Throughout the season, NewYorkJets.com will provide a Stock Report focusing on the Jets' upcoming matchup.
This week's report features players and/or themes that are trending before the Green & White take on the Cardinals at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ, on Sunday afternoon.
📈 Defensive Pressure
The Jets and Cardinals each got after the quarterback in Week 9 and combined for 14 sacks.
DE Will McDonald IV generated a season-high 9 pressures and edge Haason Reddick had 8 in his second game since reporting to the team, the second most by a Jet this season.
"I thought he corrected some of his wrongs from the Patriots game," interim HC Jeff Ulbrich said of Reddick. "He was cutting it tight at the top of his rushes and the sack that he had [split with Quinnen Williams with 47 seconds remaining] is as good as it gets. Understanding the pressure that we're in, we're bringing internal pressure and he had to cut it tight. Just the efficiency and the timing of his feet and his hands was pretty special, so it's a game that he can build off of for sure."
After Thursday's game, the Green & White had the best blitzing success rate in the league at 72.3% and the team's 31 sacks are tied for the second most in the NFL.
The Cardinals had 16 players register a pressure in their 29-9 win over the Bears last Sunday, per n Next Gen Stats. That's most individual players to get a pressure for any defense since 2018. Arizona had a season-high 6 sacks in Week 9 after it averaged 1.9 sacks per game in Weeks 1-8, tied for the fifth-worst mark in the league.
📈 Cardinals' Running Game
The Cardinals have the NFL's No. 7 rushing attack (149.7 yards per game) and rank No. 2 in yards per carry (5.3). Running back James Conner's 664 yards on the ground are the sixth most in the league.
Conner ran for 107 yards last week, his fourth game this season eclipsing the century mark and the Cardinals are 3-1 in 2024 when he gains more than 100 yards.
The Jets' defense will also focus on containing QB Kyler Murray, who leads all qualified QBs with 8.1 yards per carry this season. His 350 rushing yards are the third most among signal-callers and he ranks No. 3 in completion percentage (66.7%) and tied for second in passing TD-INT (5-0) throwing on the run.
"They're running the game more efficiently than any team in the NFL right now and it's a problem," Jeff Ulbrich said. "We're going to have to play our best ball to slow this run game down. Those opportunities when they have to throw the ball and put it in Kyler's hands, he's a problem not only with arm and decision making, but as a quarterback, he's become so much better. He's become one of the top quarterbacks in this league, but at the same time, as we all know, when that breaks down he has this element of athleticism and speed that's unrivaled right now as far as the quarterback position is concerned. We're going to have our hands full."
📈 Jets Wide Receivers
Garrett Wilson and Davante Adams combined for 16 catches, 181 yards and 3 touchdowns last week. Wilson, the AFC Offensive Player of the Week (9-90-2), leads the league with 60 receptions and would be the first Jet to do so since Al Toon in 1988. His 663 receiving yards this season are the third most in the NFL.
Adams' first touchdown with the Green & White put the victory on ice and was his 77th TD grab from Aaron Rodgers. That's the fifth most by any QB-WR duo and one shy of tying Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown.
"It's hard to double both guys, but if you do, that's opportunities for everybody else in the middle or on the outside," Rodgers said. "We need our tight ends to step up, our young receivers to step up, we've obviously used both of our [running] backs in some of that personnel with them on the field at the same time. We'll keep mixing things up with that. Those guys [Wilson and Adams] are both dynamic players and pick your poison."
📉 Cardinals Pass Defense
Arizona's defensive numbers have been impressive during its three-game winning streak -- it's allowed 3 touchdowns in that span and ranks top 10 in points per game allowed (No. 6, 17.0) and rushing yards per game allowed (No. 4, 92.7) -- but the Cards have been susceptible against the pass — allowing 245.5 passing yards per game in Weeks 7-9, which is tied for No. 25.
