Throughout the offseason, NewYorkJets.com reporters Eric Allen, Ethan Greenberg, Randy Lange, Caroline Hendershot and John Pullano will give their responses to a series of questions regarding this year's Jets.
Today's question: What do you think of the Jets' position at the bye week?
EA: Bryce Huff. According to Tru Media, Huff's eight-game streak of 2+ QB pressures ties for the sixth-longest active streak in the NFL. In his last two games, Huff played 25+snaps for the first time in his career and had his two best single-game pressure totals of 6 vs. DEN and 9 vs. PHI. After the Jets upset of the Eagles in Week 6, his 25.7% QB pressure rate led all 111 defenders with at least 100 pass rush snaps. Huff, who has become an every-down player, has 10 career sacks. His 1.5 sacks of Jalen Hurts were a career high. The Giants have protected better of late, Tyrod Taylor has been a calming presence and they may be getting reinforcements up front. But the Giants have allowed a league-high sacks/pass attempt (16.02%). I'm calling for an extension of the Huff breakout as this dynamic pass rusher, an undrafted free agent in 2002, will rack up 2 sacks for the first time.
EG: Breece Hall. He's already had breakout games this season like at Denver (career-high 177 rushing yards), which had the worst rush defense in the NFL at the time. The Giants have allowed the second most rushing yards in the NFL through seven weeks and 10 rushing touchdowns, which ranks No. 3. Hall leads the league averaging 6.5 yards per carry this season (min. 50 carries) and the Giants allow more than 5.1 yards per rush (No. 29). The has also allowed 8 runs of over 20 yards, which ranks No. 30 in the NFL and Hall has two of the three longest runs in the league this season. His 83-yard scamper at MetLife Stadium Week 1 is the longest run in the NFL this season. Given the rainy forecast and a blitz-happy Wink Martindale defense, Hall could be the remedy for both.
RL: I'm going with Quincy Williams. In our weekly Inside The Numbers piece Tuesday, we showed that at least statistically, he was having as good a first 7 weeks of the season (60 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 4 QBHs, 5 PDs) as any NFL defender since 2000 and better than most. And Sunday's game at the Giants will give Quincy another stage from which to project his versatility. His tackling prowess will be tested by the likes of Saquon Barkley close to and even behind the line. His coverage could be called on when the ball goes to TE Darrin Waller, who Jets fans will remember had a 13-catch, 200-yard receiving game for the Raiders at the Green & White in 2020. And Williams and the Jets' front four will also be after the QB. With Daniel Jones still not cleared for contact, Tyrod Taylor gets his third straight start. He's sackable but elusive, and in fact, was was sacked 15 times in his last three starts vs. the Jets for other teams. This game is a great opportunity for Quincy to keep convincing fan, player and coach Pro Bowl voters that he belongs among the league's all-stars.
CH: Quinnen Williams. After all the offensive line changes the Giants have dealt with, I think a veteran like Williams will know how to exploit them. Williams currently ranks 5th among defensive tackles with 27 QB pressures and the Giants rank 31st in sacks allowed in the NFL with 37. While he only has .5 sacks, the Jets have played against some of the top offensive lines including the Eagles, the Bills, the Chiefs and the Cowboys. Through the first six games, Williams has 1 interception, 2 passes defensed, 1 fumble recovery, 3 tackles for loss and 6 QB hits on the year. While I do think the Giants have been playing more consistently the last few weeks, I think Williams will start to get into his rhythm of sacking the QB more this Sunday.
JP: Jets pass rusher Jermaine Johnson has not necessarily gotten off to a slow start to the season, considering he has 2 sacks in six games which is just a .5 sack less than his season total as a rookie, but the second-year defender is poised for an explosive performance against the Giants and the second half of the season. Before the bye, Johnson had his best game of the season in the Jets' 20-14 win against the Eagles in Week 6. He had 2 tackles, 2 pressures and registered 3 pass defenses, two of which resulted in interceptions. Over the first six weeks the Jets played a gauntlet of dual-threat quarterbacks including Jalen Hurts, Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes. The Giants have allowed the second most sacks in the NFL (37) this season and will start backup QB Tyrod Taylor for the third consecutive week. Taylor has been sacked 8 times over his last two starts, and in the preseason, Johnson dropped Taylor for a six-yard sack. Before the season, Johnson said he felt like he "let defenders off the hook" with his performance as rookie and plans to make up for it. Expect Johnson to keep his word and ride the momentum from the Eagles game to a standout final stretch of the season.
