3 Takeaways from Jets' Week 6 Win vs. Packers

The New York Jets already have four wins this season, matching their total number of victories from 2021. And it's only mid-October.

It's been a big turnaround for the Jets, which improved to 4-2 with a 27-10 win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday afternoon at Lambeau Field. New York has now won three straight games and is 3-0 on the road this year.

The Jets held a 17-3 lead late in the third quarter, and after the Packers cut the deficit to seven points, New York reeled off 10 unanswered points in the fourth.

It was the first time it had beaten Green Bay since 2006, and the Packers had won the previous three meetings between the two teams.

Here are three takeaways from the Jets' Week 6 win.

Jets Are a Legitimate Playoff Contender

AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps

New York Jets Head coach Robert Saleh reacts after beating the Green Bay Packers during an NFL game Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

No NFL team has gone longer without making the playoffs than the Jets, whose last trip to the postseason came at the end of the 2010 campaign. But it's reasonable to suggest New York could get back there this year.

The Jets' 4-2 start is their best since 2015, when they finished 10-6 but still came up short of reaching the postseason. New York is only one game back of the Buffalo Bills (5-1) in the AFC East. But even if it can't overtake the division leader, one of the three AFC wild-card berths is attainable for the team this year.

After a statement victory over the Packers—one of the NFL's top franchises in recent years—the upstart Jets have no plans of slowing down anytime soon.

"We believe we can be as great as any team in this league," New York defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins said, per The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt. "No matter who you see us line up against, there isn't a shift in how we approach the game. We approach it with the utmost confidence, we approach it with the mindset that we're going to win the game."

And that could lead to more impressive wins for the Jets in the weeks to come.

Hall Emerges as Top Offensive Playmaker

AP Photo/Matt Ludtke

New York Jets running back Breece Hall (20), runs into the end zone for a 34-yard touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)

Early in the season, New York took a balanced approach to its running game, distributing the work fairly evenly between rookie Breece Hall and second-year back Michael Carter.

However, it's now becoming clear that the Jets need to get the ball in the 2022 second-rounder's hands as much as possible.

Hall had the first 100-yard rushing game of his career on Sunday, running for 116 yards on a season-high 20 carries. That came a week after he had 197 total yards (97 rushing, 100 receiving) in the victory over the Miami Dolphins.

With a rushing touchdown against Green Bay, the 21-year-old has gotten into the end zone each of the past three weeks and in four of the past five games.

“He’s a home run hitter,” New York head coach Robert Saleh said, per Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post.

Only six games into his NFL career, Hall is already proving he could be a top offensive playmaker for the Jets for a long time. It will be exciting to see more performances like this from him throughout the rest of the season and beyond.

Defense May Have Had Its Best Performance Yet

AP Photo/Mike Roemer

New York Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams (95) and linebacker Quincy Williams (56) walk off the field after an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)

The Packers' offense isn't quite as potent as it has been in recent years, but it's still a unit led by Aaron Rodgers, the two-time defending NFL MVP. So, it's never an easy task for a defense to go up against Green Bay, especially in a hostile environment.

Yet, the Jets went on the road and had little trouble against the veteran quarterback and the Packers.

New York held Green Bay to 278 total yards and forced a turnover (a Rodgers fumble recovered by Lamarcus Joyner) in the second quarter. The Jets also recorded four sacks, two of which came from defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.

"We feel like our D-line matches up from an advantages standpoint versus anybody, whether that's cocky or unguided confidence, whatever it is," Saleh told reporters. "We love our D-line. We think they're a rolling ball of butcher knives, and there's a lot of them that can play at a high level."

New York has talented young players all over its defense, not just up front. That's why the Jets are holding teams to 313.2 total yards per game, which is much improved from the NFL-high 397.6 total yards per game they allowed last season.

And the way the unit is improving, its stats may only get better throughout the year.