Jets Q&A: Why didn't defense prepare for Gardner Minshew?

Were the Jets prepared to face Gardner Minshew?

No. The Jets prepared for Jalen Hurts even though he was limited in practice all week with an ankle injury. And even though Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said on Friday he didn’t know if Hurts would play.

Cornerback Bryce Hall said they did not prepare for Minshew at all.

"We were prepared for Jalen," Hall said.

Hall also said that the Jets were preparing for the Eagles’ run-heavy system and that both quarterbacks are similar. But they’re not. Hurts runs much more. Minshew plays in the pocket, moves around some and the Eagles use more RPOs (Run Pass Options) with him.

"A system’s a system," Jets coach Robert Saleh said. "They weren’t going to change their entire system all in one week. It’s just what they were going to call more of which we were very familiar with. You’re not going to get the quarterback runs, but you’re still going to get RPOs, still going to get intermediate to short game, which is what they did.

"Everything they did was expected. The plays were all the same."

Yet the Jets couldn’t stop it, allowing the Eagles to score on their first seven possessions.

"It didn’t affect us at all," C.J. Mosley said. "They ran the same offense. We ran our same calls. They executed better than we did, and they made the plays when they needed to make them."

How much did the long Eagles’ second-half drives affect the Jets?

A lot. Zach Wilson had a good first half, but he and the offense never got into a rhythm in the second half. The Eagles had the ball for more than 14 minutes over two series, which was more than an hour in real time that the offense was on the sideline.

"Yeah, it was tough," Wilson said. "I would say the biggest issue was we had three plays and we got to do a good job."

Wilson was referring to a three-and-out sandwiched in between there. The Jets scored on their first three series and then never again.

"It is disappointing.," Saleh said. "Our offense was rolling."

How did Denzel Mims play?

The second-year receiver had as many penalties as catches in his return from a three-game absence with COVID-19. Mims was caught his only target for 4 yards, and was flagged for an illegal blindside block that negated a 17-yard run by Tevin Coleman.

What injuries did the Jets’ suffer?

Corey Davis, who missed last week’s game with a groin issue, reaggravated the injury. He’s day-to-day. Right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif left with an ankle injury and will undergo testing Monday. Rookie corner Michael Carter II is in the concussion protocol.