The New York Jets will open up their season on the road in prime time against the Detroit Lions. Here’s the instant game analysis of Week 1.
There’s no better way to kickoff a season than a national primetime affair on Monday Night Football. That’s exactly how the New York Jets and the Detroit Lions will open up their respective seasons in 2018.
This will be one of three primetime games this season for the Jets. Week 3 the Jets again will be on the road but this time against the Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football. While finally, the Jets will play in some Saturday Night Football late in the season (Week 15) and finally the Jets will be home against a very game opponent in the Houston Texans.
Speaking of game opponents, the Jets don’t only open up the season against the Lions, but they open up the season against the NFC North—one of the toughest divisions in the entire NFL will feature multiple Pro Bowl quarterbacks in Kirk Cousins, Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford while the “other” quarterback was a former top-two quarterback in the 2017 NFL Draft in Mitch Trubisky.
Although the Jets have the eighth easiest schedule in the NFL according to CBS Sports, there’s nothing easy about the Jets’ first opponent on the slate.
The Lions are a 6.5 point favorite currently and according to the ESPN FPI Analytics the Lions have a 71.8 percent chance to win this game.
The reason why the Lions are so heavily favored for a few reasons. Mainly, the Jets are coming off of a 5-11 season and will showcase a rookie quarterback at the helm.
The other reason is we’ll have strength vs. strength.
The Lions employ a deep receiving corps. that brings a variety of issues. Golden Tate has probably the best hands in the entire league and he’s been to the Pro Bowl. Marvin Jones is an interesting prospect who has speed and size. Kenny Golladay (6-foot-4, 213 pounds) is on the verge of a breakout season.
While for the Jets, their strength obviously is their secondary.
Led by Trumaine Johnson (the second highest-paid cornerback contract in NFL History), the Jets need him to be an absolute lockdown corner. The green and white also brought back Morris Claiborne who will play opposite. Then Buster Skrine in the slot. Even the depth is there with Parry Nickerson (sixth round pick out of Tulane) behind Skrine and Derrick Jones, who had a terrific camp this summer, as well.
While the second-year safety duo of Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye should be on par for a breakout season themselves and that's what the Jets are counting on.
Right now, it feels like this Lions offense is going to be super one-dimensional. They’ve only had one 1,000 yard rusher since 2004 and that was Reggie Bush (barely, in 2013). They don’t have anything in the backfield that should scare the Jets (as young Kerryon Johnson is one of many), although certainly a familiar face in Legarrette Blount.
The Jets should be able to handle what the Lions have in the backfield with a seven man box, which should help the Jets on the backend of the defense.
This game is likely going to come down to whether or not the Jets can hold the Detroit Lions offense in check. If they can, the Jets have a really good chance of winning.
