Things have started looking considerably brighter for the Jets over the last two weeks. Off last week’s domination of the Denver Broncos, New York made it a winning streak on Sunday defeating the Indianapolis Colts 42-34 at MetLife Stadium. Two weeks ago, it felt like the season was going off the rails after an ugly loss at Jacksonville capped a three game losing streak. Now the Jets’ record is level at 3-3. On today’s podcast we recap the game. The big star for the Jets was Sam Darnold, who had perhaps his first signature performance. We will discuss highlights and what it means for the big picture. We will also discuss some of the other stars of the game, including Jason Myers, Morris Claiborne, and Darron Lee. Thank you for listening to the show. You can subscribe to Locked on Jets on iTunes and Spotify to have it automatically delivered to you every day.<doc-sep>Now that the dust has settled and we have had a chance to take a look at the Colts week 6 game against the Jets, it is time to take a look at the snap counts and see if there is any information to be gleaned from them. Let’s get to it. Offense # Player Position 67 Percent Defensive Snaps Percent Special Teams Snaps Percent # Player Position 67 Percent Defensive Snaps Percent Special Teams Snaps Percent 56 Quenton Nelson G/C 69 100 6 17 78 Ryan Kelly C 69 100 12 Andrew Luck QB 69 100 72 Braden Smith G/T 69 100 74 Anthony Castonzo T 69 100 64 Mark Glowinski G 69 100 6 17 14 Zach Pascal WR 61 88 85 Eric Ebron TE 49 71 80 Chester Rogers WR 46 67 1 3 11 Ryan Grant WR 40 58 16 Marcus Johnson WR 34 49 13 36 21 Nyheim Hines RB 30 43 4 11 86 Erik Swoope TE 22 32 18 50 25 Marlon Mack RB 14 35 33 Robert Turbin RB 13 19 3 8 45 Ryan Hewitt TE 12 17 18 50 81 Mo-Alie Cox TE 12 17 1 3 62 Le'Raven Clark G/T 2 3 6 17 71 Denzelle Good T/G 13 T.Y. Hilton WR 20 Jordan Wilkins RB 12 33 7 Jacoby Brissett QB 84 Jack Doyle TE 67 Evan Boehm G 6 17 Notes It was interesting to get a look at the running back snaps with all of the backs healthy. Nyheim Hines got double Marlon Mack ’s snaps, and Mack was the next closest RB. This is proving how valuable Hines is as both a runner and as a pass catching back. got double ’s snaps, and Mack was the next closest RB. This is proving how valuable is as both a runner and as a pass catching back. Speaking of the running backs, Jordan Wilkins got no offensive snaps and found himself exclusively relegated to special teams. I think it is a mistake not to get him involved in the offense at all, and would prefer to see him getting snaps over Robert Turbin personally, but perhaps the coaches thought he was at a matchup disadvantage against the Jets this week. got no offensive snaps and found himself exclusively relegated to special teams. I think it is a mistake not to get him involved in the offense at all, and would prefer to see him getting snaps over personally, but perhaps the coaches thought he was at a matchup disadvantage against the Jets this week. With injuries across the offensive line, the Colts started both their rookie guards. Nelson has of course started all season, but Braden Smith got his first start and played every offensive snap. That is good news for their offensive line long term, and as the line didn’t allow a sack, reflects pretty well on their overall performance in pass protection. got his first start and played every offensive snap. That is good news for their offensive line long term, and as the line didn’t allow a sack, reflects pretty well on their overall performance in pass protection. Anthony Castonzo is clearly back to full health. He played every snap and looked solid at least under the lens of a regular viewing of the game. Being able to be fully involved going forward will be a big help as the Colts start getting offensive weapons back. is clearly back to full health. He played every snap and looked solid at least under the lens of a regular viewing of the game. Being able to be fully involved going forward will be a big help as the Colts start getting offensive weapons back. Zach Pascal led all wide receivers with 61 snaps. If that doesn’t pretty clearly illustrate some of the struggles the Colts are having on offense, I don’t know what else does. Defense # Player Position Offensive Snaps Percent Defensive Snaps Percent Special Teams Snaps Percent # Player Position Offensive Snaps Percent Defensive Snaps Percent Special Teams Snaps Percent 27 Nate Hairston CB 71 100 5 14 53 Darius Leonard LB 71 100 29 Malik Hooker S 71 100 23 Kenny Moore II CB 70 99 17 47 93 Jabaal Sheard DE 62 87 10 28 50 Anthony Walker LB 60 85 10 28 34 Mike Mitchell FS 54 76 57 Kemoko Turay DE 49 69 10 28 35 Pierre Desir CB 49 69 5 14 90 Grover Stewart DT 39 55 16 44 99 Al Woods DT 38 54 51 Jihad Ward DE 36 51 97 Al-Quadin Muhammad DE 32 45 36 Corey Moore S 17 24 28 78 59 Carroll Phillips DE 15 21 28 78 49 Matthew Adams LB 14 20 20 56 91 Hassan Ridgeway DT 13 18 10 28 31 Quincy Wilson CB 11 15 44 Zaire Franklin LB 9 13 14 39 52 Najee Goode LB 30 83 30 George Odum S 30 83 28 Chris Milton CB 20 56 26 Clayton Geathers S 92 Margus Hunt DT 95 Denico Autry DT/DE 32 Arthur Maulet CB Notes Darius Leonard played in every defensive snap this week, despite being listed as questionable. This shows both his determination to make an impact, and the Colts’ desperation due to their rash or injuries. played in every defensive snap this week, despite being listed as questionable. This shows both his determination to make an impact, and the Colts’ desperation due to their rash or injuries. Pierre Desir still significantly outplayed Quincy Wilson at cornerback. Wilson got just 11 defensive snaps compared with Desir ’s 49. Paired with the previous week’s stories where we are hearing DC Matt Eberflus say the same kinds of things about Wilson that Pagano did, it is time to start considering that this kid just isn’t going to ever turn into a real player in this defense. still significantly outplayed at cornerback. got just 11 defensive snaps compared with ’s 49. Paired with the previous week’s stories where we are hearing DC Matt Eberflus say the same kinds of things about that Pagano did, it is time to start considering that this kid just isn’t going to ever turn into a real player in this defense. With Matthias Farley heading to IR, the Colts threw newly signed veteran safety Mike Mitchell right into it, playing him in 54 snaps at safety. This speaks pretty clearly about what the Colts think of their depth at the safety position. right into it, playing him in 54 snaps at safety. This speaks pretty clearly about what the Colts think of their depth at the safety position. Najee Goode , who was signed to play the SAM linebacker as a free agent, got no snaps with the defense. He worked instead with special teams, while rookies Matthew Adams and Zaire Franklin both got defensive snaps.<doc-sep>Another week, another disappointing loss. The Colts now sit at 1-5, somehow not even nearly out of the divisional race, but also not providing much in the way of hope that they have what it takes to right the ship. Let’s take a look at some of the winners and losers from this week’s game against the New York Jets. Winners Andrew Luck Let’s take a minute to appreciate how good Andrew Luck has been. The guy is back from what could have been a career ending shoulder injury, and he is absolutely slinging the ball. He has been working with a largely practice squad-quality wide receiver group, and has been operating behind a revolving door of offensive linemen, but he has still looked incredible. No running game? Not a problem. Luck will just hoist the team on his surgically repaired shoulders and carry them downfield. He hasn’t been able to will them to wins this season, it’s is true. However, it isn’t hard to imagine what he could do with a decent or better skill position group on offense. Luck finished this game 23 of 43 for 301 yards, no sacks, 3 interceptions, and 4 touchdowns. Of those three picks, Luck only deserves credit for 1, as two came off bobbled passes. As usual, his receivers dropped more than a handful of passes that would have further improved on those numbers. Andrew Luck is a treasure and Colts fans are fortunate to be able to watch such a long run of stellar quarterback play. Malik Hooker There have been a lot of questions about whether Malik Hooker is anywhere near getting back to his old self. So many in fact, that Zach Hicks did an entire breakdown of his production this year. Even without the benefit of the All-22 coaches film, you can see how impressive his first interception of the season is. It comes on a deep ball from Darnold down the left sideline, and it is badly underthrown. However, Hooker has to cover a ton of ground to get to the ball. With many safeties, this pass likely goes incomplete. This kind of play is big because this defense will thrive down the stretch on the ability to create turnovers. It was good to see Hooker have that kind of impact early in the game. Darius Leonard Despite working through an ankle injury, Darius Leonard had another productive day, racking up 9 tackles and a forced fumble that was recovered by the Colts. Leonard missed against the Patriots, but even when he is likely playing at less than 100%, the rookie linebacker finds himself consistently making an impact on the field. Any time the defense gives up 42 points they deserve to have any praise they’re given be taken with an extra-large grain of salt. The Jets rushed for more than 100 yards and passed for 280. The Colts defense wasn’t able to get off the field consistently, and Leonard deserves his share of blame for his part in the lopsided time of possession. However, on the whole he has been a positive part of the defense and continued to make a case that he deserves to be the front runner for the Defensive Rookie of the Year. Marlon Mack His first big contribution to this game was a bit of a black mark. The bobbled catch resulted in a pick for Luck, but he proved to be by far the most effective running weapon the Colts have had all season long. If he can continue to generate this kind of production on the ground and pair it with the abilities of guys like Nyheim Hines and Robert Turbin, it will give the Colts a big lift. All told, Mack had 89 yards on 12 attempts, despite the team trailing most of the game. That is the kind of production Frank Reich would be thrilled to get out of him going forward. Honorable Mention: Eric Ebron, who has 6 TDs through 6 weeks, tied for best in the NFL in receiving TDs. Losers Chester Rogers It seemed like every time the Colts had the ball at least one play involved a pass bouncing off Chester Rogers’ chest. It wasn’t quite as bad as that, but it was close. The Colts’ very first play was a Rogers drop which would have gotten them an immediate first down. There are simply too many instances of him missing on catches they have to have. Contrary to Frank Reich’s assertion that these are taking place on “contested catches,” the ones I kept seeing were as open as you can hope to be in most NFL games. It seems like the catches being contested is less the problem, and Chester Rogers not being an NFL caliber talent is more the issue. Is Rogers capable of making big and impressive plays? Sure. However, what makes you a good quality NFL receiver is the ability to be consistent. Running your routes well, getting separation, and making the catch are all things you have to do with consistency to succeed at this level, and Rogers so far has proven that he can only be expected to provide those things in flashes, not with any amount of consistency. Robert Turbin In his second game coming off suspension, many thought we might see an increase in involvement for Robert Turbin. Instead, we got 4 carries for 10 yards and a lost fumble. For a Colts offense that desperately needs to put a running game together, this was a problem. They needed a spark from Turbin upon his return, but instead he coughed up a fumble. Even worse, his fumble came on a possession directly after the Colts had gotten a defensive stop and gave a short field to the Jets offense which lead to points. Pass coverage The cornerbacks for the Colts looked outclassed all day by the Jets and Sam Darnold. He abused them with seam routes consistently and when they matched up in man coverage they got picked on. There were communication issues and simply a couple instances of blown coverage. The linebackers didn’t look much better. Seam routes and slants were very effective to move the Jets’ offense up and down the field. Some of this is pretty common for this defensive scheme. The bend-don’t-break mentality is a familiar one to Colts fans. Even without the mental errors you have some tendency to give up yards. The problem is that this defense forgot about the not breaking part. Too many times they allowed the Jets to get into position to kick field goals—they had 7 on the day, 1 shy of the league record. That is a problem, and it started with the weakness against the pass. Marcus Johnson Johnson is here as a loser for a different reason than many of the others on this list. He had 2 catches on 3 targets and 52 total yards. Unfortunately, one of those catches resulted in an egregious no-call in which the Jets defender clearly tackled him well out of bounds and the result was an injury that could damage his long-term prospects as a part of a team that needs anyone possible to step up at the wide receiver position. This killed me, because not only did it hurt the Colts in the moment, but the play resulted in Johnson’s injury. He was definitely a loser in this game, though it wasn’t his fault.<doc-sep>
The Jets beat the Colts today 42-34 at MetLife Stadium. The win evens out New York’s record at 3-3 on the 2017 season and gives this team its first winning streak in a full calendar year. The Jets honored the Super Bowl III team during the 50th anniversary season of the only championship in franchise history today. The performance on the field was a fitting tribute. Let’s talk about what happened. The Good Sam Darnold: I think Darnold has played quality games up to this point, but today was the first time he was THE driving force in a victory. In the Jets’ other two wins to date Darnold has been effective, but he has been able to lean on a strong run game and a stout defense. He was really in caretaker mode and only asked to make the periodic play. In this game, the burden was on his shoulders. He responded in his big play, playing a nearly flawless game aside from an ugly first half interception. Darnold was 24 for 30 for 280 yards, 2 touchdowns, and that 1 interception. He did this on a day where the Jets were held to 3 yards per rushing attempt. He lead his team to a win on a day where his defense allowed 34 points. He produced without his top receiver for most of the game. Like any rookie, Darnold’s season has had its share of highs and lows. The roller coaster ride will likely continue. We will see more valleys to go with today’s peak. But today’s game shows why Jets fans should be excited about what lies ahead for their young quarterback. In time, performances like this should become more regular occurrences. Jason Myers: Most Jets fans were skeptical of the team signing Myers, but what can you say? He went 7 for 7. You can’t get a much better or more important performance from the kicker. Morris Claiborne: I thought Claiborne held up in coverage well. He scored a touchdown at the start of the game on a bit of a lucky bounce, but he created another turnover with a pass he defensed. Chris Herndon: The rookie tight end had a pair of catches, and both were memorable. He won a jump ball over Malik Hooker for a 24 yard gain and then added an easy 32 yard touchdown on a busted coverage. Jermaine Kearse: Kearse started seeing more targets as a result of Quincy Enunwa’s injury. He isn’t the kind of guy who is going to make a ton of splash plays. What you get is professional route running. He knows how to find the soft spot in zones. He knows the depth to carry his routes. A quarterback like Darnold will find him when his number is up, and Darnold did to the tune of 9 catches for 94 yards. Terrelle Pryor: Pryor was another guy the Jets needed to step up with Enunwa out. It was past time for him to contribute, and he did with 5 catches for 54 yards and a touchdown. Darron Lee: I thought Lee played a solid game overall as he led the Jets with 8 tackles, but he’d make the good column based on one play anyway. The team needed the defense to make one play in the entire second half. Lee made that one play, a big interception of Andrew Luck to finally stop a Colts offense that had been moving the ball at will. Neal Sterling: He caught the game-clinching onside kick, and that was not an easy catch. Jeremy Bates: While I’m not Bates’ biggest fan in the world, I tip my cap to him for a well-called game. After weeks of setting tendencies with wide receiver screens, he burned the Colts by breaking the tendency with the fake screen and deep shot. While the Jets did not have much success on the ground, I think it still was the right decision to try and continue to run the ball against the light boxes the Colts were giving, especially against a defensive front that lacked a ton of depth. It could have made a difference had the game gone in a different direction, and I’m sure it was tempting to abandon the run based on how Darnold was playing. Sometimes the results aren’t there, but I appreciated the process Bates used. The Bad Defensive Front: On some level I can give the coverage unit a pass.