Key Pointers From New York Jets Preseason Loss to Giants
The New York Jets played their second preseason game against the New York Giants on Saturday, losing 31-12. The team had many ups and downs and seemed much more inconsistent than in their previous game against the Packers the week before. Jets fans got another look at their new quarterback, Justin Fields, and a few rookies made some standout plays, and the running game continued to look like it would be the focal point of the offense this coming season. Despite the loss, there were still many things Jets fans could glean from their team’s performance.
Justin Fields Struggles
After a great performance against the Packers the week before, Justin Fields struggled mightily in his very limited action against the Giants. Fields went one for five with four yards in two drives, though his stats may be slightly misleading. One of his incompletions was thrown when Giants rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux had heavy pressure on him, and another was a quick screen that turned into a busted play due to a high snap from center Joe Tippman. When asked about the passing offense, Aaron Glenn said that it simply “wasn’t good enough” and that they would have to clean it up during the week before their next preseason game.
Arian Smith Continues to Push Up The Depth Chart.
The Jets’ fourth round pick at receiver has had a very good summer and continued to flash in this preseason game, despite one drop. Arian Smith’s drop had some fans concerned, since his main issue coming out of college was his hands; however, he bounced back nicely, finishing with two catches for 39 yards. He also had an incompletion on a controversial target that some fans thought could have been called pass interference due to contact. If the rookie continues to improve throughout the next couple of weeks, the Jets could have a legitimate WR3 on the roster behind Garrett Wilson and Josh Reynolds.
Jets Secondary Struggles
The Jets’ secondary has many new pieces this season, mostly younger players, so some growing pains are expected while they develop chemistry and learn the defense. Saturday showed some of those growing pains. Russell Wilson hit an 80-yard moon ball shot on a play where newly-signed safety Andre Cisco got beat, and rookie Jaxson Dart went 14 of 16 for 137 yards against the Jets’ second and third-string defense. It is just preseason, so the defenses being called are incredibly vanilla, as to not give away anything for the regular season, but the secondary will have to get their act together quickly if the Jets want to be competitive in 2025.
