NY Jets Week 6 Rookie Stock Report: Sauce Gardner and Breece Hall lead the way again
The NY Jets snapped a 15-game home winning streak for the Packers when they defeated Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay on Sunday. The 27-10 win was the most complete effort that the Jets have had so far this season, dominating in all three phases of the game.
Once again they were led by stellar efforts from their rookie class who has been the spark to turn this franchise around at a much faster pace than many expected.
Sauce Gardner and Breece Hall provide the juice needed on each side of the ball in establishing the identity of the team. They also are both the current betting favorites for the Rookie of the Year awards on their respective sides of the ball.
HODL: Sauce Gardner, CB, NY Jets ($SAUCE)
- Stats: 3 tackles, 2 passes defended, (1 near pick-six)Β 89% snap count
Sauce Gardner is very quickly becoming not only a leader, but the face of the franchise. It is a rapid ascension of a rookie, but it feels inevitable that he will become the player that many initially think of when the Jets come to mind.
Gardner plays with so much swagger and delivers it authentically on and off the field. He backs up the attitude with a performance that is thus far historic for a rookie.
Gardner hilariously took a cheesehead in the postgame and continued to wear it throughout the rest of the day. He seemed to be embracing the villain role after bringing up why the Jets had extra motivation coming into Green Bay.
He is also starting to get high praise from his peers and other former greats at the position. This comes from the impressive plays, breaking up passes, and recovering extremely quickly.
He is making a name for himself in single coverage, with some eye-popping numbers.
It's hard not to think about Darrelle Revis after seeing elite coverage numbers while he is being put on an island.
If Gardner's play continues to hold up at this level, it will allow the defense to bring even more pressure on the quarterback and change up their coverages considering the amount of faith they will have in him to shut down one side of the field.
HODL: Breece Hall, RB, NY Jets ($BREECE)
- Stats: 20 rushes for 116 yards, 1 rushing touchdown, 2 catches for 5 yards, 67% snap count
Breece Hall once again dominated as he continues to establish himself as the lead back for the New York Jets. Since the Jets started to give Hall the rock as the official lead back over Michael Carter in Week 4, he has since racked up 132 scrimmage yards per game with 3 touchdowns.
After a shaky first half on the offensive side of the ball, Mike LaFleur went back to his bread and butter: he began to feed Breece the Beast.
One of the best runs of his career thus far, the rookie running back turned a play that seemingly had nothing into a 34-yard score with an insane cut and burst. He also showed great vision after the touchdown by tracking down Jets fans that made the trip to Green Bay and doing the Lambeau Leap.
Hall is quickly becoming one of the most dynamic running backs in the league and while Zach Wilson continues to try and get in a groove, leaning on a player like Hall with his game-breaking ability makes life a lot easier for everyone on offense.
Stock Up: Micheal Clemons, DE, NY Jets ($DEEBO)
- Stats: 1 tackle, 1 punt blocked, 12% snap count
While Michael Clemons didn't get on the field much during this game, he made the most out of his snaps. Clemons had a game-changing play when he blocked a punt that led to a special teams touchdown that created a two-score lead.
He also got a major shout-out from head coach Robert Saleh and showed why he will always strike fear in his opponent with his stare-down.
Buy Low: Garrett Wilson, WR, NY Jets ($GDUB)
- Stats: 5 targets, 1 receptions for 8 yards, 44% snap count
Since Zach Wilson has returned, the passing game has taken a step back statistically as the offense has been reliant on Breece Hall and the running game.
It's hard to complain considering the team is 3-0 in that stretch, but there's a second gear that the offense can get to if and when things start to click for Wilson and the receivers.
Garrett Wilson has had a few too many drops over the past couple of games as well as having a habit of running routes on third down that are short of the sticks.
With that being said, it feels like only a matter of time before the rookie receiver produces big plays more consistently with Zach Wilson under center.