Garrett Wilson, wide receiver, New York Jets keys to victory
Garrett Wilson, wide receiver, New York Jets keys to victory
The Jets have fallen to a 1-3 record after a performance in Week 4 that felt straight out of the 2025 season (outside of finally getting an interception). The team was completely outplayed. The Jets offense only ran 32 plays, while the Bears had 34 first downs. This latest loss makes it three in a row for the Jets. Now, they must look ahead to the scorching hot Cleveland Browns in Week 5. Here are the Jets keys to victory for Week 5.
Sep 27, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions defensive lineman Alim McNeill (54) tackles New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson (5) during the first quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
Jets Keys to Victory in Week 5
Key #1: Get Garrett Wilson the Ball
This first key has nothing to do with the matchup necessarily, but is a result of last week’s loss. In Week 4, Garrett Wilson had a mere four targets. Those targets resulted in three catches for 27 yards. All of these statistics are season lows for Wilson. What this comes down to is that right now, this offense lives and dies by Garrett Wilson. He is by far their best skill position player, if not their best player overall. This is especially the case with Breece Hall out with injury. It is simply unacceptable for Geno Smith to only be targeting Wilson on 24.8% of his routes ran.
Garrett Wilson has been targeted on 24.8% of routes run, which ranks 25th among WRs, per TruMedia — behind such WRs as Malik Washington, Antonio Williams and Khalil Shakir.
— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) October 5, 2026
Wilson does draw a rough matchup this week with Browns star cornerback Denzel Ward. Ward has only allowed 10 catches and 74 yards on 20 targets through 4 games. He also has an interception. According to NGS (Next Gen Stats), Ward is allowing a mere 3.1 yards of average separation. Wilson is only generating 2.1 yards of separation on average this season. This seems like a disadvantage for Wilson, which it definitely is; however, Wilson’s strength this season has actually been as a contested catcher this season. According to NGS, Wilson has a 22.9% catch rate over expected, which is 3rd among qualified WR’s. This will be a dogfight, but the first of the Jets keys to victory must be accomplished in order to win.
Sep 20, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Denzel Boston (12) celebrates scoring a touchdown during the second half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
Key #2: Limit Denzel Boston
Perhaps the most important storyline for the Browns this season has been the electric rise of Denzel Boston. He’s already made a plethora of big plays for the team, including a 60-yard catch-and-run in primetime last Thursday against the Steelers. A lot of eyes were on their first-round WR KC Concepcion coming into 2026, but Boston has become the Browns’ best.
Brandon Stephens and Azareye’h Thomas will be tasked with contending with Boston on the outside, where he has run most of his routes. The benefit for the Jets is that both Stephens and Thomas have been good this season. Stephens has allowed the most yards on the team (123); however, none of his catches allowed (10) have been for TD’s. He boasts a 76.9 passer rating allowed. Thomas has been shut down from a yards persepctive (88), but his passer rating allowed is much higher (121.7). Both Jets defenders have only allowed 2.5 yards of separation on average, which is better than Denzel Ward. This should be a great matchup, and an important one at that. The second of the Jets keys to victory is imperative.
Key #3: Have the Edge on Special Teams
The special teams becoming a problem in 2026 would have sounded ridiculous before the season started given the Jets’ historic unit in 2025, but unfortunately they have regressed.
Special Teams EPA through Week 4
1. NYG +22.4
2. IND +17.4
3. MIN +17.1
…
29. LAC -17.3
30. HOU -17.7
31. MIA -19.5
32. TEN -21.1
29-32: all AFC & 0-4 pic.twitter.com/DGrepxWZm7
— SFdata9ers🏈📊 (@sfdata9ers) October 6, 2026
Sitting at the league average (16th) in EPA, the Jets special teams need to get back to form. The Browns are slightly worse at 19th, entering the negatives for EPA, so this needs to be a bounce-back game for this unit. The key for the Jets is going to be limiting kick return yards. Right now, the Browns have the most in football at 621, including a long of 74 yards. This is on the back of Raheim Sanders (293 yards) and former Jet Malachi Corley (264).
The Jets, on the other hand, have struggled in the return game this year after a stellar 2025. They have the fourth-fewest yards on kick returns this season (323). The Jets need more from Isaiah Williams in this department. Maybe he’s saving the fireworks for this week. After all, he did score on a return against the Browns last season. The final of the Jets keys to victory is not only important for this week, but for the season as a whole.
The Last Word
The Jets have a lot riding on this game. If they fall to 1-4, it begins to feel like more of the same for the Jets. Another year of fleeting expectations that may lead to yet another regime change. Another year of tanking. If they can rise to 2-3, though, the outlook changes. The next couple of games, including this upcoming one, are winnable.
They take on the Patriots, Dolphins, and Raiders in the next three games after Week 5. The Patriots are up-and-down, and the Dolphins are really bad. In terms of the Raiders, they take on the Patriots, Bills, and Rams in the coming weeks, so the verdict will be in on the type of team they are by the time they face the Jets. Aaron Glenn and the Jets need momentum back in a big way this week so they can take on this lighter part of their schedule.
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Main Photo: [Mike Dinovo] – Reuters Connect