New York Jets: 5 Biggest Takeaways from Preseason Game vs. Giants

In Week 3 of preseason action, the New York Jets defeated the New York Giants, 24-21, in overtime at MetLife Stadium. Rex Ryan and the Jets, looking to find an answer to their quarterback situation, started Geno Smith and played the rookie into the fourth quarter. 

Smith had a rocky performance, but did show some flashes of the potential that made him a second-round draft pick. Smith did little to help his cause, but a fourth-quarter injury to Mark Sanchez leaves the competition wide open.

The Jets defense had a solid game despite allowing an 84-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage. The run defense settled down, and the secondary overcame the absence of Antonio Cromartie and the penalties of Kyle Wilson. 

Young nose tackle Damon Harrison was one of the reasons for the defensive line's turnaround. Filling in for Kenrick Ellis, Harrison led the team in tackles and was constantly effecting plays in the backfield with Muhammad Wilkerson.

With all that being said, let's go over the five biggest takeaways from the Jets' preseason victory over the Giants. 

*All Statistics provided by ESPN.com

Jets Run Defense Has Potential, but Still Needs Work

Despite all the hype surrounding the New York Jets defensive line, there is reason to believe it will take some time to turn that hype into reality. Outside of stud lineman Muhammad Wilkerson, the line consists of young, unproven players who have a lot to learn, especially when it comes to stopping the run. 

The defensive line showed its weakness early, as the Giants scored on their first play from scrimmage. Second-year running back David Wilson ran left, found a hole and took off for an 84-yard touchdown run. Wilson went the distance relatively untouched and showed that the Jets line still has plenty of work to do before they reach their potential. 

However, the line stepped up their play as the game progressed. After the long touchdown run, the line buckled down and only allowed 40 rushing yards the rest of the way. 

Seth Walder of the New York Daily News agrees that the defense tightened up their game following the 84-yard run:

"

Jets defense played very well for the rest of the first half after that initial run allowed to David Wilson. #nyj

— Seth Walder (@SethWalderNYDN) August 25, 2013"

Along with Wilkerson and rookie Sheldon Richardson, youngster Damon Harrison made a huge impact on the run game. David Wilson was held to ten yards following his big run, and Andre Brown was held to 17 yards on seven carries. Ryan Torain performed well with seven carries and 33 yards, but most came against the second-stringers. 

It was only one game, and the team did allow an 85-yard touchdown run, but if the Jets run defense can perform up to expectations, Rex Ryan's claim that the New York will have a top-five defense will not sound as crazy as many think. 

Damon Harrison Deserves a Spot on the Defensive Line

With Kenrick Ellis injured, young defensive tackle Damon Harrison made the most of his opportunity playing with the first team defense against the Giants. Harrison made his impact felt early on in the game.

Playing alongside Sheldon Richardson and Muhammad Wilkerson, he made his way into the backfield on two consecutive plays in the first quarter. He finished the game with the first-team defense and lead the team in tackles with seven, including two tackles behind the line of scrimmage. 

Even if Ellis were healthy, I believe Harrison showed enough against the Giants to earn a spot in the defensive line rotation. Granted, the New York Giants offensive line is nothing to brag about, but his play against the Giants has been recognized by Jets writers.

ESPNNewYork.com's Rich Cimini:

"

Damon Harrison having a terrific game. Of course, he's facing Jim Cordle. #Jets

— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) August 25, 2013"

 

The Record's J.P. Pelzman:

"

Damon Harrison should be the starting nose tackle. Making WAY more plays than Ellis has.

— J.P. Pelzman (@JPPelzman) August 25, 2013"

 

I believe the Jets have found a diamond in the rough in Harrison. 

Bilal Powell Is Going to See a Lot of Playing Time

One of the overlooked preseason battles for the New York Jets has been at the running back position. While offseason addition Chris Ivory has been nursing injuries, Bilal Powell has emerged as a solid option for the Jets to turn to out of the backfield. 

Powell had a solid game against the Giants, although his numbers were not that impressive. Powell carried the ball 11 times for only 16 yards but managed to make an impact on the game through other means. He hauled in two passes from Geno Smith for 18 yards and also had some solid blocks in the backfield. 

Powell also recorded a touchdown early in the second half while still playing with the first-team offense. Powell, not Ivory, was entrusted with the ball in a goal-line situation and pounded into the end zone for a two-yard touchdown run.  

Again, his numbers do not scream "starter" by any means; that title will likely be handed to Ivory. However, Powell's heavy usage in the preseason shows that he will likely have a major role in this offense. His versatility in both the run game and the passing game offers another weapon for offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg to work with. 

Starting Secondary Performed Well

Outside of cornerback Antonio Cromartie, the Jets secondary offered very little to get excited about against the Giants. Rookie corner Dee Milliner sat out with an injury, and Kyle Wilson continues to disappoint (we'll get to that later). 

However, against the Giants, the starting secondary, consisting of Dawan Landry, Antonio Allen, Darrin Walls and Wilson, performed well. Eli Manning only completed eight passes on 20 attempts for 83 yards and recorded a 52.7 QBR. Most of Eli's miscues were caused by the Jet's pass rush, but the secondary was solid nonetheless.

Back to Wilson. The fourth-year corner struggled with penalties against the Giants. Over the years, Wilson has shown that he has talent, but cannot seem to shake the penalties. 

Wilson was at it again on Saturday night, as he was called for a couple of penalties while defending Hakeem Nicks. Wilson will likely see most of his time in the slot, which should help minimize the number of penalties, but Wilson needs to straighten up.

SNY analyst Ray Lucas said one of Wilson's issues is locating the ball:

"

Kyle Wilson is having a tuff night!! Has to find the ball in the air!!

— Ray Lucas (@RayLucas06) August 25, 2013"

If Wilson cannot find the ball in the air, he puts himself at a disadvantage and becomes more vulnerable to penalties. This trend has occurred over the duration of Wilson's career and does not seem to be coming to an end anytime soon. 

The Jets starting secondary performed admirably despite Wilson's penalties and the absence of Cromartie. However, without these two players on top of their games, it is unlikely that the secondary manages to keep up this level of play. 

Geno Smith Is Just as Inconsistent as Mark Sanchez

Whether Geno Smith wins the quarterback battle or not, he has shown one thing: He is wildly inconsistent. In fact, he reminds of another New York quarterback, Mark Sanchez. While Geno did show some potential against the Giants, he is plagued with inconsistency, which is what one should expect from a rookie quarterback.

After a rough first drive, Smith put together a brilliant second drive. He went 4-for-5 with 41 yards, including a 22-yard touchdown pass to Ben Obomanu. Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg's plays called for Smith to move around the pocket and gave the rookie opportunities for easy, short completions. 

If Smith will be under center this season, these are the plays needed for him to be successful. A string of short-yardage plays will put Smith in manageable third-and-short situations as opposed to the dreaded third-and-long plays. 

However, Smith's fast start was quickly erased with a terrible end to the first half. After starting 5-for-8, Smith finished the first half going 6-for-17 (11-for-25, 134 yards at the half) with three interceptions. The first interception occurred when Smith threw a pass behind wide receiver Ryan Spadola and into the hands of Giants' corner Prince Amukamara. Spadola was open and Smith had room to lead him into the pass, but was unable to do so. 

Rich Cimini of ESPN New York Tweeted what went wrong on the Amukamara interception: 

"

Geno intercepted by Amukamara. Throw was behind Spadola, who had to reach back. Poor throw. #JetsDevCamp

— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) August 24, 2013"

Smith's second interception was just plain bad. His throw sailed above his intended target and floated right to Stevie Brown. Smith was way off on this throw and gave Jets fans flashbacks of Mark Sanchez. 

New York Daily News Analyst Manish Mehta on Smith's second interception: 

"

Geno Smith badly overthrows Kellen Winslow. Easily intercepted by Brown. Geno's 2nd INT of the 1st quarter. #nyj

— Manish Mehta (@MMehtaNYDN) August 24, 2013"

Smith's third pick came when he failed to see Justin Tuck drop into coverage. Smith tried to hit his man on a short pass to the left and simply did not see Tuck. 

Mehta on Smith's third interception:

"

Geno Smith throws his 3rd INT of the first half. Brutal. Didn't see Justin Tuck. .... #nyj

— Manish Mehta (@MMehtaNYDN) August 25, 2013"

All three of these interceptions were completely avoidable, which makes me wonder if Smith is the right guy to be running the show for the New York Jets. However, he seemed to put his troubles behind him to start the second half.

Smith led the Jets on a touchdown drive to start the second half while completing three consecutive passes of at least 10 yards, highlighted by a 24-yard pass to Obomanu. Smith also completed a pass to tight end Kellen Winslow before finding Obomanu for the second time on the drive.

The Jets running game pounded the ball past the goal line once the ball was inside the 10, but Smith looked good on the touchdown drive. 

Smith exited the game early in the fourth quarter after stepping out of the end zone for a safety, but left the game after showing improvement in the second half. He finished the game with decent numbers, going 16-for-30 with 199 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions (5-for-5, 65 yards in the second half). 

Smith showed that he has the ability to make plays and be successful. However, his inconsistency cannot be overlooked. If he is going to continue to be inconsistent, he will not be the starting quarterback come Week 1.