Jets Impress in Late Victory Over Commanders

The New York Jets hosted the Washington Commanders Saturday afternoon in their first preseason game of the year. The Jets won 20-17 after a 4th quarter comeback, with new standouts and several players turning heads throughout the game. Many of the starters took an extra week of rest, giving ample time for young players and backups trying to earn a roster spot. After a great week in joint practice with the Commanders, the Jets followed it up with multiple bright spots on both sides of the ball.

Early on, the Commanders’ starters took advantage of the Jets’ backups. The Jets’ defense let up a first-drive touchdown, unable to stop eight rushing plays and a deep strike caught by Dyami Brown. The drive was capped off by an RPO that number two overall draft pick Jayden Daniels kept for the walk-in touchdown. After some struggle on the first drive, the Jets sharpened up the rest of the way.

The defense was led by plays made behind the line of scrimmage and lockdown coverage when targeted downfield. Jarrick Bernard-Converse had a slow start giving up the long ball to Brown, but quickly after became the defensive MVP for the Jets. Bernard-Converse was targeted five more times in the first half, which resulted in one pass deflection and zero catches allowed. Pair that with four solo tackles, the 6th round pick out of LSU was all over the field making plays happen.

Leonard Taylor III had himself a day on the defensive line. He came away with one sack and added two tackles for loss to contribute to the team’s six TFLs on the day. The defense kept their play relatively clean, with the only flag going against Will McDonald IV on a questionable roughing the passer call that was inevitably offset by a penalty on Washington. The one critique on the defense was situational run stuffing, especially when it came to the quarterback. As mentioned, Daniels rushed in for a touchdown off a fake handoff that defensive end Micheal Clemons bit on. Jeff Driskel and Sam Hartman showed off their mobility as well, both scrambling for a 3rd down conversion.

On the offensive side of the ball, the youngsters for the Jets ran the show. The first couple of drives with Tyrod Taylor did not result in much, but the offense stepped up when rookies Andrew Peasley and Adrian Martinez were under center. Peasley went eight-for-eleven with a beautiful touchdown throw to Jason Brownlee who made an impressive catch over the defender. Rookie running back Braelon Allen helped kickstart the offense with 54 yards on six carries, including a 24-yard explosive run on the outside behind rookie tackle Olu Fashanu. Rookies Malachi Corley and Isaiah Davis contributed to the receiving game, with four catches a piece, many in a two-minute drill at the end of the first half. 

Later in the game, Martinez led a game-tying drive in the fourth quarter, with a highlight strike to Brandon Smith on a 36-yard deep shot. The drive was capped off with a rushing touchdown by Israel Abanikanda. Martinez was not done there, storming down the field flawlessly on a game-winning drive. He connected with Smith for a second deep throw and converted a 3rd & 7 with his own legs to get into field goal range, winning the game for the Jets.

The main struggle on offense was converting on 3rd down. The Jets are no stranger to this problem in the past years and went just four of ten against Washington. Obviously, the Jets expect that to change with their starters in the game, but they could not manage to keep the chains moving against Washington. On a positive note, the offensive line held strong all day, which is a huge checkbox to fill for the season.

In terms of special teams, the return team did not fare so well. Corley took reps as the punt returner, misjudging his first ball which led to a hard hit. To open the second half, Brandon Codrington had a slip-up on the kick return that gave the Jets a rough starting position. On the bright side, Greg Zuerlein did not miss a beat. He converted every opportunity including a 56-yard field goal to end the first half.

It's fair to say the Jets put together a good tape to look back on. There were slow moments in the game that needed fine-tuning, but that is to be expected in the first game of the season with backups playing. Coach Robert Saleh said he was happy with the physicality and response from the defense after letting up a first-possession touchdown. The Jets look to take that same energy and elevate their play against the Carolina Panthers in week two of the preseason.