New York Jets: 3 Bold predictions for Week 1 vs. Lions

1. The Jets show a pass rush, but not from where you think

The Jets don’t have a dominant edge rusher. Guess which other team doesn’t have a dominant pass rusher off the edge — even though he’s a good one — the Los Angeles Rams. Their pass rush is generated from the inside with Aaron Donald, which is part of the reason he signed a six-year, $135 million deal with nearly $87 million in guaranteed money.

When you harken back to 2015 — when the defense was dominant — the Jets didn’t have a great edge rusher either. They generated their pass rush from two dominant players in the middle, namely Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson.

With plenty of good edge rusher available, the Jets still selected Nathan Shepherd with their third round pick. The question that was on everyone’s mind was why they did that. They want to create the same pass rush with Shepherd and Leonard Williams they had with Richardson and Wilkerson.

In order to do that, Shepherd will have to show the Lions he commands some respect, and even though he’s a rookie, he will do just that. With his strength and athleticism, he will get into the backfield enough to take some attention away from Williams, which will then allow Williams to get into the backfield himself, and the league will be put on notice. It’s not the same old Jets.