Armand Membou's strong showing against Aidan Hutchinson deserves more credit

It was not a banner day for the New York Jets' offensive line in pass protection against the Detroit Lions in Week 3. Geno Smith was under constant heat, getting pressured on 24 of his 37 dropbacks and getting sacked five times. It's a testament to him and his veteran savvy that he was able to be as efficient as he was.

Olu Fashanu was the biggest culprit, allowing five pressures and 2.5 sacks, but he was far from alone. Josh Myers yielded four pressures and a sack, while Joe Tippmann gave up a sack and three pressures. Despite leaving in the third quarter with a knee injury, Dylan Parham yielded four pressures as well.

Fashanu's bookend, Armand Membou, had the toughest task of the afternoon, going up against Lions' standout edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson. Hutchinson led the league in 2025 with 100 pressures and notched 14.5 sacks. Needless to say, the second-year tackle had his hands full.

Membou didn't pitch a shutout, but all things considered, he more than held his own. The Mizzou product allowed three pressures but didn't allow a single sack. Not only that, he put together some genuinely impressive reps against Hutchinson, especially in one-on-one situations.

After a strong rookie season last year, it's fair to expect another leap from the talented sophomore in hopes that he becomes the NFL's next top tackle. Holding such a fearsome pass rusher in check, especially when the line around him was crumbling, was a key step toward realizing his full potential. With that said, there's more work to be done.

Armand Membou was a rare New York Jets' bright spot in pass protection, but his run blocking has fallen off

These days, you can take Pro Football Focus grades with a grain of salt, but for context, Membou owns just a 42.1 run-blocking grade through three weeks. His Week 3 performance was his best this season, but even then, he recorded just a 56.4 grade. Last season, he earned a run-blocking grade of 72.2, so the drop-off in how they see him has been dramatic.

In Week 1, Breece Hall and Braelon Allen combined for 142 rushing yards. In Week 2, that number fell to 36, and then against Detroit, the duo produced 46 yards on the ground over 17 carries. That's a Week 3 yards-per-carry average of just 2.7 yards.

Nine of the Jets' 17 rushes came either between the right guard and right tackle or out towards the right end, so it's clear that running behind Membou was a huge part of Frank Reich's game plan on the ground. They gained just 16 yards on those attempts.

That's not all on Membou, of course, but it's clear that the team wasn't efficient when running in his direction, and when the frequency of those rushes is factored in, it's a major problem. It's not lost on Membou, who pretty much said the entire line needs to be better, particularly in the ground game.

"A little disappointing. Thought we needed to do better in the run game, and obviously protect Geno better," Membou said during Monday's media availability.

He's done it before, and he obviously knows what's at stake, so there's no reason to panic. Seeing him slow down Hutchinson in the passing game is much more important for his long-term development, but his run blocking will be something to take note of as the Jets navigate the 2026 season.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow