When was the last time you remember the Jets being the type of team that can finish games with a flourish? It’s been a while, but they’ve done that quite well so far in 2022.
Prior to their 40-17 victory against the Miami Dolphins, we discussed how Gang Green’s two-minute offense has been far and away the best in football. As it turns out, it goes beyond the ol’ two-minute drill and extends to the entire fourth quarter.
Math was never a strong suit.
The @nyjets are leading the league with 58 points in the final 15 minutes of games and are outscoring teams by 38 points (2nd in NFL).
In the 4th, the Jets are T1 in takeaways (5), 2nd in total yards (126.2), and 3rd in sacks/attempt (1.3%).
— Eric Allen (@eallenjets) October 10, 2022
All those points are flashy — New York added 21 fourth-quarter points in Week 5 — but it’s also eye-opening to see what the defense has done in the final period of games. The offense has scored a bunch, but in order to do that, it’s imperative for the offense to be on the field. Those five takeaways are a huge part of this success.
After five weeks of football, this appears to be just another similarity between the Jets and the Giants. They both have winning records ahead of Week 6, which hasn’t happened simultaneously since Week 9 of 2015. Big Blue has also made a habit of watching the offense start slow before picking up steam after halftime.
A big difference between these two squads, though? That’d be the number of weapons at quarterback Zach Wilson’s disposal. Between wide receivers Garrett Wilson and Elijah Moore, as well as Breece Hall in the backfield, it’s no surprise that the Jets can either put up lots of points in a short period of time or do it under pressure.
This is all wonderful stuff, but I’m sure some Jets fans wouldn’t mind having points scored earlier on in games. These last-minute comebacks are fun and exciting, but having some regular victories that are solidified before the game’s final minutes is good, too.
Let’s not get too picky, though. A win is a win is a win. And the Jets have done that in consecutive weeks for the first time under head coach Robert Saleh. They’ll try to make it three straight at Lambeau Field in Week 6 against the Green Bay Packers.
Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
