The Jets’ upset of the Eagles can be attributed to their win in Denver. Yes, the Jets’ 31-221 victory over the now hapless Broncos. The Jets had won four of their last five games against the AFC West pretenders.
As John Denver once sang, this was their “Rocky Mountain High.”
This was the game that suddenly gained national attention due to the still unconscionable rhetoric from Broncos’ head coach Sean Payton about Jets’ offensive coordinator and former Broncs’ head coach Nathaniel Hackett.
It thurst a meaningless national game into the spotlight and gave the Jets some fodder.
The Jets were faced with a game that they were supposed to win, and that hasn’t happened this year.They did it, and found some inner strength.
They did in a convincing way, and it can serve as a statement game for the rest of the year. They took the cue from there and went back home to face the undefeated Eagles.
The Jets’ defense kept them in the game against the Eagles and against one of the better quarterbacks in the league. It’s true that Jalen Hurts had a bad game, but he is one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in the game today.
This was a defense without their two starting corners and responded with the next-man-up approach.
Remember, this was a Jets’ defense that received its share of high accolades, and whose players added their own sentiments, mainly their parallel to the 1985 Bears’ unit.
Well, they have drawn a parallel in many ways to the acclaimed unit, and,maybe just maybe, have found their niche. There have been plenty of negative critics about the current bunch.
On the other side of the ball, Zach Wilson had what many would view as a subpar day with his 19-for-33, 186-yard showing. But he did connect eight times with Garrett Wilson for 90 yards. That’s the steady connection this team needs.
For the record, Wilson has thrown only one interception in the past four weeks. Breece Hall was bottled up for 39 yards, but he found the end zone in clutch time. The Jets will keep their fingers crossed that Hall can stay the course without any repercussions from his knee injury.
The bye week ahead is met with mixed expectations.
Momentum is a big key in this league, and the Jets have elevated themselves into the Wild Card conversation. A meeting with the Giants this instead of in two would be a showcase showdown than earlier anticipated based on the G-Men’s near victory in Buffalo.
However, we’ll all have to wait and see what happens in two weeks. Do the Jets show everyone they’re for real, or do they slip backward into an abyss?
It’s time for them to stay clear of the abyss and stay on top of the mountain.