Can New York Jets Lean on Chris Ivory, Running Game?

It's been an up-and-down season for the New York Jets offense, but it looks like the running game is finally back on track. 

The Jets have rushed for 90 yards or more in each of the past three games, which they had not done once since Week 6 against the Washington Redskins. In Week 12 against the Miami Dolphins, the Jets piled up 137 rushing yards. On Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, the rushing total was 183 yards.

But look at the names of the teams: The Titans rank in the bottom half of the NFL against the run, and the Dolphins rank in the bottom five against the run.

So even with the Jets' rediscovered success in the running game, there's a caveat: That success must continue if the Jets offense is going to stay on schedule and continue to lead the team on a playoff push.

Of course, this also takes place in lockstep with the best stretch of pass offense the Jets have seen in recent memory. 

Yes, Ryan Fitzpatrick is playing at a high level right now, but that's always been the case throughout his 11-year career; his nickname might as well be "Fitz and spurts."

Rarely, though, have we seen him play at the level we've witnessed over the past three weeks. He has completed 79 of 123 passes (64.2 percent) for 930 yards, nine touchdowns, no interceptions and a 111.5 passer rating. He ranks fifth in the league in passer rating in that span, and of the top five, he's the only one to have thrown more than 100 passes without an interception.

	Weeks 7-9	Weeks 10-14
Carries	55	79
Carries/game	18.3	15.8
Yards	84	370
Yards/game	28	74
Yards/carry	1.5	4.7
Touchdowns	2	1

Fitzpatrick usually comes back to earth at some point, so the Jets will need to be ready to take the game out of his hands, feed Chris Ivory the rock and let him eat. And he certainly ate on Sunday against the Titans, putting up 101 rushing yards on 22 carries (4.6 yards per attempt).

But he wasn't the only one, as Bilal Powell added three carries for 36 yards (12 YPA) and Stevan Ridley added six carries for 23 yards (3.8 YPA).

Where has this running game been, you might ask? It's been in exactly the same place as the holes up front created by the offensive line in the running game—that is to say, it's been nowhere to be found. 

Even with a few subpar performances in the middle of the season, Ivory is still having the best season of his career statistically, with career highs in carries (217), yards (914) and touchdowns (seven) with three games to go.

It appears he's back to 100 percent after suffering a groin injury in Week 7 against the New England Patriots, and if that's the case, the Jets need to give him every opportunity to carry the load in the running game.

Of course, it's one thing to push around the likes of the Dolphins and Titans, but the Jets aren't going to get much resistance from their upcoming opponents, either.

Defense	Cowboys	Patriots	Bills
Rush att	22	9	10
Rush yds	18	10	14
Rush YPA	17	14	20
Rush TD	29	12	16
Pass att	4	21	27
Pass yds	4	7	23
Pass YPA	18	3	14
Pass TD	3	8	21

The Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills both rank in the bottom half of the NFL in rushing yards allowed per carry, so the Jets should be able to get some bang for their buck if they commit to the running game against those teams.

The Cowboys have been good against the pass, so the Jets would be wise to stick to the run this week. Against the Bills in the season finale, the Jets might look to take advantage of Buffalo's porous pass defense. 

The New England Patriots, on the other hand, have been a bit better against the run on the whole this year. However, they showed some chinks in the armor against the Denver Broncos with 179 rushing yards allowed and Philadelphia Eagles with 128 rushing yards allowed before shoring things up against the Houston Texans with 87 rushing yards allowed.

Regardless of opponent, the Jets' best bet is to be balanced on offense. That being said, balance doesn't work unless both units produce when given the opportunity. The running game has to continue playing at its current level, especially if the passing game happens to slow down in some way.