Jets vs Texans: 3 keys to victory for New York

In the Jets vs Texans game, here are 3 important keys for Gang Green to leave Houston victorious.

Nov 12, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets head coach Todd Bowles looks on in the 1st quarter against the Buffalo bills at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Hauser-USA TODAY Sports

The NY Jets will take on the Houston Texans in a game that holds plenty of playoff importance even in Week 11. With Gang Green at 5-4 and the Texans sitting at 4-5, a win or a loss will make a huge difference as the regular season begins to come to a close. Miami, Kansas City and Buffalo all seem to be turning a corner, so today’s match-up could put the loser on the outside looking in.

New York is coming off of a brutal 22-17 loss to Buffalo that put head coach Rex Ryan’s team right back in the playoff picture. Todd Bowles and the rest of the Jets’ coaching staff made several questionable calls that arguably costed them the game. A lot of the post-game talk was centered around the two fourth down decisions New York made as well as the Devin Smith fumbled kick return. If the Jets want to bounce back with a win over Houston, things will need to be a lot less sloppy.

The Texans on the other hand took down the undefeated Cincinnati Bengals in ‘The Jungle’ to propel themselves back into the playoff race. All head coach Bill O’Brien‘s offense needed was 10 points as their defense held the red hot Bengals to just 6 on the night. Quarterback Brian Hoyer is still suffering from the concussion he received on Monday, so he’ll be sidelined, but T.J. Yates showed he’s no joke. The Jets defense has to be on their toes in every game, regardless of who’s under center.

Looking at this game on paper, it’s pretty much another toss up. The Texans are at home and hungry to stay on a roll while Gang Green is looking to get back on track after losing three of their last four games. It’s been a quiet week for the Jets in preparation, which normally is a good thing, and it looks like the team is finally beginning to get healthy again as well.

Here are 3 ways New York can leave Houston with a win.

Next: 3. Lean on the 'Big 3'

Oct 18, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall (15) celebrates with wide receiver Eric Decker (87) after scoring a touchdown against the Washington Redskins during the third quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

3. Lean on the ‘Big 3’

Chris Ivory, Brandon Marshall, and Eric Decker haven’t been anything less than amazing for the Jets all season. Last week showed that nothing has changed, even with Ivory’s three-game slump. In those three games, he carried the ball 55 times for an embarrassing 84 yards. He did manage to punch in two touchdowns, but the yardage is unacceptable for a workhorse like Ivory. Against the stout Bills’ defense, he carried the ball 18 times for 99 yards. If the veteran ran well on Rex’s defense, the same can be done on Houston, even vs. J.J. Watt and crew.

Marshall has simply continued his dominance as a member of the Jets and showed no signs of slowing down. The All-Pro already has racked up 753 yards to go along with six touchdowns through nine games. That puts him on pace for about 1,300 yards and 11 touchdowns. The last receiver put up those numbers in Green and White was Santana Moss. Houston does have Johnathan Joseph who’s playing lights out football at the moment, but Marshall has been playing like he’s 25 years old again.

Decker on the other hand is on track to receive for 1,000 yards and 13 touchdowns. The former Golden Gopher has surprisingly scored in every single contest except for Week 7’s matchup against the Patriots in which he finished with 97 yards on six catches. Today, he will most likely be matched up with rookie corner Kevin Johnson who has turned a lot of heads to begin his young career. However, Decker is a physical wideout that Johnson hasn’t seen much of this season. Expect the Jets to lean on these three standouts against this feisty Texans defense.

Next: 2. Blocking up front

Oct 25, 2015; Foxborough, MA, USA; New York Jets center Nick Mangold (74) at the line of scrimmage during the first quarter against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

2. Blocking up front

In order for the Jets to execute on offense, they have to dominate in the trenches. Tackles D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Breno Giacomini have both had mediocre seasons in which run blocking has been a concern, but quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has rarely gone down. The interior of the line has been relatively solid. Starting right guard Willie Colon went down with a season-ending knee injury, but Brian Winters who disappointed in years past has stepped up big time. James Carpenter has been a pleasant surprise as a free agent signing and Nick Mangold is still Nick Mangold.

Today brings New York a tough task against a ferocious Texans front-seven. Defensive linemen Jared Crick, Vince Wilfork, and of course Watt have been nothing short of overwhelming for any offensive line. When you factor in linebackers Whitney Mercilus, Brian Cushing, Benardrick McKinney, and Jadeveon Clowney coming after you, the quarterback has to make a decision quick or else he’s done. Their starting front-seven has a combined 19 sacks on the season thus far, so Gang Green would be smart to put an extra player on the line.

This extra player could be Jeff Cumberland, Kellen Davis, or perhaps even another offensive lineman. Regardless of who it is, they have to step up and they can’t afford to miss an assignment. With a player like Watt who’s able to take a fumble all the way to the house with his speed and athleticism, a strip sack has the potential to be a huge blow for New York. If the o-line happens to play lazy today, it wouldn’t be surprising to see another ugly Jets loss.

Next: 1. Don't forget about the other receivers

Sep 13, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Cecil Shorts (18) makes a reception during the first quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

1. Don’t forget about the other receivers

While focusing on standout receiver DeAndre Hopkins is very important, coach Bowles and the secondary cannot afford to forget about the other wideouts on the Texans’ roster. Veterans Cecil Shorts and Nate Washington have both proved they can make an impact in Houston’s offense despite the quarterback troubles. Both have played in only six of the team’s nine games, yet they’ve still put up solid numbers that any defense should respect.

Washington has 28 catches for 443 yards and three touchdowns on the year while Shorts has 29 for 315 and a touchdown. Both tend to alternate in and out of the slot with one another in three or four receiver sets, so New York can expect a lot of short routes between the two. Rookies Keith Mumphery and Jaelen Strong have made their presence known at times as well. Strong has made just three catches on the year, but two of them have gone for touchdowns. Mumphery has caught 14 passes through the first nine games for 129 yards.

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For Gang Green to get the job done and prevent the Texans from slinging the ball, Darrelle Revis needs to do his job on Hopkins by himself. The safeties cannot be worried about Hopkins on the outside and leave the middle of the field wide open for Shorts and Washington to gash the defense. Corners Buster Skrine and Antonio Cromartie also have to keep up with the two or else it doesn’t even matter what Revis does. If New York’s defense can play similar to how they did in London in Week 4, coming away with a win in Houston can become that much easier.