New York Jets: 3 Standouts from Week 3 vs. Browns
1. Kacy Rodgers
As Charles Dickens wrote in A Tale of Two Cities, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…” In the case of this game, it wasn’t a tale of two cities, but a tale of two quarterbacks.
When Tyrod Taylor was in the game, the game plan was clear. Get after Taylor by any means necessary and force him to throw on the run. They consistently got pressure to the point where they knocked Taylor out of the game. Enter Baker Mayfield.
Don’t get me wrong, let’s not take away anything from Mayfield, but his performance was aided by Rodgers. Rodgers didn’t alter the game plan when Mayfield entered the game. He completely abandoned ship on the original game plan. According to John B of Gang Green Nation, the Jets blitzed on 61.1 percent of the dropbacks of Taylor in comparison to only 50 percent of the dropbacks of Mayfield.
Next. 2018 NFL Quarterback Power Rankings: Week 3. dark
The Jets didn’t get enough pressure on the young quarterback. Some of it was from being on the field too much, and the other part was that Rodgers decided to switch to a four-man rush once Mayfield entered the game. He didn’t dial up enough exotic blitzes to confuse Mayfield, or put the Browns in tough situations. A lot of this loss falls on him and his complete abandonment of the blitzes that were so successful.