3 things the NY Jets must fix after the bye week

2. Balanced play-calling

The play-calling from offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett has been closely monitored and criticized throughout the early part of the season. 

Early on, it felt like the team was running the ball too much, was way too predictable, and did not trust quarterback Zach Wilson enough to throw the ball down the field. 

As a result, teams stacked the box expecting running plays on first and second down and then blitzed on third and long. The Jets barely scored and couldn’t produce many first downs. 

Since then, the Jets have begun throwing on early downs, opening up the offense more, and putting defenses on their heels. As a result, the team has won and competed against two of the best teams in the league and totaled over 400 yards against the Broncos. 

However, Wilson has also started throwing the ball a lot more recently, limiting the touches of the running backs. In the past four games, Wilson has thrown the ball 36, 39, 26, and 33 times. I don’t think anyone wants Wilson throwing it 35 times on average the rest of the way. 

The best game for the offense was the Denver game, when Wilson tallied 26 passing attempts, and the offense ran the ball 32 times for 234 yards. Against Kansas City, the Jets ran it just 16 times. Against Philadelphia, it was only 21 carries. 

More importantly, to touch on the above point, when the Jets reach the red zone, they have become exceptionally predictable. They revert right back to the run, run, pass game plan from the early weeks and then settle for field goals. 

Hackett should really evaluate the film from the Denver game to create useful game plans moving forward, balancing the run and pass better and keeping the offense unpredictable in the red zone. The Jets need this balance to be successful the rest of the way.