After three weeks, the Jets are No. 1 in the NFL in third-down conversion rate.
Jets center Joe Tippmann had a straightforward answer when asked what’s working so well on third downs.
“Aaron Rodgers,” Tippmann responded.
The return of Rodgers from his season-ending Achilles tear has made a world of difference for a Jets offense that finished 31st in yards and 29th in points scored a season ago. In addition to being first in third-down conversion rate (56.8%), the Jets are 16th in yards (310.3) and 12th in points (22.3) per game this season.
In fact, the Jets have scored three offensive touchdowns in their first three games of the season. The last time that happened was during the 2019 season.
During his first three games, Rodgers has passed for 624 yards, five touchdowns, and an interception.
“He’s a guy out there that’s communicating, getting us to the right call and the right play,” Tippmann said about Rodgers. “He’s breaking down the defense before they’re even showing what they have.
“For him to be able to do that and get us on the same page and he just takes time to work and make something happen, and that’s what he is phenomenal at doing.”
Despite their back-to-back victories over the Titans and Patriots, the Jets’ offense has left some plays out on the field. Gang Green has committed offensive penalties, which have stalled some of its drives. Top receiver Garrett Wilson also hasn’t had a breakout performance after registering 15 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown through three games.
Wilson and Rodgers are still building continuity and chemistry after the four-time NFL MVP missed all but four snaps in 2023. The 49ers, Titans, and Patriots defenses have keyed in to try and stop Wilson.
“The entire focus of all three defenses we’ve played had been taking Garrett away,” Rodgers said after Thursday’s win against the Patriots.
“And when there’s times where you get high, we try to go to him, but a lot of too high in all three games. There’s shading to him, even with stood corners, look at [Charvarius] Ward in Week 1 and [L’Jarius] Sneed in Week 2, and [Christian] Gonzalez in Week 3 now. Not a lot of singles, so that’s a tribute to Garrett and his talent.”
The offense will be without starting right tackle Morgan Moses for an estimated two to four weeks. Moses suffered an MCL sprain during the third quarter against the Patriots after a defender rolled him up.
Rookie first-round pick Olu Fashanu played 14 snaps for Moses and didn’t allow a sack or commit a penalty. Fashanu was drafted to play at left tackle and for insurance should Tyron Smith suffer an injury. However, Fashanu started cross-training to be the Jets swing tackle beginning in training camp.
“I think he did a great job,” Tippmann said about Fashanu. “Especially coming in there. He is getting prepared in the game week, but he is not getting prepared to start.
“For him to be able to step in there with the confidence that he came into the huddle with, it’s a great feeling for the entire O-Line knowing he is going to step in there and do his best not to miss a beat.”
GANG GREEN’S DEFENSE RETURNS TO “STANDARD”
In Week 1, the Jets’ defense had an uncharacteristic performance.
Not only did San Francisco rush for 180 yards in its 32-19 win against Gang Green, but the team also scored on eight consecutive possessions. However, the Jets’ defense allowed a combined 20 points in their back-to-back wins against the Titans and Patriots.
“As a defense, we just knew that wasn’t us collectively,” Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood said about the loss to the 49ers. “There were a lot of plays that we left out there that we could have done better, and ultimately, that has helped us.
“Sometimes, you need to get hit in the mouth in order to know what you gotta do. But they played a good game that day, and they capitalized on some of our mistakes. Our job going forward is to not repeat those same mistakes and to correct them as soon as possible.”
During the 24-3 rout of the Patriots last Thursday night, the team allowed 139 yards, registered seven sacks, and forced a fumble.
Gang Green’s defense registered its best performance this season without captain C.J. Mosley, who injured his right big toe against Tennessee in Week 2. With Mosley out, Sherwood was the play-caller and quarterback of the defense and he finished with five tackles.
“Filling in for C.J. Mosley, those are big shoes to fill,” Sherwood said. “I felt like as a defense, we were able to communicate, uphold the standard he has created for our defense.
“Ultimately, as you saw, we played a great game on defense. Obviously, there were stuff that we needed to fix to be better moving forward, but I think we played good on Thursday night.”
