New York Jets eager to redeem itself against the Detroit Lions
After a humiliating loss to the Green Bay Packers, which saw the New York Jets get shutout 9-0, Rex Ryan's boys will be looking to bounce back as they take on the steadily improving Detroit Lions on Sunday, 7 November, at Ford Field in Detroit.
Previous meetings and recent games
In the two meetings between these two teams since 2001 the Jets have won both times, which isn't all that surprising given that since 2001 the Lions haven't had a winning season. They even infamously went 0-16 only two seasons ago.
However, after eight weeks in the NFL, the Lions already have as many wins as they did all of last year. The even recently beat the Washington Redskins by a score of 37-25.
The New York Jets had a performance last week which was reminiscent of their season opener against the Baltimore Ravens which they lost 10-9. The Jets offence failed to get anything going as they were plagued by miscues and dropped passes. Even the typically
reliable Nick Folk couldn't hit a 37-yard field goal as the Jets simply caught a bad case of Murphy's law.
How they match up
Lions second-year quarterback Drew Stafford returned last week after receiving a concussion in the season opener and was effective, helping guide the team to a win and throwing four touchdown passes in the process.
Another quarterback in his second year, Mark Sanchez for the Jets, started the year strong and at one point had led the league with the most pass attempts without being intercepted. His ability to keep from turning over the ball had many around the league
praising Sanchez for his improved decision making. However, Sanchez has now thrown four interceptions in his last two starts. The Jets, who had a league-low four turnovers going into the game against Green Bay, turned over the ball three times in the loss.
The Jets have the NFL's third best rushing offence although they struggled against a beat-up Green Bay defence. LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene will now have a run at the Lions 27th ranked run defence, which should be a major area for the Jets to exploit.
The Jets still have yet to give up 100 yards to an opposing rusher, but teams have managed to find gaps in the Jets secondary. The Jets will likely key on Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson who has eight touchdowns this year. Look for Johnson to make a trip
to Revis Island on Sunday.
What to expect
Nobody expected the Jets to be as ineffective as they were last Sunday after having two weeks to prepare. Many were suggesting that the Jets, who had won five in a row, simply lost their momentum.
The Jets are undefeated on the road this season and likely a little angry about failing to score. If the team can get their timing back and stay focused there's no reason they shouldn't be able to come up with a big win against a team with a reputation for
losing.
Look for the Jets to go back to the fundamentals – run the football and play tight defence.
Jets will win 17-6.
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