New York Jets vs. Atlanta Falcons: Expert prediction, 3 things to watch Week 5 in London

LONDON — It's still early in the New York Jets' season. But Sunday's matchup against the Falcons at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is a big one.

With a win, they will go into the bye within a game of .500, and enter the rest of the season with a world of possibilities. But with a loss, the Jets (1-3) will be three games under .500 heading into the second half of October, with a tough matchup at the Patriots looming in two weeks, and the season potentially on the verge of spinning out of control.

So how will it all play out? Here's what to watch for as the Jets play the Falcons.

Jets (1-3) at Falcons (1-3)

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London

Sunday, 4:05 p.m.

TV: NFL Network, NBC

Line: Falcons by 2.5 (odds via Tipico Sportsbook)

Start fast

The first half has not been kind to the Jets in 2021. They trailed by at least 10 points at halftime in each of their past three games. But they scored a touchdown in the first half against the Titans last week, which helped them win their first game of the season. So clearly, getting on the board early is a key for the Jets.

Ideally, they'd score points on the opening drive. But that hasn't happened yet this season. So the goal for rookie quarterback Zach Wilson and offensive Mike LaFleur should be to find a way to put points on the board in multiple possessions in the first half. If the Jets can do that, their chances of winning the game will go up exponentially.

Keep improving on third down

The Jets have been bad on third down this season. But they showed significant improvement in Sunday's win over the Titans, converting on 6-of-14 attempts — about 42 percent, which was a huge step in the right direction.

The Jets need to keep finding a way to convert on third down if they want to beat the Falcons. Even if the third-down conversions don't lead directly to points on every possession, they're still huge for the entire team for a couple of reasons: the Jets need to keep the defense off the field after they played 100 snaps against the Titans, and it's also key for building confidence on offense early — even against the Titans, the Jets had five possessions of three plays or fewer without gaining a first down.

If the Jets can pick up some third-down conversions early and stay on the field, they'll be in a position to win this game.

Slow down the top weapon

For the second straight week, the Jets will be facing a team that doesn't have its top receiver. The Falcons have already ruled out receiver Calvin Ridley, who didn't make the trip across the Atlantic.

That means the Jets will have to focus on only one major weapon for the Falcons: receiver Cordarrelle Patterson, who has 18 catches, with an average of 13.1 yards per reception, with four touchdowns. The Falcons also added tight end Kyle Pitts early in the first round. The Jets also have a bit of an advantage, as defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich goes up against his team from a year ago.

"With the addition of like the Kyle Pitts and some of the guys that weren’t there when I was ... there is definitely significantly new challenges as far as their roster is concerned. It’s exciting to play against them. I know them well and it’ll be fun to get after them a little bit."

Prediction

Andy Vasquez: The Jets finally get off to a strong start against the Falcons, with a touchdown in the first quarter. But it's never easy, and they fall behind at halftime before rallying in the third quarter and taking control of the game. The Falcons add a late touchdown but the Jets get it done in relatively stress-free fashion: Jets 28, Falcons 24

Andy Vasquez is the Jets beat writer for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to all Jets analysis, news, trades and more, please subscribe today and download our app.

Email: vasqueza@northjersey.com 

Twitter: @andy_vasquez