NY Jets: Top 3 players to watch in Week 3 against the Indianapolis Colts

NY Jets’ fans should keep an eye on these three players in the team’s Week 3 game.

NY Jets‘ fans don’t have much of a reason to tune in to this Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts. It’s amazing that it’s only Week 3 and we’re saying this, but that just shows how hopeless the Jets have looked through the first two weeks of the season.

The Jets have done little to inspire optimism in their first two games, both on offense and on defense. And in reality, there isn’t much for fans to look forward to.

Adam Gase is still the head coach. The defense continues to underwhelm while the Jets’ tackling woes are embarrassing. And the less said about the offense the better.

Yes, the Jets have been downright unwatchable through two weeks. But there might still be a few players worth tuning in for.

The majority of the roster is wholly uninteresting at the moment. Perhaps that’s because, in all likelihood, over 90 percent of these players won’t be around within three years or so.

It’s hard to get invested knowing the changes that are coming.

But even in spite of this, there are some interesting storylines to track this coming week. We’re talking about young players who can still be building blocks of this Jets team moving forward.

To establish themselves as true building blocks, they’ll need to perform well throughout the remainder of the season. Hence, maybe there is a reason or two to tune in this week.

Let’s take a look at three players Jets fans should have their eye on in Week 3.

Next: 3. Chris Herndon

3. Chris Herndon, TE, NY Jets

The Jets, as a whole, have been incredibly disappointing in 2020. Both the offense and the defense have looked lifeless, but one player has been more disappointing than anyone else.

And that player is tight end Chris Herndon.

After a promising rookie season, many expected Herndon to break out in his sophomore NFL campaign. Unfortunately, a suspension and injuries wiped out his entire 2019 season, but hopes were still high going into 2020.

Herndon was one of the stars of training camp furthering the notion that his breakout could be coming in the near future. But through two weeks, that breakout is nowhere to be found.

The 24-year-old has been nearly invisible through the first two games of the season and has made more negative plays than actual positive ones. A backbreaking fumble in Week 1 and a dropped touchdown in Week 2 are the most notable moments of his season thus far.

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What’s especially concerning is that Herndon should have become a focal point of the offense following all of the injuries to an already-thin wide receiver group.

Instead, players like Chris Hogan and Braxton Berrios have been used more than he has. Few would have likely believed that to be the case back in mid-August, but here we are.

Fortunately, Herndon will get another chance to break out in Week 3 against a Colts team that just lost starting safety Malik Hooker for the season.

Time is running out for Herndon to make good on his potential and he’ll have another prime opportunity for success this Sunday.

Next: 2. Mekhi Becton

2. Mekhi Becton, LT, NY Jets

On the flip side, perhaps no Jets player has been more impressive through two weeks than rookie left tackle Mekhi Becton. And that’s encouraging too, given that the Jets are hinging the future of their offensive line on his success.

Becton has always been viewed as a player with a high ceiling — someone who had the potential to be an All-Pro one day. But at the same time, many expected him to run into his fair share of rookie struggles early on.

He was seen as the prototypical project player — a prospect with outstanding physical traits, but some noticeable technical flaws. However, through two weeks, those technical flaws have been minimal.

Becton currently ranks as Pro Football Focus‘ 10th-best offensive tackle in the entire NFL with an outstanding 79.7 grade — far and away the best of any rookie offensive tackle.

Last week, Becton was supposed to face his first monumental task lining up opposite Nick Bosa. Unfortunately, Bosa was knocked out of the game in the first half meaning that Becton only matched up against him for 11 snaps

But in the 11 snaps, he more than held his own.

This week, it’ll likely be veteran Justin Houston going up against Becton. While not Bosa, Houston is no easy task as he’s a four-time Pro Bowler in his own right.

Mekhi Becton is must-watch every week and one of the only reasons for optimism in an otherwise dismal season.

Next: 1. Quinnen Williams

1. Quinnen Williams, DL, NY Jets

It took him a little over a year, but Quinnen Williams finally had his coming-out party in Week 2 of his second NFL season. And just like that, he reignited the optimistic aura that once surrounded him back when he was drafted third overall.

It’s no secret that Williams has been underwhelming thus far in his NFL career. A disappointing rookie campaign didn’t do much to inspire confidence, although many expected more in his second season.

Week 1 was more of the same. Week 2, however, was the best game of his brief NFL career.

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Williams finished with two sacks, three tackles for loss, and a team-leading seven tackles. Those are dominant numbers from a defensive lineman and that’s exactly the type of production they expected Williams to be capable of when they drafted him third overall in 2019.

It was shades of Williams at Alabama as the young defensive lineman wreaked havoc on the 49ers’ interior offensive line — an offensive line that features some pretty good talent.

Now, Williams must overcome the obstacle of putting together multiple good games in a row. Unfortunately, he’ll face the unenviable task of going up against perhaps the best interior lineman in the NFL in Week 3 — Quenton Nelson.

Asking Williams to be as dominant as he was a week ago against Indianapolis would be foolish. But he must avoid reverting to the invisible version of himself from Week 1 and most of his rookie season.

If Williams can get the better of Nelson on a handful of plays, we might just be seeing the beginning of a true Quinnen Williams breakout season.