What to Expect from Jace Amaro and the Jets Offense in Week 7
The New York Jets offense vastly improved against a heavily favored Denver Broncos team in Week 6. More importantly, Jace Amaro showcased potential the Jets hoped for when drafting him in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft—providing a spark within a lethargic offense.
Amaro led all Jets receivers with 10 receptions, 68 yards and a touchdown. Geno Smith found an alternative target to Eric Decker to rely on throughout the game.
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The breakout game from the rookie tight end was seemingly overdue. Over the past few weeks, he exhibited the ability to catch with sure hands—gaining his quarterback's trust after a slow start with minimal targets.
| Targets | Receptions | Yards |
| 4 | 2 | 7 |
| 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 4 | 3 | 54 |
| 5 | 5 | 58 |
| 3 | 3 | 19 |
| 12 | 10 | 68 |
The tight end’s increased production is a result of seeing the field for a season-high 55.5 percent of the offensive snaps, per Rotoworld. Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg opted to attack the Broncos with short-to-intermediate passes, instead of pounding the defensive front with running backs Chris Ivory and Chris Johnson.
Mornhinweg was successful in getting the most out of his young tight end but failed to establish the balance New York needed to limit Denver’s possessions. Gang Green trailed for the majority of the game, and Smith was mistake-free for the most part—tilting the play-calling in favor of the pass.
Going forward, the offense still lacks the ability to overcome deficits. Smith is grossly inaccurate throwing the deep ball, completing just 15.8 percent of his passes when throwing for 20 or more yards this season, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
The Jets' vertical handicap is only partially Smith’s fault with the lack of talent general manager John Idzik assembled. It’s plausible to think the organization could have been more patient with Stephen Hill’s development because the alternatives aren’t getting the job done.
The conservative offense can flourish if a balance is met between Smith dinking and dunking throws accurately—and a powerful rushing attack Mornhinweg abandoned in the past two weeks. According to Pro-Football-Reference.com, Ivory and Johnson combined for 84 rushing yards on 27 attempts in the previous two games along with a total of 14 receiving yards.
In addition to reasserting the ground-and-pound approach, Mornhinweg must get creative with maximizing production out of Johnson's dual-threat capabilities.
Johnson’s receiving ability is Gang Green’s only big-play threat to opposing defenses. Mornhinweg must find a way to compensate for the absence of a vertical threat by allowing him the opportunity to catch the ball when split out wide in formations.
The running back isn’t known for bruising defenders. He’s a speed burner with a knack for covering ground in chunks within the open field. Awakening this part of the seventh-year running back’s versatile game play could spread defenders out—making room for separation on receiver pass routes.
The Kansas City Chiefs utilized a dual-threat running back attack and an aggressive defense to demolish the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football in Week 4. New York has the personnel on both sides of the ball to accomplish the same results Thursday night.
| Jamaal Charles and Knile Davis (Combined) | Travis Kelce |
| 34 rushes, 199 yards, 1 touchdown | 8 receptions, 93 yards , 1 touchdown |
Per the team's official injury report, Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo will miss Thursday’s game, and fellow linebacker Dont’a Hightower is questionable with a knee injury.
The Patriots defense didn’t have a solution for Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Now Amaro, coming off his best performance, could feast on a wounded, depleted linebacker corps.
The Jets-Patriots matchup is set up to be a chess match between two division rivals. New England head coach Bill Belichick is one of the best at masking deficiencies on his roster.
Mornhinweg must be prepared to reactivate the ground game in case Amaro garners extra coverage. Running backs Ivory and Johnson have an increased value with Decker matched against one of the NFL’s premiere cornerbacks in Darrelle Revis. Coaching decisions and adjustments—more so in this game—will separate the winning team and the losing team.
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