Small Victories in What We're Doing
The Jets lost a pair of nailbiters — Week 1 to the Steelers, 34-32, and Week 3 to the Buccaneers, 29-27. They dropped a competitive, 27-21 contest, at Miami Monday night after turning the ball over three times and committing 13 penalties for 101 yards marked off. The Jets enter Sunday's contest with a minus-7 turnover differential, and they've had some untimely penalties that cost them in September.
"You can't get away from those little detailed points that you want to be able to fix when it comes to the things we did wrong in the Miami game and then again be able to highlight the things we did well, so we can try to build on those things," Aaron Glenn said. "We have a really good opponent coming into our house that we have to do a good job getting ready to game plan against because they have a number of good players on that team that we have to watch out for."
Glenn continues to lay the groundwork for a young team that can take another step forward when it eliminates its self-inflicted wounds.
"There are a lot of small victories in what we're doing that sometimes people overlook," he said.
With QB Justin Fields returning to the lineup against the Dolphins, the Jets amassed 404 yards of total offense including 197 on the ground. Fields hit on 74% of his passes (20 of 27/226/1TD) and ripped off 81 yards on the ground including a 43-yard electrifying score.
"I thought he did a really good job, and he was really spinning the ball," Glenn said. "… And then his run ability really showed up. So when I look at these three games he actually played in, obviously the two games against Pittsburgh and Miami, that's exactly how we see our offense operating."
The Fields-led offense will match up with a Cowboys' defense that ranks 32nd (420.5 yds/g) and 31st in scoring (33 pts/g). In addition to a young offensive line that is showing immense potential with a punishing run game featuring Breece Hall and Fields, WR Garrett Wilson is playing at an elite level and rookie TE Mason Taylor, who recorded a career-high 65 yards on 5 receptions at Miami, is rapidly progressing.
"He came out here and showed us who he was early by his work ethic, by his execution in practice, by his focus," Fields said of Taylor. "He's really smart and that's always good to have as a quarterback, and like I said, he's a smooth route runner, has natural hands, and is just a playmaker at the end of the day. So, of course, glad to have him."
Glenn added: "He's getting more and more comfortable with this offense. Man, he is a true weapon for us."