Many may wonder if the Jets can play any better than they did in Thursday night's win over the Bills. After Buffalo tied the game early in the second quarter, the Green & White scored 27 unanswered points and coasted to a double-digit victory. All three phases were effective as the team's 34 points and the defense's seven sack were season highs.
"As a whole, yes we are getting better," head coach Todd Bowles told reporters Friday morning. "I still think we have another gear to get to, but we played complementary football last night. It was the most we played this year."
Age Is Just a Number
Three months ago, Josh McCown was in the midst of a quarterback competition. Since being named the Jets starter, McCown has put together an impressive season as he's completing 70.4% of his passes, which ranks second in the NFL, and he is one of two quarterbacks in the league who have completed 60% of their passes in every game this season (Drew Brees). The 38-year-old also leads the league with eight touchdown passes of 20-or-more yards and is one of two signal callers to finish six games with a passer rating of over 100 (Alex Smith).
"I knew what I had when I got him," Bowles said of McCown, who also tied a personnel best with his third rush touchdown Thursday. "It was just a matter of him staying healthy. He's been nicked up for the past few years. I think it's kind of hindered his performance and not put him on the field a lot. Josh on the field, I mean, he's 38-years-old, he understands we don't want him to get hit a lot. He understands he has to slide, he understands he can't turn the ball over and he commands the offense.
"I think he's in such a comfort zone with himself right now and understanding the game and seeing it that he's having a lot of fun, and I'm enjoying watching it."
Growth
Second-year linebacker Darron Lee seems to have hit his stride. In addition to his sack in Week 9, Lee was stout against the run as he tied for the team lead with eight tackles, three of which were for loss. Entering Thursday's contest, Lee ranked second on the team with 61 tackles and in Weeks 6-8, the Ohio State product tallied 24 tackles.
"It's a credit to him working hard," Bowles said. "He had two blunders early in the season, but he wasn't playing bad. He studies hard, he's determined to be a good player and he puts in the work. He puts in a lot of work. I'm proud of the way he's playing."
