Jets takeaways from Monday's 24-16 preseason win over Falcons, including scoring 24 unanswered points

Streveler led Jets comeback for second game in a row

8/23/2022, 3:24 AM
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For the second game in a row, the Jets fell behind by two scores early, but third-string quarterback Chris Streveler led his team to a comeback against the other team’s backups, just like he did against the Eagles. 

Atlanta had racked up almost 300 yards in the first half to lead 16-3 at the break, but the Jets scored 21 unanswered points in the second half to secure the win.

The Jets’ offense finally got going after halftime when Streveler replaced Mike White at quarterback. He immediately led the Jets downfield and threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to tight end Lawrence Cager. La’Mical Perine’s seven-yard touchdown run on the next drive gave them a 17-16 fourth quarter lead.

Reserve defensive end Bradlee Anae returned a fumble for a touchdown to increase the lead with 10 minutes remaining before the Jets forced a turnover on downs in the red zone with just over four minutes to go to seal the win.

Here are some more takeaways from Monday night’s game 

- The Jets erred on the side of caution in less-than-ideal conditions at Metlife Stadium, resting nearly all of their starters. Robert Saleh had been weighing up the dilemma of whether to avoid the risk of losing any more key players to injury against the importance of getting these players preparation time together but may have had his mind made up by how well this week’s joint practices went. 

- For their own part, the Falcons did give playing time to most of their key starters, providing a good test for the Jets’ reserves. However, it wasn’t a good start for cornerback Bryce Hall who got burned for a 52-yard gain by Kyle Pitts to set up the opening field goal and then beaten for a touchdown on the next drive. That may have secured a starting role for rookie Ahmad Gardner by default. Another potential starter, Lamarcus Joyner, blew a coverage that led to a 40-yard pass play on the second drive.

- Among the second-stringers that performed well were Jamien Sherwood, who was wearing the defensive headset and racked up four tackles, including a few near the line of scrimmage, and Garrett Wilson, who had three first quarter catches, although none went for a first down. Rookie Micheal Clemons was once again constantly around the ball against the run, too.

- It was a predictably sloppy game with multiple penalties on both teams, including two early one for tight end Trevon Wesco. The teams combined for 14 penalties in the first half alone, including on six straight plays at the end of the second quarter.

- One player who certainly didn’t get much of a chance to rest was punter Braden Mann, who got plenty of work with White struggling to move the chains in the first half. The Jets ended the first half with just 97 net yards and only picked up two first downs that weren’t via penalty. Streveler, who some experts feel has a similar skill-set to Taysom Hill, may be making a case to overtake White as the third quarterback.

- At this stage of preseason, teams don’t game plan much for their opponents and the Jets mostly played a vanilla cover-3 defense with a four-man rush. Both Marcus Mariota and rookie Desmond Ridder were able to pick this defense apart, with receivers easily finding open areas in the Jets’ zone coverage.

- Anyone who was still in the game in the second half could probably be considered a long-shot to make the final roster. Nevertheless, some standouts included Streveler, Cager and defensive tackle Jonathan Marshall, who blew up consecutive plays in the backfield. Rookie Zonovan Knight also had a good run and a nice kickoff return. 

- The battle to be the kicker remains undecided as both Greg Zuerlein and Eddy Pineiro made all of their kicks. Interestingly, Pineiro was given a chance to kick off in the second half, having previously had Mann on kick-off duties in preseason and when Pineiro was on the roster last season.

- The Jets now face the Giants in their final preseason game on Sunday afternoon. No doubt Saleh will face the same dilemma in terms of whether or not to play his starters.

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