There was a lot for the New York Jets to like from their 30-10 road win against the Green Bay Packers in the preseason opener Saturday night.
The Jets starters shined against the Packers starters, and the backups outplayed their hosts on both sides of the ball. New York had 403 yards of total offense and controlled the clock with 38:41 time of possession to 21:19 for Green Bay.
Gang Green won the turnover battle 2-0, recovered one forced fumble in the end zone for a touchdown, and set up a chip-shot field goal after recovering another fumble on a muffed punt return by the Packers. The Jets didn’t surrender a single sack and produced four of their own.
All in all, it was a good start to the Aaron Glenn era.
“Preseason or not, a win is a win,” the Jets coach said. “and I was always taught that if you want to be a winner, you not only have top understand how to win but how to consistently win. And this was a great win by our guys. A lot of good things happened in this game.”
Let’s break down the key takeaways from the Jets 30-10 win over the Packers.
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Justin Fields impresses on TD drive
Justin Fields directed an impressive 10-play, 79-yard touchdown drive in the one series that the Jets starting offense played. After an uneven start to training camp, it’s exactly what the Jets needed to see from their new quarterback.
Fields completed 3 of 4 passes for 42 yards on the drive. He made quick reads and checked down on each of his three completions, including a pair to fullback Andrew Beck, one that went for 24 yards. His lone incompletion was poor execution on a quick pass to Garrett Wilson.
The 26-year-old capped the drive when he eluded pressure and then took off to his right on third down and scored on a 13-yard touchdown run. It’s been eons since the Jets had a quarterback who can beat you with his legs. This TD run provided a glimpse into a new dimension Fields brings to the offense.
“We love where he’s at right now,” Glenn said postgame.
Jets dominate line of scrimmage
NFL: New York Jets at Green Bay Packers
Credit: Kayla Wolf-Imagn Images
The Jets looked really good at the point of attack, on each side of the ball. The offensive line kept each of their three quarterbacks clean and paved the way for the Jets to rush for 147 yards — including an impressive 14-yard burst by Braelon Allen against Green Bay’s first-team defense.
With John Simpson (back) out, center Joe Tippmann seamlessly slid over to left guard with the ones, and Josh Myers started at center. Myers played 22 snaps in his bid to unseat Tippmann at center; Tippmann played just the first series. Read into all that as you will as it pertains to the center competition.
First-round pick Armand Membou started at right tackle and played 22 snaps. He didn’t allow a single QB pressure, per Pro Football Focus, on 10 drop backs, making for an impressive preseason debut in the NFL.
The Jets looked good on the defensive line, too. Playing without injured veterans Quinnen Williams and Byron Cowert, the D-line helped hold the Packers to 12 first downs and just one third-down conversion in 10 attempts.
Lineman Jay Tufele led the Jets with three tackles and 1.5 sacks, and scored a touchdown when he recovered a Malik Willis fumble in the end zone. Leonard Taylor III came off the edge to force that Willis fumble and was credited with a sack and two tackles after a disappointing start to training camp. Lineman Eric Watts was credited with two solo tackles.
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This issue remains Jets problem
We interrupt all of this positivity with a sobering note: as they did so often under the previous regime with coach Robert Saleh, the Jets continued to take a lot of penalties, including a string of mindless ones.
The Jets were penalized 10 times for 91 yards, low-lighted by a pair of late hits on defense and a personal foul for unnecessary roughness against Micheal Clemons, who tangled with Packers offensive lineman Zach Tom. It was an offsetting penalty, but Glenn pulled Clemons off the field and chewed him out on the sideline.
“The only thing that wasn’t our brand is the amount of penalties that we had,” Glenn explained postgame. “Some of those penalties were undisciplined penalties. We’ve got to clean those up.”
Another penalty that stood out was a holding call against offensive lineman Liam Fornadel — who’s unlikely to make the 53-man roster — which wiped out a 73-yard touchdown run by Donovan Edwards.
These Jets made most of opportunity with Mason Taylor out
NFL: New York Jets at Green Bay Packers
Credit: Kayla Wolf-Imagn Images
Mason Taylor is expected to be New York’s starting tight end this season. But the rookie second-round pick didn’t play Saturday due to a high-ankle sprain, allowing others to make a case for playing time.
Beck, a fullback who has tremendous blocking skills and can also play in the traditional tight end spot, stood out on the opening drive and should play a sizeable role in New York’s run-heavy offense this season. Stone Smartt, who caught 16 passes with the Los Angeles Chargers last season, scored a 24-yard TD from Adrian Martinez on a neatly designed tight end screen Saturday. Long shot Zack Kuntz had a 12-yard reception from the tight end position.
Allen Lazard injured in Jets preseason win
Veteran wide receiver Allen Lazard sustained a shoulder injury and will be further evaluated by the Jets. He reportedly was seen leaving Lambeau Field with his right arm in a sling.
The Jets are quite thin at the WR position behind Wilson, and counted on Lazard bouncing back from a pair of subpar seasons in New York. He caught the two passes thrown his way against the Packers, his former team, and is a valuable run blocker, which should be even more important this season.
Tyler Johnson had two receptions for 27 yards in the preseason opener, and rookie Arian Smith caught a pair for 18 yards.
Jim Cerny is Managing Editor NHL at Sportsnaut and Executive Editor of Forever Blueshirts, bringing 30 years of experience ... More about Jim Cerny