With the New York Jets mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, Bryce Petty finds himself under center for the remainder of the season.
- New York Jets (3-9)
- San Francisco 49ers (1-11)
- NFL, Week 14, Sunday, 4:05 P.M. ET, CBS
- Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California
Similar to the Jets decision last week, the 49ers also benched their starting quarterback. The difference being the 49ers are going back to who they once believed was the face of the organization in Colin Kaepernick. With Kaepernick making all his noise off the field this year, this game is a contest between two teams with unknown futures at the quarterback position moving forward.
Something has to give as far as losing streaks in this contest.
After winning their opener against the Los Angeles Rams, the 49ers have dropped 11 straight games, putting them in the cellar of the NFC West and staring at the number two pick in the draft. With the Jets currently holding down the number five pick in the 2017 NFL draft, the winner of this game actually becomes the loser in terms of draft positioning.
Injury Report
Out
- Antonio Allen, S (concussion, did not practice Friday)
- Breno Giacomini, OT (shoulder, back, calf, did not practice Friday
- Lorenzo Mauldin, LB (ankle, did not practice Friday)
- Steve McLendon, DT (hamstring, did not practice Friday)
- Khiry Robinson, RB (leg, did not practice Friday)
Questionable
- Muhammad Wilkerson, DE (ankle, limited participant in Friday’s practice)
No question the New York Jets are limping into Week 14 sporting a lengthy injury list that also includes eight players on the IR after starting center Nick Mangold was placed there earlier this week.
The look of the offensive line will be much different than the one seen in the beginning of the season. With Ryan Clady and Nick Mangold shelved for the remainder of the season, and Breno Giacomini dealing with a trio of injuries, Bryce Petty will be behind a makeshift offensive line for his second NFL start.
Khiry Robinson was re-signed this Tuesday after being waived in the preseason when he re-injured a broken leg he suffered the season before. With Robinson still unable to see game time as he rehabs the leg, the Jets bringing him back and waiving C.J. Spiller in the process is a head-scratcher.
Doubtful
- Joe Staley, OT (hamstring, did not practice Friday
Questionable
- Aaron Lynch, LB (ankle, limited participant in Friday’s practice)
- Quinton Dial, DT (elbow, limited participant in Friday’s practice
The 49ers unquestionably come into this contest as the healthier team. Missing Joe Staley will surely hurt, but with the speed of Colin Kaepernick, it can be offset.
Much like the Jets on the offensive line, the 49ers are hurting at the linebacker position. Aaron Lynch is listed as questionable and if he is unable to go, second-year linebacker out of Virginia Eli Harold will be asked to fill the void.
History
Historically speaking, the San Francisco 49ers have owned the New York Jets. This will be the 13th time these two squads will handle business together on the gridiron, and the 49ers have won 10 out of the 12 games played.
Last time the Jets and 49ers got together, Colin Kaepernick was making his debut. Much like the way he plays now, Colin Kaepernick did not impress anyone through the air (0-1), but did rush the ball five times for 50 yards and a touchdown back in week four of the 2012 season.
It has actually been a little over 12 years since the Jets have pulled off a victory against the 49ers. Chad Pennington and the Jets pulled off the come-from-behind victory thanks to two fourth quarter Curtis Martin touchdowns.
Yeah, it’s been that long.
Have to go back even further to find the last time the New York Jets picked up a victory with the 49ers being the home team. The last time that happened was in 1983 at Candlestick Park.
San Francisco has outscored the Jets in the all-time series 296-198.
Top Storylines
Bryce Petty begins his audition for 2017:
With the New York Jets looking for their quarterback of the future, Bryce Petty begins his four-game audition to man the helm for the Jets in 2017.
These next four games for Petty should determine whether the Jets feel comfortable going forward with Bryce Petty under center or if they need to look for outside help before the start of the 2017 campaign. With names such as Tony Romo and Mike Glennon being linked to the New York Jets and Christian Hackenberg lurking in the shadows, Petty will have four weeks to prove to the Jets brass that he is the quarterback of the future.
Colin Kaepernick is not only playing for his job with the 49ers, but his future in the NFL:
The struggles of the New York Jets secondary has been well documented this season, and with Colin Kaepernick struggling this season to get the ball moving through the air, Kaepernick needs to abuse the porous Jets secondary to prove to the 49ers organization that he is more than just a quarterback who can use his legs to create big plays.
If the 49ers do indeed decide to move on from Colin Kaepernick in the future, the chances of Kaepernick landing a starting gig in the NFL are slim. Not only has Kaepernick ruffled many feathers with his protest to the national anthem, but his inability to sustain drives in the passing attack will keep quarterback-needy teams at bay with Kaepernick looking to latch on elsewhere.
Keys to a Jets victory
Win the turnover battle:
Turnover ratio is a stat that has plagued the New York Jets during this disappointing season. The Jets sit only ahead of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the turnover ratio department sitting at -15 on the season.
Although the 49ers aren’t exactly stellar in this area either, -4 is much better than -15. An inexperienced quarterback sitting behind a makeshift offensive line isn’t going to help matters, but the 49ers offense struggles, and if the Jets are able to keep turnovers at bay, it will limit the 49ers scoring chances.
Keep Colin Kaepernick in the pocket and apply pressure:
Although Colin Kaepernick isn’t much of a threat in the passing game these days, he does punish opposing defenses with his ability to tuck the ball and take off. Kaepernick averages nearly 50 yards on the ground per game.
The Jets defense has been successful against the run this season, ranking fourth in the league in rushing yards allowed per game. Leonard Williams and Muhammad Wilkerson need to seal the edges and not let Kaepernick run outside of the tackles. Williams also needs to be in Kaepernick’s face all afternoon to force him into a mistake. The second-year defensive end out of USC currently leads the Jets with six and a half sacks on the season.
Muhammad Wilkerson pointed out this week what if the secondary can do a better job covering receivers downfield, the sack numbers will grow. The 49ers throw out a mediocre cast of wide receivers at best, and the Jets secondary should find a way to contain receivers more than last week when the Colts receivers had enough space to sit down and have a picnic while making catches.
Wilkerson stated the extra second would lead to more success by the defensive line. Time to prove it.
Keep Bryce Petty upright:
This may be the most important and most difficult key to obtain. The offensive line providing Petty to go through his progressions and make reads will go a long way towards securing him with the opportunity to be under center in the future. If the offensive line can not keep him upright and he is forced to run for his life all afternoon, the Jets faithful will be all over Petty.
Prediction
With a full week of practice with the first string offense under his belt, Bryce Petty will be able to find receivers other than Robbie Anderson against the 49ers pass defense that is ranked 14th in passing yards allowed per game. If Petty can develop a chemistry with Brandon Marshall, it will allow Petty to make intermediate throws to add to the long bombs he tries to complete to the only receiver he has had chemistry with, Robby Anderson.
Matt Forte should be in for a big day on the ground against the league’s worst rushing defense if the offensive line can open any sort of holes for him. Forte is poised to be the offensive focal point and break the century mark pounding the rock.
The Jets defense will be playing for pride after being embarrassed in front of the world on Monday night. look for a bounce-back game from them.
Look for the offense and the defense to do just enough to come away with a victory in a game that won’t be pretty.