A week that began with a rookie collecting a conference award ended with the coordinator explaining why the offense keeps stalling 20 yards from the end zone. In between, the Jets lost in Foxborough, one of their pass rushers turned up in trade talk, and their lead back went back on the practice report. Here is what mattered over the past seven days, with the rest of the week’s coverage on the Jets analysis hub.
The Jets fell to 2–4 with a 26–19 loss at New England. David Bailey was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week, Will McDonald IV drew trade interest, Omar Cooper Jr. returned from a high ankle sprain, and Breece Hall’s quad kept him limited ahead of Sunday’s game against Miami.
How did the Jets lose in Foxborough?
By kicking when they needed touchdowns. The Jets lost 26–19 at New England on October 18, a game in which four field goals stood in for the drives that should have finished, and the defense again kept the score inside one possession without getting the help to win it. The loss dropped the Jets to 2–4 and third in the AFC East. The full breakdown is in our Week 6 recap of the Patriots game.
Why did David Bailey win AFC Defensive Player of the Week?
Because of three sacks in a single afternoon. The rookie edge was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Week 5 win over Cleveland, where he added four quarterback hits and seven pressures. Bailey now has five sacks, the most on a team with 17, and has become the clearest reason to watch a 2–4 roster. We covered the award in full when Bailey picked up the conference honor, and his season is tracked on his player page.
Is Will McDonald IV going to be traded?
Nothing has been agreed, but his name is in circulation. Reporting this week put other teams in contact with the Jets about the fourth-year edge, whose snap share has shrunk as Bailey’s has grown — a shift that reads differently in October than it would have in September. McDonald was a limited participant on both Wednesday and Thursday with a toe injury. Our piece on the trade interest in McDonald lays out what the Jets would be weighing.
Is Omar Cooper Jr. back?
Yes, and he is off the injury report entirely. The rookie receiver returned at New England in his first game since Week 1 after a high ankle sprain and the 21-day practice window the Jets opened for him. Frank Reich singled out a 48-yard touchdown from Geno Smith to Cooper as the sort of play the offense has otherwise been missing. We tracked Cooper’s return against the Patriots as it happened.
What did Frank Reich say about the offense?
That the red zone is the problem, and that it is his. The offensive coordinator said on Thursday the Jets have scored six touchdowns on 14 red-zone trips this season, 37.5 percent. “The red zone again, red zone, third down, short yardage, on those, there needs to be improvement there in every way,” Reich said, per the team’s official site. “And again, as a coordinator, that starts with me.” He noted that Adonai Mitchell, Cooper, Hall and Mason Taylor have missed 13 games between them, and said he was encouraged by the offense’s production outside the red zone.
Where does Breece Hall’s quad stand?
Limited on Thursday after sitting out Wednesday, with no game designation issued yet. Hall was one of several Jets on the official Week 7 report; Kiko Mauigoa (quad), Kene Nwangwu (knee) and Joseph Ossai (ankle) did not practice on either day, and Max Mitchell did not practice Thursday with a concussion. Will McDonald IV, Adonai Mitchell, Dylan Parham and T’Vondre Sweat were limited. Demario Davis and Harrison Phillips were given veteran rest days Wednesday and practiced fully Thursday. The club publishes the detail in its Thursday Week 7 injury report.
Did the Jets settle the running back question?
Aaron Glenn said the job is still Hall’s. “Breece is our starter, he’s always been our starter, but Braelon is going to get touches too,” Glenn said on Wednesday, as reported by The Big Lead. Braelon Allen leads the team with 314 rushing yards, including a 116-yard afternoon against Cleveland, on a ground game averaging 3.6 yards a carry.
What to watch next week
Miami at MetLife on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS, with the Dolphins arriving at 0–5 off their bye and the Jets needing the win more than the standings suggest. Watch Friday’s game designations for Hall and the four Thursday non-participants, watch whether the red-zone rate moves against the league’s 24th-ranked scoring defense, and watch McDonald’s snap count — with the deadline approaching, how the Jets use him is its own piece of information.
What is the Jets’ record after Week 6?
The Jets are 2–4 after a 26–19 loss at New England on October 18, third in the AFC East.
Who won AFC Defensive Player of the Week for the Jets?
Rookie edge David Bailey, for a three-sack performance in the Week 5 win over Cleveland. He has five sacks on the season.
Is Breece Hall playing in Week 7?
Hall (quad) did not practice Wednesday and was limited Thursday. The Jets had not issued a game designation at the time of writing.
Has Will McDonald IV been traded?
No. Reporting this week indicated other teams have shown interest, but no trade has been agreed.
When do the Jets play the Dolphins?
Sunday, October 25 at 1:00 p.m. ET at MetLife Stadium, on CBS. Miami comes in 0–5 after a Week 6 bye.
How bad has the Jets’ red-zone offense been?
Six touchdowns on 14 red-zone trips, a rate of 37.5 percent, which offensive coordinator Frank Reich named as the unit’s first problem to fix.