Bob Wischusen has been the radio play-by-play voice of the New York Jets for 19 years. Lasting all season, Wischusen will share thoughts about the Green & White in a weekly column.
Eyes on Bryce
There's been a lot of attention paid to rookies Denzel Mims and Mekhi Becton, and rightfully so. They have both shown that they are worthy of the rounds they were drafted in, the positions they're playing and that they belong. But if you look forward to the offseason, one of the positions that the Jets are going to be most in need of is cornerback, and that's why I continue to keep my eyes on Bryce Hall. I think these last three games will be part of a second half of a season that's extremely important for him. It was great that the Jets finally got him on the field and it's great that he's been going up against some top-notch receivers, and it's great that he's held his own. The focus of the Jets this offseason — even if Hall continues to show that he can hang at the highest level — is going to be bringing in talent at the most important positions, and one of those that will be at the top of the list will be cornerback. Again, in the spotlight will always be a left tackle and a wide receiver, because those were positions of big need for the Jets last year. This year, even if Hall plays well, they'll still concentrate on cornerback. But if he continues to show that he belongs, it will certainly lighten General Manager Joe Douglas' load in that area.
West Coast Travel
Making back-to-back trips to the West Coast is difficult under normal circumstances. The Jets — like many teams in the NFL — asked to have two of their three West Coast trips to be put back to back to stay out there and eliminate the need to fly back and forth across the country. This is now commonplace in the NFL and something that the schedule makers do their best to help out teams. Having said that, though, this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Jets will have to make full trips across the country in back-to-back weeks. They had considered staying on the West Coast, but rather than keeping their players in a bubble, they thought it better to make two cross-country trips. It's another impact of the pandemic on the NFL season, and it's one the Jets will have to figure a way around this week.
Running Through the Rams
One really interesting matchup that I'm looking forward to between the Jets and the Rams is each team's run offense against each team's run defense. The strength of the Jets defense this year, with Quinnen Williams having a bust out season and the continual emergence of Folorunso Fatukasi, is that the unit has been good against the run — they are No. 8 in the NFL. The Rams have a three-RB attack that could determine whether or not the Jets can keep this game close and be competitive into the fourth quarter. The other interesting thing, from the other side, is whether the Jets will lean more on Ty Johnson and Josh Adams to get speed rushes on the outside against a Rams defense that is No. 1 in total defense in the NFL and No. 3 against the run. I would think that the speed of the Jets' young running backs staying on the outside and away from Aaron Donald could be a big determining factor in whether the Jets can be competitive in this game.
