Detroit Lions opponent preview: The New York Jets offense
By Ash Thompson
On September 10, 2018, a new season will begin for the Detroit Lions. The first opponent on the schedule is the New York Jets.
The Detroit Lions face the AFC East, the NFC West, the Dallas Cowboys, and Carolina Panthers during the 2018 regular season. The first challenge they face is the New York Jets. The 2017 pre-season scuttlebutt had the Jets as one of the worst teams in football. The Jets did not quite live down up to that billing. They were 28th in total yards, 21st in yards per play and 24th in points scored. The defense also bled yardage as the 25th in total yards allowed. Points were not hard to come by either, they finished 22nd.
In short, the Jets were a bad team in 2018. Their 5-11 record reflected that. The Todd Bowles era in New York began with a strong 10-6 record. That has been followed by consecutive 5-11 campaigns. The team has neither drafted well nor exploited their location in the big apple to improve the team in recent years. Bowles was retained as an admission of the fact that the front office had given him a trash heap to work with, and his results were reflective of that.
The Jets have made some moves that look good on paper in 2018. They added quarterback Sam Darnold with the third overall pick in the NFL draft. They then added defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd in the third round. Both are solid picks, but neither drastically change the team in 2018. Their day three picks are also unlikely to impact this year’s results, particularly in week one.
In free agency, they’ve added some pieces but nothing game changing. The Jets were a bad team in 2017, and they will likely still be a bad team in 2018. They promoted the quarterbacks coach that couldn’t develop Christian Hackenberg into an NFL player to offensive coordinator. Their leading receiver from a year ago is looking at a likely suspension, and will not be available. This game will be a battle of strength vs. strength, and weakness vs. weakness. That is even more true with the Jets offense on the field against the Lions defense