New York Jets: 5 Things We Hoped the Jets Fixed During the Bye Week

The Jets saved their season with their dramatic come-from-behind victory against the San Diego Chargers two Sundays ago.

Despite that good win, the Jets have been underachievers this year. Their defense hasn't been as opportunistic as it has been the past couple of years, and their offense starts slow and commits too many turnovers.

What did Rex Ryan hopefully do during the bye week to fix what ails the Jets and prepare the team for a playoff push in the second part of the season? This slideshow will present the top five. 

The Running Game Needs to Reawaken

The Jets made their name under Rex Ryan with a punishing running game. In their losses this year, the ground game has been strangely quiet.

Against the San Diego Chargers two Sundays ago, Shonn Greene came alive and ran well. His emergence corresponds with better blocking from an offensive line that is finally coming together.

The Jets have to make hay on the ground to be an effective offensive team. Mark Sanchez and his receivers are just not good enough to carry the team if the running game can't get going.

The Offensive Line Needs to Gel for the Second Half of the Season

With Pro Bowl center Nick Mangold back from injury, the offensive line has improved. In wins against the Miami Dolphins and the Chargers, the line gave Sanchez the time he needed to get the ball to his receivers.

In losses to Baltimore and New England, Sanchez had too much pressure to hit his receivers easily. Although the line is still inexperienced as a group, they are starting to come together.

If they can emerge from the bye week as a more effective unit, they can make some noise in the AFC East. The Buffalo Bills don't have a top-rated defense, but they are disruptive enough to make it tough on the Jets this coming Sunday if the offensive line can't keep Sanchez clean.

The Defensive Line Needs to Be Better at Stopping the Run

The Jets are giving up a whopping 126.9 rushing yards per game. While they've been good at pressuring the quarterback, they have been sieve-like against the run.

I like how rookie third round pick Kenrick Ellis has come on nicely the past few games. Sione Pouha has shown that he is a top-tier nose tackle. If the Jets defensive line can continue to limit running backs like they have in their past two games, they'll be a much more effective team.

Mark Sanchez Needs to Protect the Football

Six interceptions and three fumbles at this point in the season is too many for a quarterback that is mostly asked to manage the game.

With the Jets running game and offensive line improving, Sanchez should also improve. With the strength of the Jets defense, he doesn't need to win games, he only needs to play well enough not to lose them.

With two-and-a-half years under his belt in the NFL, Sanchez has shown that he can come through with the game on the line. He needs to regain some of the consistency he showed last year in the second half of this season to push the Jets toward the playoffs.

Plaxico Burress and Dustin Keller Need to Be Targeted More Often

After a thoroughly unimpressive first six games, Burress exploded for three touchdowns against the Chargers. He is a tall, strong guy who can haul in tough catches when covered by smaller cornerbacks.

Burress is an amazing weapon in the red zone, and the Jets need to go to him more often coming off the bye.

The complimentary piece to Burress is Dustin Keller. Keller is a great pass-catching tight end and if the Jets can integrate him into the game plan more effectively, they could be much better at converting third downs on crossing patterns over the middle.

At 4-3, the Jets need to be very good in this next part of the season to work their way into the playoffs. A win against the Bills this coming Sunday will set them on that path.

With a few tweaks coming off their bye week, the Jets will be a force again in the AFC East.