Three takeaways from the Jets' preseason win over the Green Bay Packers
Justin Fields of the Jets runs for a touchdown while chased by Lukas Van Ness of the Green Bay Packers during the first quarter of their NFL preseason game at Lambeau Field on Saturday in Green Bay, Wis. Credit: Getty Images/Justin Casterline
In Aaron Glenn’s first game as a head coach, the Jets showed glimpses of the team they want to be as well as the one they don’t want to be. Here are three takeaways from Saturday’s 30-10 preseason win over the Packers.
1. Fields Day
Training camp has not been smooth for Justin Fields, but the quarterback led a 79-yard touchdown drive in his only series against Green Bay. He completed 3 of 4 passes for 42 yards and scrambled for a 13-yard touchdown after scanning the field and seeing nothing open.
Fields has the ability to run “in his bag,” Glenn said, and the Jets will take advantage of it. Perhaps the most impressive thing from his performance was that Fields didn’t force anything. Glenn said the plan was to take some shots downfield, but when he saw the receivers covered, Fields took checkdowns for chunk gains.
“He did a really good job of that,” Glenn said. “He was patient. He did everything that we needed to get this win and for him to be the quarterback that we know that he can be.”
Fullback Andrew Beck was a recipient of those checkdowns with two catches for 36 yards. The Jets could utilize the fullback and tight ends more in this offense.
Stone Smartt caught a touchdown pass from Adrian Martinez.
Fields, like the Jets overall, are not a finished product. Fields was carted off with a dislocated toe on the second day of practice, and since his return, he has had some ineffective days moving the football with some good moments sprinkled in. He had a strong practice Thursday and looked good Saturday. These are positive steps for Fields and the Jets.
2. Both lines dominated
The Jets’ offensive line did not allow a sack on 31 dropbacks and opened up holes for the running game. This will be critical because the Jets should be a run-heavy team behind an improved offensive that has bought into new position coach Steve Heiden’s blocking scheme.
The Jets ran 40 times for 147 yards against the Packers and had Donovan Edwards’ 73-yard touchdown run negated by a holding penalty.
“I thought our run game did well, just across the board,” Glenn said. “O-line pushed people back, knocked people off the ball, and that’s who we have to be. That’s our brand of football.”
This could have been just the beginning for the Jets.
“We just wanted to show who we were as a team, show our identity and physicality in the run game,” Fields said.
The Jets have talent and depth in the backfield. Breece Hall will be the featured back, but it could be difficult to keep second-year player Braelon Allen off the field. He had some big runs in Green Bay. Fields’ legs are a weapon. Isaiah Davis can come in for a change of pace in the backfield.
The defensive line, playing without Quinnen Williams and Jermaine Johnson, was disruptive. The Jets had four sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery for a touchdown.
Jay Tufele, who is making his case to start at the other tackle spot next to Williams, had 1.5 sacks and a touchdown.
3. Too many penalties
This looked like last year and the year before that and . . . you get the picture. The Jets led the league in penalties the past two seasons. Glenn has been emphasizing the need to be more disciplined. They’re not there yet.
The Jets were flagged for 12 penalties and 10 were accepted on Saturday. Three were unnecessary-roughness penalties on the defense, including two on back-to-back plays.
“The only thing that wasn’t our brand was the amount of penalties that we had,” Glenn said. “Some of those penalties were undisciplined penalties, so we’ve got to clean that up.”
Glenn was furious on the sideline after Marcellino McCrary-Ball hit Packers tight end Luke Musgrave when he already was out of bounds. Glenn immediately removed McCrary-Ball and lit into him. Glenn also pulled Micheal Clemons and talked to him after he got involved in some shoving with multiple Packers.
“I have to address that,” Glenn said. “[It’s] between me and them. I have to address that. That’s all you need to know.”
Glenn is holding players accountable privately and publicly. The penalty problem has to be fixed.
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
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