New York Jets vs. San Diego Chargers: Breaking Down New York's Game Plan

Staring at a dismal 1-3 record, the New York Jets find themselves in desperation mode as they try to get back into the win column since their first week of the season. Traveling West to face the red-hot San Diego Chargers, getting the second win of the season will be far from an easy task.

The good news for the Jets is the current state of the rest of their division. After the New England Patriots looked as competitive as a Division II school on Monday night against the Kansas City Chiefs, it is clear as day that the AFC East is up for the taking. Even with three losses staining their record, the Jets are just a few bad breaks from sitting atop the division throne.  

Unfortunately for the Jets, the Chargers have asserted themselves as one of the best teams in the sport, winning three consecutive games against quality opponents, including the defending champion Seattle Seahawks. 

If the Jets are going to pull off this much-needed upset, they will need to ensure to maximize every matchup advantage possible to make up for the massive gap in quarterback play. 

Involve Jace Amaro

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The Jets offense needs an influx of playmakers. Fresh off a five-catch game against the Detroit Lions, rookie tight end Jace Amaro is making plays. 

If the Jets are not going to start giving Jace Amaro the volume of plays he deserves, they never will. 

To this point, Amaro has consistently been given between 22 and 24 snaps per game, according to Pro Football Focus, which suggests that he has been on some type of snap count that needs to be eliminated immediately. 

All but two of Amaro's receptions this season have (predictably) come over the middle, which is exactly where the Jets need to attack what is a well-rounded Chargers defense.

One of the few weak point in coverage for the Chargers is linebacker Manti Te'o. While he has played well against the run, his coverage is among the worst of the starting defense. According to Pro Football Focus, he has allowed an 80 percent completion rate, two touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 133.0 through four games. 

Amaro has also shined as a blocker. Rated by Pro Football Focus as the second-best run-blocker on the team (behind Nick Mangold), Amaro is already an upgrade over incumbent starter Jeff Cumberland in just about every aspect of the game. Because he is at least an adequate blocker, defenders will have to respect the Jets' running and passing games when he is on the field, causing them to play a step slower. 

One of the best ways to get a young quarterback out of a funk is with a huge tight end target on the field that can bail him out of difficult situations. The 6'6" Amaro is just what the doctor ordered to turn around the Jets offense in a hurry. There is no excuse as to why Amaro should not at least double his normal workload next week in terms of snap counts. 

Shorten the Game

Time of possession is somewhat of an overrated stat. Regardless of how long a team holds onto the ball, the possession numbers are useless if it does not score. 

The Chargers, however, are one of the few teams that have held onto the ball on their way to wins. In their win over the Seahawks in Week 2, Phillip Rivers had control of the ball for 42 minutes, roughly 70 percent of the game. 

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That's how they beat Seattle, too RT @mikerodak: Time of Possession: Chargers 23:46, Bills 13:43. That’s a 63-37 split.

— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) September 21, 2014"

It is easy to assume the Chargers are an uptempo, high-flying offense that mimics that of the Green Bay Packers or Philadelphia Eagles. Instead, the Chargers have been much more a ball-control, clock-eating offense than most would assume—and the Jets should take advantage.

Outmatched in terms of talent, the shorter this game is, the better chance the Jets have of pulling the upset. Going to an uptempo offense may be a tempting solution to their offensive woes, but offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg is better off taking his time with each possession, eating up as much time as possible—as long as they are scoring points in the process. 

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The best way to eat up clock is simple: Keep the ball on the ground as much as possible. Mornhinweg finally started to give running back Chris Ivory the volume he deserves last week with a season-high 17 carries, resulting in 84 yards (a 5.5 average). That workload should only continue into next week going against a defense that is yielding 4.5 yards per rush. 

Phillip Rivers is going to have some success against the Jets' thin secondary. If the Jets are going to keep pace with his production, they need to limit how many times he touches the ball.

Use Safeties to Defend the Pass

The Jets do not have many matchup advantages in this game, but they do have an overwhelming advantage when going against the Chargers' running game. 

With both Ryan Mathews and Danny Woodhead out of the lineup, San Diego had a tough time running the ball against the Jacksonville Jaguars defense. Donald Brown averaged just 1.9 yards per carry. 

The Jaguars are a young and improving defense, but the Jets present an entirely new animal for the Chargers to run against. As the top-ranked run defense, planning to stop Donald Brown and the Chargers offense is about as worthwhile as studying for an open-book spelling bee. 

The Jets are going to take some gambles to pull off the upset on Sunday. They may as well roll the dice on the one aspect of the game they know how to do better than anybody and rely on their defensive front to take care of the Jets running game by themselves. 

Instead of loading up the box with extra safeties in run support, Rex Ryan needs to deploy them to stop the pass. While Ryan has been a blitz-happy coach throughout his career, he should be particularly careful of sending extra men after Rivers in this game. Rivers has been exceptional against the blitz this season (or any pressure in general), in large part thanks to an improving, talented offensive line. 

Pressure	Completion %	Yards/Attempt	QB Rating
No pressure	79.6	9.6	127.1
Under Pressure	50.0	6.0	84.1
No blitz	75.0	8.2	121.9
Blitz	56.8	9.2	94.4

Neither blitzing nor not blitzing has worked so far in stopping Rivers—which is exactly where Ryan's ability to create the illusion of pressure comes in.

Ryan should use a mix of pressures to keep the Chargers on their toes just as he always does, but using a heavy dose of exotic, zone blitzes that create the illusion of pressure without exposing the secondary will give the Jets the best chance to slow down Rivers. 

For example, Ryan was able to manufacture a sack on Jay Cutler in Week 3 because of a unique pressure scheme. Dropping Muhammad Wilkerson into a zone broke down the Chicago Bears offensive line, creating as much pressure as if Ryan had sent eight men to blitz. 

NFL Game Rewind

In a near must-win situation against one of the hottest teams in the NFL, these are the weeks where Ryan and his staff proves that they are the right men for the job. If the Jets can pull off this road upset to draw back to 2-3, it will not just put them within striking distance of the division—it will give them the confidence they need to go into each week knowing they have a legitimate chance of winning. 

Advanced statistics provided by ProFootballFocus.com (subscription required).

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