Detroit Lions opponent preview: The New York Jets offense
By Ash Thompson
Running back
The New York Jets added Isaiah Crowell to their running back room as a free agent. Crowel came from Cleveland, where for some reason they woefully underutilized him. He is exactly the kind of grinding, powerful, but not worthless as a receiving outlet kind of running back that supports a rookie quarterback perfectly. Of course, no coach whose team goes 0-16 is making good decisions so the Browns spelled him continually. Crowell saw greater opportunities in New York. He will be the team’s feature back, so much as they have one. He is likely most dangerous offensive player in week one barring injury.
The team’s complementary lightning to Crowell’s thunder is Bilal Powell. The addition of Crowell looks likely to lessen Powell’s role running the ball in 2018, which leaves him free for a role as the passing down specialist. He is not an incapable runner, this is no wide receiver dressed like a running back. Powell’s size and skill set make him ideal for that sort of role, however. Powell is dangerous enough on the ground to make teams pay for focussing too strongly elsewhere..
The third running back for the Lions to worry about is Elijah McGuire. If either of the Jets top two backs is nursing an injury, McGuire proved up to spot duty as a rookie. His best game of the year was against one of the league’s top defenses, the Jacksonville Jaguars. McGuire gained 93 yards on ten carries. He followed that up with back to back poor performances against New England and Miami, however. McGuire is not a top-tier talent, but the running game is still a threat with him in the game.
The Jets also picked up free agent Thomas Rawls. Rawls, you will recall, exploded onto the scene in 2015 with an 830-yard campaign, and looked every bit the heir apparent to Marshawn Lynch in Seattle. Two years of injuries and poor play have followed. Rawls was an interesting player to pick up off the scrap heap. At this point, behind these other players, Rawls seems unlikely to be an early season threat to the Lions defense, however.
Offensive line
I do not claim that Pro Football Focus’ player ratings are infallible. The projected starting Jets offensive line earned an average rating of 54.4 last year. Kelvin Beachum came on board to man the blindside. He is an acceptable if not spectacular player, and that is about as good as this group gets.
The Jets offensive line last season was terrible. They held the team back in both aspects of the game. The Jets will boast three new starters along the line, and how quickly those players gel will be the determinant of their offensive performance. I like the Lions chances in week one. The group will have played less than a full game of snaps together in live action. The Lions front seven also has a number of new faces, and a different scheme from previous years.
It is unlikely that the Lions will simply match up Ziggy Ansah and Kelvin Beachum consistently when rushing the passer. Ansah had three separate field days with bad linemen last season, and this is an opportunity for another if he deploys in various positions around the line. Matt Patricia’s multiple fronts could be a problem for a relatively new line group in New York. They could also be a problem to execute for the Lions.
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The Lions secondary should handle the Jets receivers, the wildcard is up front. The team that gets on the same page will win the battle in the trenches, and likely the battle between the Jets offense and Lions defense.