Throughout the offseason, NewYorkJets.com reporters Eric Allen, Ethan Greenberg, Randy Lange and Olivia Landis will each give their predictions to a series of questions regarding this year's Jets.
Today's question: What's next for Breshad Perriman, Denzel Mims and Jamison Crowder?
EA: This is an intriguing contest for the Jets because the Patriots and the Chargers couldn't be more different schematically. Breshad Perriman (5-101-2TDs), Denzel Mims (4-62) and Jamison Crowder (2-26) combined for 11 catches, 189 yards and 3 TDs against the Pats as New England employed a lot of blitz packages, leaving their corners alone outside while getting bodies to Crowder. The result was Perriman's best day in green & white while Mims found some room in the middle of the field. While the Pats blitz 31.8% of the time, the Chargers blitz a league-low 14.2%. Defensive coordinator Gus Bradley could change it up against the Green & White, but he likes to play numbers in the back and protect against the big play. For the Jets to have success against the Chargers' defense that hopes to get CB Chris Harris back, they'll likely have to be patient in the pass game with some work underneath. Three of the past four QBs who've faced the Bolts have totaled fewer than 200 yards in the air. The Chargers have only 4 interceptions and they rank fifth in 20+yard pass plays allowed (23). It's interesting that they've surrendered 8 pass plays of 40+yards, which ties for the most in the league, and yet LA is T4 in Yds/Att (6.8). The collective numbers that were registered against the Pats might be difficult to duplicate, but this feels like a game where Crowder might be the guy who could lead the way.
EG: After an impressive debut, Breshad Perriman, Denzel Mims and Jamison Crowder ("The Three Dudes") combined for 11 receptions, 189 yards and 3 TDs and they'll have a good opportunity to build on their Week 9 performance. The Chargers have the NFL's No. 16 pass defense (232.3 yds/g) and No. 22 scoring defense (27.2 pts/g), but have allowed two 100-yard receivers in Bucs' WR Mike Evans in Week 4 and Saints' WR Emmanuel Sanders in Week 5. QB Joe Flacco, who will start his fourth game of the year, said that it's important the Jets establish a vertical passing attack because it allows the possibility for big plays, which we saw against the Patriots with Perriman's 50-yard touchdown. The Jets had four passing plays of 20-plus yards against the Pats after having four 20-plus plays in their previous three games combined. Flacco also said it makes protection better and he thinks the offense could see a little bit more zone, which could result in easier completions. If the Jets try to stretch the field again, the offensive line will need to provide Flacco ample time because Chargers DE Joey Bosa is back in the fold after clearing concussion protocol. Perhaps "The Three Dudes" will do their damage more in the middle of the field with underneath routes against the Chargers, who are hoping to have CB Chris Harris Jr. (foot) in the lineup for the first time since Week 3.
RL: "The Three Dudes" (not to be confused with the Three Tenors or the Three Amigos) finally got a decent unveiling on Nov. 9 vs. the Patriots. Breshad Perriman had 101 receiving yards and 2 TDs, and with his 50-yard TD strike from Joe Flacco, he became only the second Jet in the last five seasons to make a catch of a ball that traveled 40-plus yards in the air. (Robby Anderson is the only other, but he had five of those long balls.) Jamison Crowder, whom the Pats tried to take out of the game plan, made one of the prettiest end zone sideline tiptoe touchdown grabs on Flacco's pinpoint throw. Mims added 4 more enticing grabs for 62 yards. What has to come next for the Dudes plus the entire Jets operation is a 60-minute game. That fourth quarter remains forbidding terrain for the Green & White. Their passer ratings in the first three quarters are mostly low but their 59.1 rating in the final period is the lowest in the NFL. Of Mims' 10 catches in his three games, none has come in the last 15 minutes of a game. It's certainly not all on the wideouts — everyone has to pitch in to keep the offense on the field and scoring while getting the defense off the field and pointless in this fateful frame. The only good Sunday excuse for a limited late passing game would be a lead large enough that Frank Gore and La'Mical Perine can run out the clock. That may be wishful thinking at this point, but now that "The Three Dudes" have gotten off the drawing board, it's time to start work on the foundation for a dynamic game-long, season-long passing attack for the rest of this year and beyond.
OL: The last time the Jets had their starting three receivers on the field was also the first time the talented threesome took the field together this season. During the team's Week 9 loss to the Patriots, 30-27, WRs Breshad Perriman, Jamison Crowder and Denzel Mims combined for 189 yards and 3 TDs. Perriman and Crowder, the two veterans of the group, have each dealt with their fair share of injuries this season. Rookie WR Mims was also inactive for the first eight games because of a nagging hamstring injuriesy that kept him out since training camp. The three starters, however, gave Jets fans a small taste of what they can bring offensively for the remainder of the season: speed, athleticism and dependability. The Chargers' defense ranks dead center (No. 16 in the league) in passing yards allowed per game (232.3), so I expect to see a tight competition in the air on Sunday. If able to stay healthy, the Jets' starting three receivers could add depth, versatility and hope to help push the Green& White to their first victory of 2020.
