New York Jets vs. Dallas Cowboys: Full New York Game Preview
In a way, the New York Jets find themselves in one of the more strange and interesting positions in the entire NFL.
Despite the fact the team is presently sitting at 8-5, New York doesn't control its own destiny when it comes to the postseason. Even if the Jets were to win each of their next three games, bringing their record to 11-5, they could still be on the outside looking in come January.
But before the Jets get there, the team has to deal with the Dallas Cowboys. After all, if New York can't pull out a victory on Saturday, it'll need even more help than it already does in order to snap its four-year playoff drought.
So, what's going to happen when the Jets meet the 4-9 Cowboys? Here's what to watch for Saturday evening:
Date: Saturday, December 19
Location: AT&T Stadium; Arlington, Texas
Time: 8:25 p.m. ET
TV: NFL Network
Week 14 Recap: New York Jets 30, Tennessee Titans 8
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In the days leading up to the Jets' matchup with the Tennessee Titans, all on New York's roster echoed the same words when asked if the game was a "trap."
While Tennessee was 3-9, talent-deprived and coming off four straight losses, the Jets ensured all the team wouldn't be taken lightly, and this game wouldn't be overlooked.
On Sunday, New York's play followed suit with its talk.
The Jets dominated the Titans from the opening snap to the final en route to a 30-8 victory. After scoring on five of their first six possessions, the Jets built a 27-0 halftime lead before coasting to a win in the second half.
"We talked about starting fast in the locker room," Jets coach Todd Bowles said. "We finished strong last week, but we have yet to start fast this year and jump out to a lead and play from ahead. We did a good job. We ran the ball. We threw the ball. We executed. We came out fresh and ready to go."
Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick continued his strong play as of late, passing for 263 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Receiver Brandon Marshall caught six of those passes for 125 yards and a score, while Chris Ivory ran 22 times for 101 yards.
On defense, the Jets made the life of Titans rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota miserable. Mariota was sacked five times, including three by Jets defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson, and threw an interception. On the ground, Tennessee wasn't able to get much going either, running for only 24 yards on 13 carries.
The Titans' only scoring play came on a running back pass from Antonio Andrews to Mariota.
It was, for all intents and purposes, the most complete game the Jets have put together all year.
News and Notes
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Is the Jets' running game finally back?
Standing by his locker shortly after the Jets' 38-20 victory over the Miami Dolphins three weeks ago, running back Chris Ivory was fielding question after question from the media. After being bottled up for a large portion of the first half, Ivory had finally started to have some success running the ball.
Having been contained and neutralized for most of the Jets' previous five games, Ivory finished that game running for 87 yards on 21 carries. He was seeing the cutback lane again, breaking runs and looking elusive. Why? The passing game, he said, was opening up the run.
"It goes hand-in-hand," Ivory said.
With Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick playing some of the best football of his career these last three weeks, Ivory has gotten back to his dominant ways. After running for 460 yards in his first four games, Ivory was held to just 219 in his next five. Defenses were stacking the box and run-blitzing; the result was no running lanes. But with Fitzpatrick and the Jets offense now airing it out, that extra defender in the box is suddenly back playing coverage.
With that happening, Ivory is running wild again. Last week against the Titans, the back, who leads the AFC with 934 rushing yards, ran for 101, his highest total since Oct. 18.
Versus the Cowboys this weekend, it'll be interesting to see if Ivory is truly back or if the game versus Tennessee was simply a strong outing against a bad team.
Muhammad Wilkerson playing the best football of his career
There was a decision Muhammad Wilkerson had to make prior to the start of Jets training camp.
The fifth-year defensive end had made it known to the Jets brass that he wanted a new contract. He believed, as did just about everyone else, that he had outperformed his rookie deal. He wanted a new one, an extension similar to that given to Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt and was a bit miffed that it hadn't yet been awarded.
The Jets agreed that Wilkerson needed a new deal, but what the team and he couldn't agree on was a value for said deal.
So, come training camp, there was no new contract for Wilkerson.
The former first-round pick thus had to decide: To attend camp, or knowing fellow defensive end Sheldon Richardson was going to miss the first four games of the season due to a suspension, play hardball and hold out—refuse to show up until the Jets showed him the money.
Wilkerson elected not to hold out and reported on time. He trained, practiced and got himself ready for the season. After all, the better he played this year, the more money he'd be awarded after the year—either by the Jets or someone else.
So far this season, Wilkerson is playing not only the best football of his career, but he's also putting together one of the best seasons of any 3-4 defensive end. He's recorded 53 tackles, two forced fumbles, six passes defensed and a career-high 12 sacks.
This Sunday, Wilkerson will face one of the NFL's best offensive line's. Coming off a three-sack game against the Titans, if Wilkerson can duplicate that success against Dallas, he might add another "0" at the end of his forthcoming contract.
Will history repeat itself for the Cowboys against the Jets?
On paper, this should be another easy victory for the Jets, very similar to last week's big win over Tennessee. But if history has anything to do with it, it may not be that easy going.
In the "Jets vs. Cowboys" series, Dallas holds a 7-3 advantage, including victories in two of its last three. While the Jets did win the last time the two teams met, the Cowboys won the last time the Jets traveled to Texas. But the numbers don't end there...
The last time Cowboys quarterback Matt Cassell saw the Jets defense, he threw for 400 yards and three touchdowns. The last time Cowboys running back Darren McFadden saw the Jets defense, he ran for 171 yards and two scores.
Cowboys tight end Jason Witten has had over 100 yards receiving and a touchdown in his last two games against the Jets, and Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee had 11 tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery in his last time seeing Gang Green.
Does any of this matter? Eh, probably not. But, still, the numbers are interesting to look at.
Jets' Injury Report
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Please note, the Jets did not release an official injury report after Monday or Tuesday's practice. The following is based off practice observations, along with what Jets coach Todd Bowles said in his press conference.
Jeremy Kerley, Receiver, Calf
Kerley injured his calf against the Titans last week, but it appears as if he'll be good to go Saturday. Kerley stretched with the team, fielded a couple of punts and took part in all phases of the portion of practice open to the media. When asked if Kerley seems to be OK, Bowles said, "So far, yeah." Expect him to be a go.
Marcus Williams, Cornerback, Knee
This looks to be the week Williams makes his return for the Jets. Having missed the last two games with a sprained knee, Williams participated in practice on Tuesday. Bowles said he's "optimistic" that Williams will be a go. He'll be welcomed back with open arms, too. The cornerback has had quite the eye for the ball this season, and despite playing minimal reps, he leads the Jets with five interceptions.
Dion Bailey, Safety, Ankle
Bailey has missed the last few games for the Jets with a high ankle sprain, but it's appearing very likely that even when he's healthy, he'll be inactive on game days. Safety Rontez Miles has filled in admirably, both as a situational defender and on special teams. Bailey will be kept on the roster, but he likely won't see the field barring an injury.
Devin Smith, Receiver, Knee
Jets rookie receiver Devin Smith will not play on Saturday. While he hasn't been placed on the season-ending injured reserve yet, he will be. Bowles said on Monday that Smith suffered a torn ACL in the Jets victory over Tennessee.
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Key Matchups
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It seems like every week one of the best matchups in each game is Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis vs. Insert-Opponent-Top-Receiver-Here. He's already faced the likes of Allen Robinson, DeAndre Hopkins, Sammy Watkins and more.
And this Saturday is no different, as Revis looks to blanket Cowboys top target Dez Bryant.
Since returning from a foot injury that cost him a large chunk of this season, Bryant hasn't really been himself. He's caught just 27 passes for 351 yards and a pair of scores this year and has gone over 100 yards just once. But still, he's dangerous.
“I think he’s the same old Dez,” Revis said via conference call with Dallas media. “Sometimes he gets doubled, sometimes the ball just doesn’t come his way and they miss him a time or two, but he’s as explosive as ever as far as I’m concerned. You can’t keep a good player down like that.”
For Bryant, the receiver will all but certainly get up to face Revis. Especially considering the last, and only time the two saw each other, Bryant was stranded on "Revis Island."
Back in 2011, the Cowboys tested the matchup three times. The result? One catch for 26 yards.
Well, technically two passes were complete. Revis intercepted one and took it back 20 yards to ice the game.
Darren McFadden vs. Jets linebackers
There's been one glaring weakness to the Jets defense this season, but only certain teams have been able to exploit it.
See, the Jets inside linebackers (David Harris, Demario Davis) aren't very good in coverage. When teams have been able to isolate them in one-on-one matchups, it's been a far-and-away advantage to the offense.
The thing is, that matchup isn't always exploitable. If the Jets don't have to, they don't ask their linebackers to cover. Why have Davis deal with a back when safety Marcus Gilchrist can? The only time the Jets linebackers have been forced into coverage has been when the opposing team has a top-notch tight end.
The Cowboys have a top-notch tight end.
Gilchrist is almost certainly going to see an awful lot of tight end Jason Witten. That means the Jets linebackers are going to have to deal with Cowboys running back Darren McFadden.
In his first season with Dallas, McFadden has enjoyed a resurgence since being given the starting job upon the release of Joseph Randle. The former Oakland Raiders first-round pick has run for 798 yards (his highest total since 2010) and three touchdowns. He's also been a factor in the passing game, catching 32 passes for 263 yards.
It's highly, highly likely the Cowboys look to get McFadden matched up against Davis or Harris on Saturday. If they're able to, it may spell trouble for the Jets defense.
Matchup X-Factor: Ryan Fitzpatrick
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Ryan Fitzpatrick stood by his locker smiling and cracking jokes. He was in a good mood; he had been for quite some time. His conversations with the media had been a bit more pleasant these last few weeks.
Fielding questions about the Cowboys defense, his beard and his touchdown celebration, Fitzpatrick was finally asked a question that was on the minds of many.
Do you want to be a Jet next year?
"Yeah," he said. "I'd love to."
And if he keeps playing as he has these past three weeks, the Jets would love it, too.
For a franchise marred by horrific quarterback play, Fitzpatrick has been on fire in the Jets victories over the Miami Dolphins, New York Giants and Tennessee Titans. In those three games, the quarterback has completed 64 percent of his passes and thrown for 930 yards with nine touchdowns and no interceptions. His quarterback rating during that stretch? 111.
While Fitzpatrick has been out-of-this-world during the Jets' present three-game win streak, he hasn't been too shabby on the year, either. He's thrown for 3,129 yards, has kept his interceptions down to 11 and his 25 touchdowns are five short of the single-season franchise record.
"He's playing well," Jets coach Todd Bowles said. "Guys find homes at different places at different times in his career. It's his time."
This week will present a difficult challenge for Fitzpatrick, though. Despite being 3-9, the Cowboys have been solid on the defensive side of the ball. The team is allowing an average of just 221 passing yards per game—fourth-fewest in the NFL. With an offense struggling as much as Dallas' is, the fact the defense is only allowing 23.5 points per game is impressive, too.
Can Fitzpatrick extend his red-hot streak to four games? Or will "Fitz Magic" come back to reality a bit. Dallas will be a solid test leading into next week's game against New England.
Prediction: Jets 31, Cowboys 10
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The questions that were surrounding the Jets and their ability to handle a trap game were answered a week ago. In that 30-8 beatdown of Tennessee, New York showed it's not going to look past opponents.
So, with the Jets having beat the Titans, there's no reason to believe they won't do the same to the Dallas Cowboys.
While the game being played on Saturday makes things a little bit iffy, the Jets really shouldn't have any problems dealing the Cowboys their 10th loss of the season. Dallas quarterback Matt Cassell has been horrid since taking over for Brandon Weeden who took over for Tony Romo, Dez Bryant has not been the same since he returned from injury and Darren McFadden will be running up against the NFL's best rushing defense.
Honestly, this one has all the makings of a game that's going to be ugly...really ugly.
Look for Ryan Fitzpatrick to throw several more touchdowns, Ivory to pound in two from short yardage and the Jets defense to manhandle the Cowboys offense. Cassell will be picked multiple times, Bryant will be contained and Dallas offense's only score will come in garbage time.
New York will win its ninth game of the season Saturday night.
Jets 31, Cowboys 10
Connor Hughes is the New York Jets beat writer for the Journal Inquirer and Scout.com. All quotes, practice observations and advanced stats referenced are gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Connor can be reached on Twitter (@Connor_J_Hughes) or via email (Connor_j_hughes@yahoo.com).
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