An inside look at Sunday’s Jets-Jaguars Week 16 matchup at MetLife Stadium.
Marquee matchup
Jets QB Zach Wilson vs. Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence
Yes, they technically won’t be facing each other on the field, but this is the only matchup anyone cares about. This is the fourth time in NFL history that quarterbacks selected No. 1 and No. 2 overall will face off as rookies. The others were Jameis Winston versus Marcus Mariota in 2015, Peyton Manning versus Ryan Leaf in 1998 and Drew Bledsoe versus Rick Mirer in 1993. The No. 2 picks won two of the three (Manning’s Colts beat Leaf’s Chargers).
Both quarterbacks have had rough rookie campaigns. Lawrence has thrown just one touchdown pass in his past seven games and none in his past three. He has nine touchdown passes and 14 interceptions this year. Wilson has cut down on his interceptions, with none in the past two weeks, but he has not passed for 250 yards in a game since Week 4.
Wilson praised Lawrence this week for how he has handled the spotlight.
“He’s had a different journey than me, for sure,” Wilson said. “It’s tough to obviously come from nothing in my situation, but I think it’s almost harder to come from a situation where no matter where you’ve been, people have labeled you as the best. He’s done an amazing job of not listening to the noise and the expectations never got too high for him and he just handles his business.”
Costello’s call
The Jets have been ravaged by COVID this week, but they are still better than the Jaguars. This could be, “Win one for Saleh.” The Jets pull it out late.
Jets 24, Jaguars 20
Four downs
Safety first: The Jets have a few positions that have been hit hard by COVID-19, none more than safety. The Jets will have two new starting safeties for Sunday’s game, and late in the week they were still unsure who they would be. Rookie Jason Pinnock, a converted cornerback, figures to be one of them. The other could be a player who just got here this week — either Will Parks or Kai Nacua. The Jets were already down starters Lamarcus Joyner and Marcus Maye to injury, and lost Elijah Riley to a concussion last week. Now, Ashtyn Davis and Sharrod Neasman are both on the COVID list. It could lead to a big day for Trevor Lawrence throwing the ball.
“We are in new territory, for me, and I think for anybody involved in football,” defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said.
Missing wide: Though so much focus is on Zach Wilson’s play over the final stretch of the season, he has been hurt by injuries to his wide receivers. Now, he is dealing with another one. Jamison Crowder did not practice this week because of a calf injury and is not expected to play. That means Wilson will be without all of his starting receivers. Corey Davis and Elijah Moore have both been on injured reserve for weeks. That leaves Keelan Cole, Denzel Mims and Braxton Berrios as the starting receivers. Jeff Smith came off the COVID list Friday and should be the fourth wide receiver.
Urban decay: The Jaguars have had a tumultuous season, highlighted (lowlighted?) by the firing of first-year head coach Urban Meyer earlier this month. Meyer was a total disaster in Jacksonville, bringing more distractions than wins in his 13-game stint. By comparison, Robert Saleh looks like the NFL’s Coach of the Year.
Darrell Bevell is serving as Jacksonville’s interim coach, and former Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer will call plays for the Jaguars for the first time this week. The Jaguars lost to the Texans in their first game without Meyer.
Monster Mosley: Linebacker C.J. Mosley has had a big year for the Jets after opting out of last season. Mosley has been everywhere. He leads the team with 132 tackles, which matches his career high with three games left to play. He is sixth in the NFL in total tackles. His 10.2 tackles per game average is the most by a Jet since 2005, and his eight games of 10 tackles or more is the most by a Jet since 2005.
Mosley has been particularly effective in the past three weeks. He has 44 tackles in those games, tied for the lead in the NFL with the Seahawks’ Bobby Wagner.
