Protecting Aaron Rodgers and other keys to NY Jets victory over Vikings in Week 5

The NY Jets head across the pond for a week five showdown with the Minnesota Vikings in London. Both of these teams are coming off of polar opposite week four performances. Gang Green fell 10-9 to the Denver Broncos, while Minnesota improved to 4-0 with a win over the Packers in Lambeau.

Among the many storylines in this game will be Sam Darnold looking for another win against his former team. For the Jets to avoid another Sam Darnold revenge game, let's look at three keys to victory for New York to get back in the win column.

NY Jets must protect Aaron Rodgers

Last week was poor on many levels for the Jets offense, including the pass protection. Aaron Rodgers was sacked five times and hit 14 times. It was the unit's first noticeably bad performance of the young season, and it came against a blitz-heavy Broncos defense. Unfortunately for the Jets, the Vikings won't get any easier when it comes to stopping the blitz.

The Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings rank atop the NFL in blitz usage. Denver has blitzed 64 times (44.1%), while Minnesota has blitzed 82 times (40.8%). On top of this, Minnesota leads the league in sacks with 17, and Denver trails one behind them with 16 sacks on the season.

After a poor outing on Sunday, Gang Green doesn't have much time to adjust, but they need to if they want any success this week. Both tackles Tyron Smith and rookie Olu Fashanu will need to bounce back after both players struggled last week.

Two players that will need to be contained on Sunday are Jonathan Greenard and Pat Jones II. These two have stormed off the edge, tallying nine of Minnesota's league-leading 17 sacks this season. Handling the blitz and protecting Rodgers is a must in London.

NY Jets must contain Aaron Jones

Although the lead headline for the Jets defense going into this game will be stopping Minnesota's potent receiver duo of Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, the Jets can't overlook Aaron Jones. After spending seven seasons with the division rival Green Bay Packers, Jones has been a welcome addition to the Vikings.

Jones has 64 carries for 321 yards and one touchdown through four games. He ranks tied for eleventh in the NFL in carries and eighth in yards. The 29-year-old has also been a threat in the receiving game, hauling in 16 receptions for 143 yards and one touchdown. Both his receptions and yards rank fourth among running backs this season.

Stopping the run hasn't been a strength of the Jets' defense so far this season, but it needs to change on Sunday. The Jets enter Sunday's matchup as the 20th-ranked rushing defense in football, allowing 128.5 rush yards per game.

While the main focus of every team has been trying to contain former Jets QB Sam Darnold and the Vikings' passing attack, the Jets will be their toughest test yet, ranking second in pass defense. The biggest key for Gang Green is not losing sight of what Jones can do on the ground.

NY Jets must get Malachi Corley involved

When the Jets traded up for Malachi Corley in April, the expectations for the "YAC King" were very high in the Big Apple. However, through four games, Corley has registered just two offensive snaps and only one catch for four yards. It got even worse for Corley on Sunday, as he didn't even see the field on either offense or special teams, logging a DNP.

Entering Week 5, Nathaniel Hackett and the Jets offense need to find ways to get the rookie wideout involved. Xavier Gipson, who is in front of Corley, has only tallied three receptions for 22 yards, including a major mistake late in last week's game where Rodgers and Gipson were not on the same page.

The Jets receiving corps is still waiting to break out, with Aaron Rodgers and Garrett Wilson still trying to find their connection. However, Mike Williams is getting healthier each week and Allen Lazard has surprised many with his bounce-back play. Corley and his physicality would be a nice boost to this offense, similar to Braelon Allen's impact.

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