the ground to the tune of 188 yards rushing, including 106 from Joe Mixon.
Arizona’s running game is very underrated with James Conner, who has four 100 yards games this season. Quarterback Kyler Murray will not be afraid to use his legs if he sees a play breaking down. If the Jets can find a way to contain the Cardinals’ running backs, it could prove to be the difference between getting the win or coming home with a loss,
Malachi Corley
Receiver Mike Williams was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers ahead of Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline and with Allen Lazard still on injured reserve, expect Malachi Corley to play a larger role in the Jets offense.
Corley was on his way to his first touchdown as a Jet against the Texans, but dropped the ball before crossing the goal line that resulted in a touchback. Head Coach Jeff Ulbrich said after the Houston game that Corley “owed us one” for his costly error. Time for Corley to pay up on Sunday against Arizona.
The Kicker Situation
Greg Zuerlein was placed on IR and after the Jets held an open competition, they signed Riley Patterson and Spencer Schrader to the practice squad.
Patterson handled the kicking against the Texans and while he made all three extra points in the win over Houston, one of his attempts hit the goal post before going through. The Jets waived Patterson on Thursday and added former Niners kicker Andres Carlson to the practice squad. It’s Schrader’s turn to handle the kicking on Sunday and the fact the Jets are on their second kicker in as many weeks should not make anyone very confident they have the right guy for the job.
