Jets vs. Lions: Top 5 takeaways from Week 1 matchup

In the New York Jets vs. Detroit Lions Week 1 matchup, Gang Green came out on top thanks to a complete team effort. Here are the top five takeaways from the game.

The New York Jets made a statement on Monday Night Football and played a complete game in all stages of the game as they defeated the Detroit Lions by the score of 48-17. After the first play of the game, the Jets settled down and dominated the time of possession battle and frustrated the Lions. The Jets played with a chip on their shoulder and were victorious in the 2018 opener.

With the victory, the Jets are 1-0 and have little time to rest and get ready to face the division rival Miami Dolphins in Week 2. In this game, the team had many questions but they seemed to answer it with excellent play. They will look to continue to build on this victory with a big game in Week 2 against the Miami Dolphins in the home opener.

This is a great opportunity for the Jets to go 2-0 and have fans continue to build on the process. Let’s take a deeper look at this Week 1 contest.

Next: 5. Sam Darnold shows excellent poise and resilience

5. Sam Darnold shows excellent poise and resilience

Rookie quarterback Sam Darnold showed plenty of poise and excellent determination. After throwing a pick-six on his first play, Darnold didn’t look nervous at all and just bounced right back. He was great with the football and was making excellent decisions.

Darnold was able to go 16 for 21 in passing and threw for 198 yards. He threw for 2 touchdowns and one interception. He finished with a 116.8 quarterback rating which is a solid start especially being a rookie quarterback. Darnold was able to make the Lions defense frustrated by his management of the game.

Darnold looked very comfortable with the offense after the mental mistake on the first play. With a lot of young talent around him, he continued to keep the offense in check and against the Lions, it was close to being perfect under center.

The offense kept the football for a great amount of time and kept the defense relaxed. They had the football for 33 minutes and 07 seconds which is a 6-minute difference from the Lions which had the ball for 6 minutes and 54 seconds.

Next: 4. Jets defense delivers big time

4. Jets defense delivers big time

After the secondary and front line being revamped, the new look defense looked extremely good. They were able to set the tone from start to finish. They were able to make key defensive stops and above all else were having fun and even had an interception returned for a touchdown.

With putting pressure on quarterback Matthew Stafford all game, the defense kept him in check. The defense only gave up 39 yards in rushing, and 300 yards in passing.

They improved big time as the game went on and made the adjustments which were impressive. The stepped up and delivered a complete performance. The five interceptions they had was incredible to witness.

The Jets defense showed plenty of different coverages to confuse Stafford which he had a very hard time to adjust to. The secondary and defensive line put plenty of pressure on Stafford and made him feel uncomfortable all night long. Congrats to Darron Lee and Jamal Adams in getting thier first career interceptions. Especially a big congrats to Lee in having a pick-six and an overall dominant game at linebacker.

Next: 3. Wide receivers showing up in a big way

3. Wide receivers showing up in a big way

With Jermaine Kearse still out from injury, Robby Anderson, Quincy Enunwa, and Terrelle Pryor all showed up when their numbers were called against the Lions. These three players combined for 154 yards to lead the charge against what was to believed to be a good secondary for the Lions.

Anderson and Pryor were quiet for some of the game and then when their number was called things opened up quick. They both had big plays as Anderson had a 41-yard touchdown pass and Pryor had a big 16 yard reception that helped keep a drive alive.

Playing in his first game in over a year, Enunwa looked like he didn’t lose a step. If they are able to continue this success, then the passing offense will click even more when Kearse returns from his injury.

The Jets wide receiver corps silenced a lot of critics and just earned a lot of respect against future opposing teams. Get ready since it looks this group will only improve as the season progresses.

Next: 2. Running game has a dominant day

2. Running game has a dominant day

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With the running game not being a question, the Jets went with it and it was a huge success. Isaiah Crowell and Bilal Powell totaled 22 carries for 162 yards and two touchdowns by Crowell.

The both of them were very effective throughout the game and the running holes opened up quickly thanks to the strong effort of the offensive line.

Crowell delivered since he didn’t see much playing time during the preseason due to a concussion injury. Offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates put both players in a position to thrive, which both succeeded in. Even Powell joined the party and had some nice big runs to keep the chains moving.

They need to continue in using what works since at the end of the day, the Jets are built to run the football and now have a decent passing game to compliment it. The win over the Lions was impressive but it also shows they can win football games thanks to the two-headed monster of Crowell and Powell.

Next: 1. Special teams puts on a clinic

1. Special teams put on a clinic

What had to be the weakest part of the Jets team for many seasons looked completely different in Week 1. With the struggles they had throughout the whole preseason looked like it was worked on big time in preparation for tonight’s game.

Andre Roberts had a huge day in special teams in providing the Jets offense great positioning to start their drives. He had five returns in both punt and kick returns that totaled over 182 yards and one punt return for a touchdown.

That punt return for a touchdown was the icing on the cake when he returned it 78 yards which was incredible to witness live as it happened. Each return they had was at least 30 yards which was a key factor in the game.

The players provided excellent blocking and opened up plenty of holes and didn’t make any mental mistakes to hurt the team. Hopefully, this success continues next week at home against the Miami Dolphins as it’s a great way to start the season.