NFL Spin Zone
Fansided

New York Jets: Game-by-game predictions for 2018

By Michael Pallas

GLENDALE, AZ - OCTOBER 02: Cornerback Trumaine Johnson , shown last season against the Arizona Cardinals, intercepted Raiders quarterback Derek Carr in the first quarter Saturday night. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ - OCTOBER 02: Cornerback Trumaine Johnson , shown last season against the Arizona Cardinals, intercepted Raiders quarterback Derek Carr in the first quarter Saturday night. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
8 of 17
Next
Adam Thielen Minnesota Vikings
Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images /

Week 7: vs. Minnesota Vikings

Imagine where the Jets would be in this game if they landed Kirk Cousins instead of Sam Darnold. The short-term future would be much brighter than the long-term, but they have Darnold and a good defense.

The Vikings come into town with the first true test for the secondary. According to Pro Football Focus (Subscription Required) the Vikings had three receivers with a passer rating of over 100 when targeted in 2017, and both Stephon Diggs and Adam Thielen averaged over 4.5 YAC/Reception. In addition, when Diggs struggled, Thielen stepped up, and vice versa.

The back end of the Vikings defense was also stellar in 2017. All three players who had over 300 snaps in coverage allowed a passer rating under 85.0. This is going to be Darnold’s first tough game.

Finally, their running backs scored 13 touchdowns, and that was with Dalvin Cook sidelined early on. They averaged 2.6 yards after contact per attempt. So this team is going to be one of the toughest overall teams for the Jets to face. It won’t be pretty, and in fact, after this game, it’ll look like the Jets have a long way to go to be a contender, but just let the season play out.

Final Score

Vikings 34, Jets 14

Home/New York Jets