Its week 5 in the NFL, and the New York Jets and Atlanta Falcons are heading across the pond. The two will play at 9:30am EST on Sunday, and it will be the first game of the weekend. Coming off a win, the Jets will look to carry their momentum into this game against a vulnerable Falcons team. Here is a preview of the New York Jets vs Atlanta Falcons.
The Good Guys
The Jets come into this game 1-3, coming off an overtime win against the Tennessee Titans last week. The offense found its stride, and they scored more points than the rest of the season combined. The defense held up, and they forced the Titans to kick 3 field goals after driving into the Redzone.
The ‘bend but don’t break’ defense that has shown up in every game this season has been a pleasant surprise for the Jets this season. Rookies have been balling in the secondary, and the defensive line has been as good as advertised. Despite the loss of Carl Lawson, the Jets have had great seasons out of John Franklin-Myers and Bryce Huff.
They will be without star safety Marcus Maye, who is out with ankle injury that should sideline him a couple of weeks. He also finds himself in the middle of some legal trouble, which could further his issues returning to the field.
On a more positive note, against the Titans, Zach Wilson showed why the Jets picked him #2 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. He finished with a number of 50+ yard bombs to Corey Davis and Keelan Cole, which gave sparks to the offense. The Jets will need to continue this trend, and improve against a vulnerable Falcons defense.
The Opposition
The Falcons are fresh off a crushing defeat to the Washington Football Team. The loss, which brings the Falcons to 1-3, the same as the Jets. The Falcons have not been the same team without Julio Jones, and they have regressed even further from their 4-12 record last year.
Matt Ryan has been… not great. A far cry from his 2016 MVP season. He looks like he can barely throw the ball 40 yards. If anything, that is a huge advantage for the Jets, who are currently very thin at Safety. Calvin Ridley is not making the trip to London this week, making it the second week in a row the Jets will dodge star wide receivers.
Russell Gage, while not quite as good as Calvin Ridley, is also out for this game, making Olamide Zaccheaus and Kyle Pitts the most dangerous pass catchers. Cordarrelle Patterson is also enjoying a resurgence, and he figures to be heavily involved in the Falcons gameplan.
The Falcons defense is playing just as well as it has in years past: very poorly. They rank last in points per game on defense, and they rank 23rd in yards per game allowed. After starting the season against 3 of the top 5 defenses in the NFL, the Jets have played two of the worst, and they are already 1 for 1 when it comes to scoring points.
In Sum
The Jets and Falcons will probably play a close game, just like both teams played last week. And while last week I figured the Jets would keep it close but lose, this week I wouldn’t be surprised with a win. If the Jets can push the ball down the field and put pressure on Matt Ryan, they should be in a great position to come out of this game 2-3. This has been a preview of the New York Jets vs. Atlanta Falcons.