Are the Jets Truly a Super Bowl Contender?
The Jets will be a better team than they were a year ago, that much is obvious. The bigger question is whether or not they are truly a Super Bowl contender. That answer is an unequivocal yes. Unless you think having a top quarterback (2 years removed from a 2nd-straight MVP) and a top defense don’t qualify for contender status.
No team in the NFL will have a bigger upgrade at the most important position than the Jets will by going from Zach Wilson to Aaron Rodgers. While they might not be getting prime Rodgers, they likely won’t be getting something far from it. His physical abilities, while diminished slightly from his prime, are not limiting in any way. In fact, they’re still among the best in the league. And no current quarterback has seen more than Rodgers has.
The success of the offense will come down to two things. The first is chemistry. How quickly will Rodgers be able to gel with his receivers in game situations? The receiving corps is more talented and experienced than it was a year ago and better than what Rodgers had around him in Green Bay last year. But being on the same page in the face of live defenses can take some time.
The second is the offensive line. This is really the most worrisome part of the Jets’ roster. In an ideal world, Duane Brown and Mekhi Becton would be healthy and ready to play both tackle positions. Alijah Vera-Tucker would play right guard, rookie center Joe Tippmann would be ready to play at center, and the left guard position could come down to a competition between Laken Tomlinson and Connor McGovern.
It doesn’t appear things will be that way, however. There are already talks of AVT moving from right guard to one of the tackle positions. Duane Brown is still on the PUP, although hopefully he’ll return before the season. Becton isn’t back to full strength quite yet. There are concerns here.
The Jets might need to lean on their run game to keep the pass rush at bay early in the season. But will Breece Hall be ready to carry the load by Week 1? Will Dalvin Cook be in New York? It’s a little up in the air right now.
The good news is that the Jets likely won’t have to score 30 points per game to win. While I expect the offense to be one of the best in the league, even an improvement to middle-of-the-pack would make a world of difference with that defense.
The Jets allowed less than 21 points in 5 of their 10 losses last season. They allowed 30 points just once and finished 4th overall in points allowed. It’s safe to say that the same level of production on defense would lead to more wins with Rodgers under center.
Not to mention, Rodgers has rarely played with a defense this good. He’s only had one top-10 scoring defense in the last 12 seasons, which is remarkable. He’s only had one defense finish in the top-5 during his 15 years as a starter. That was the 2010 Packers, who went on to win the Super Bowl.
The Jets defense is packed with young talent and most of their key players are returning from a year ago. That defensive line was really deep last year, and then they added another pass rusher in first-round draft pick Will McDonald.
All of that talent combines with a scheme that puts a ton of pressure on opposing quarterbacks, as I recently wrote about.
There is no doubt the Jets are a much better team than they were a year ago. But they play in the most competitive division and a jam-packed AFC. Their schedule is going to be tough, as it will be for every other team in the AFC East. The key for New York will be those first 4 games against the Bills, Cowboys, Patriots, and Chiefs. If they can come out of that no worse than 2-2, they’ll be in good shape.
And if they reach the playoffs, they have a quarterback more than capable of getting them over the hump.
Before we officially move ahead into this season, here’s a look back at the Jets’ team stats and NFL rankings from 2022:
