After each game, we typically highlight three defensive and three offensive players and look in detail at their performance. We’ll start today with the defense:
A no-Quin situation
Quincy Williams is an interesting case. He was deservedly an all-pro playing alongside CJ Mosley a few years ago and looked like one of the best value contracts on the team when he signed his $6 million per year extension. However, his play seems to have regressed with Jamien Sherwood as his running mate.
On Sunday, Williams showed a few examples of the kinds of play he is capable of. Here, he doesn’t bite on the misdirection and fills the hole to stuff the run.
On this one, Williams again made a decisive read to get outside leverage on the pulling center and shed the block for another run stuff.
These are great plays, but the jarring thing is how rare it is that he makes these kinds of plays sometimes. Sunday was one of those times.
He did have a sack as he came unblocked on an A-gap blitz (although Micheal Clemons probably deserved at least half of the credit for getting the quarterback on the ground after he slipped out of Williams’ grasp).
However, the other four tackles Williams made were all on plays that went for a first down anyway and he only had one tackle in total after halftime. This kind of disappearing act in a game where Miami runs the ball over 40 times is not a good look.
The Dolphins ended up with 239 rushing yards as their guards constantly got out to the second level.
In coverage, Williams gave up three catches on three targets, two of which went for a first down. One of these, on the first play on the second drive, was a good example of Williams and Sherwood not being on the same page as they both picked up the full back underneath and left the tight end wide open in the flat for a 23-yard play.
Williams has also only had one game all season (New England) where he didn’t miss at least one tackle.
With his brother now gone, it’s worth wondering whether Williams has a future with the Jets. As his contract expires at the end of the season, the answer may well be no.
Colonel Saunders
The Jets looked set to give former first rounder Mazi Smith a shot at some extended playing time after acquiring him in the Quinnen Williams trade. However, they subsequently acquired the 29-year old Khalen Saunders and Smith has been inactive ever since following two underwhelming performances.
Saunders has been a solid player in the past. The former third round pick had 48 tackles and 3.5 sacks for the Super Bowl champion Chiefs in 2022 and started all 17 games for the Saints in 2023. However, he couldn’t seem to crack the rotation with the Jaguars.
The first observation to be made about Saunders is that he looks considerably bigger than his listed weight of 324 pounds and may not be in ideal shape. Still, he still has some strength and power at the point of attack as he showed on this play.
As noted, the run defense struggled badly on Sunday and Saunders, who played 19 snaps including 13 against the run, was a factor in that. On this play he lined up at the nose but was moved laterally as there was a huge running lane up the middle. To his credit, he did hustle back to make the stop, though.
Saunders doesn’t have much upside and isn’t under contract for next year but the Jets presumably feel they would be even less competitive with Smith in there for him against run-heavy opponents.
Whether that will change down the stretch as they rethink their priorities remains to be seen.
Jordan Rules
One young player who was getting a chance was rookie nickel back Jordan Clark, who replaced Ja’Sir Taylor in the role. Taylor was inactive after two costly missed tackles last week.
Clark was limited to 15 snaps because Miami obviously ran the ball a lot and the Jets countered with base personnel. While he didn’t record a tackle, there were a few things to be encouraged about.
In coverage, he was targeted twice but both were incomplete. And, as a general rule, he seemed to be in position each time Tua Tagovailoa dropped back to pass with him in the game.
The most significant moment was this one, which promised to end the Jets’ long interception-less streak only for Isaiah Oliver to deflect a pass which seemed destined for him as he stayed with the receiver on a crosser.
Against the run, Clark showed a willingness to come up to the line of scrimmage, on one play filling a gap to force a runner out wide for a short gain. He did get caught up in traffic on Ollie Gordon’s touchdown run, though. There was also a screen pass where he was kicked out by a lineman, although the gain on this play was negated by a penalty.
Clark didn’t officially miss any tackles, although he burst into the backfield and came up empty with a despairing dive as Miami converted on 2nd-and-short. That might have been a tackle for loss if he tripped the runner there.
On the whole, though, there was plenty of positive signs and this should lead to him getting more chances.
In order to keep his role, it would be helpful for Clark if he can also produce on special teams and he made a good contribution there next week
With Jarvis Brownlee now on injured reserve and Taylor already seemingly in the doghouse, Clark has a shot at this role being his for the last month of the season. Hopefully he establishes himself as a potential bright spot heading into next year.
Three-on-O will follow tomorrow.