The NY Jets held joint practices with the Atlanta Falcons this week ahead of their scheduled preseason meeting on Monday, and one thing was abundantly clear at the end of the week.
The Jets were the better team over the past few days, and it wasn't particularly close.
The Jets managed to get the better of the Falcons on both sides of the ball throughout the week. Whether it was Joe Flacco lighting up the Falcons defense or the Marcus Mariota-led Falcons offense sputtering, the Jets were the dominant team.
While the Falcons aren't exactly Super Bowl favorites in their own right, it's been a long time since we've seen a Jets team dominate joint practices the way they did this week. That's a major step in the right direction for the organization.
Hardee breaks up pass for Pitts in end zone. #Jets dominating day again
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) August 20, 2022
Ball at 25. Down 8. 45 seconds left. Flacco to Davis for 24. Then Flacco to Conklin for the TD. Then Flacco to Carter for the 2 points. Easy pickings for the #Jets
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) August 20, 2022
Practice over. I would take the under on the Falcons.
— Brian Costello (@BrianCoz) August 20, 2022
I’ve seen enough. Super Bowl bound (if they played Atlanta every week) https://t.co/6MRy0w1TTE
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) August 20, 2022
The NY Jets built momentum ahead of their preseason meeting with the Falcons
Joint practices haven't always gone well for the Jets over the years. Just last season, star defensive end Carl Lawson suffered a torn Achilles during the team's joint practices with the Green Bay Packers — a series of practices where the Jets clearly looked like the inferior team.
It's hard to remember a time when the Jets thoroughly dominated joint practices the way they did this week. It wasn't all bad for Atlanta as young tight end Kyle Pitts did manage to make some plays, but for the most part, it was the Gang Green show.
SNY's Connor Hughes went into further detail about how the Jets were "undeniably the best team on the field" this week as seen in the video below.
It wasn’t often, over the last few years, that you could say the #Jets were undeniably the best football team on the field. That was clearly the case these last two days.
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) August 20, 2022
No, the #Falcons aren’t good, but it’s a sign #NYJ are building & growing pic.twitter.com/nEkW7tIdi9
Head coach Robert Saleh was noncommittal about playing his starters during Monday's preseason game, in part due to how much "quality work" they got in during the week.
After what happened last week with Zach Wilson, it might just be best to rest the starters until the third and final preseason game against the New York Giants. There's no reason to risk additional key injuries.
At the end of the day, it's just practice. Results on the practice field don't count toward a team's win-loss record come September. But they are a way to build momentum and confidence heading into the regular season.
The Jets managed to do just that this week.