What We Saw: Week 16

It was a big week for young WRs

Ben Brown
What We Saw 3 Years Ago
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Jaguars @ Jets

Final Score: Jets 26, Jaguars 21

Writer: James Schiano (@JeterHadNoRange on Twitter)

 

The top two picks from the 2021 Draft faced off in one of the more exciting games from Week 16. Maybe not super exciting in the conventional sense, but there was a lot of flair in this one despite each team missing multiple players due to COVID-19. Two offensive linemen scored touchdowns, Braxton Berrios took a kickoff to the house, the Jets tried to run a speed option with their kicker and punter, and Zach Wilson almost broke the century mark on the ground. Bad teams can have fun too!

 

Jacksonville Jaguars

 

Quarterback

 

Trevor Lawrence: 26/39, 280 yards | 6 carries, 37 yards, fumble

 

Lawrence has caught a lot of flack recently. He has just one TD in his last eight games and has looked overmatched in most of the games he has played. Even today, Twitter was ablaze with takes about Lawrence losing to the Jets. However, I thought Lawrence made plenty of good throws today.

There are shockingly few videos available of his plays from today, but Lawrence used this 4th down throw to Laquon Treadwell to show off his arm strength and patience.

He also went down the field in about 45 seconds on the Jaguars’ last drive without being able to score the touchdown needed to win the game. Still, Lawrence made plenty of throws in this game that would give me confidence in his future and it is a little ridiculous for anyone to label him as a bust. I mean, Laquon Treadwell is getting 4th down targets, cut the guy some slack.

 

Running Backs

 

James Robinson: 3 carries, 10 yards

Dare Ogunbowale: 17 carries, 57 yards, TD | 4 targets, 2 receptions, 15 yards

Andrew Wingard: 1 carry, 4 yards

Nathan Cottrell: 1 carry, 3 yards

 

Sunday’s lasting image from this position group was Robinson being carted off the field with which was immediately ruled a torn Achilles.

 

That hurts. Robinson has been through so much between being an undrafted free agent, seeing his team draft another running back in the first round, getting inexplicably thrown in Urban Meyer’s doghouse, and now a devastating injury. Brutal.

Otherwise, Ogunbowale stepped up in Robinson’s wake and turned in a very solid stat line. Overlooked since his days at Wisconsin, he reached the endzone for the first time in more than two years!

Still, I would not jump to put him in my championship lineups. Ogunbowale managed less than 3.5 YPC against the worst run defense in football. That same defense was also missing about half of its starters. He has never had an exciting profile and the current set of circumstances do not change that.

 

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

 

Marvin Jones Jr: 13 targets, 8 receptions, 74 yards

Tavon Austin: 7 targets, 6 receptions, 68 yards | 3 carries, 21 yards

Laquon Treadwell: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 54 yards

James O’Shaughnessy: 4 targets, 4 receptions, 49 yards

Jacob Hollister: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 20 yards

 

Imagine a team with Treadwell and Austin: this position group is a graveyard for talent. Those two did reasonably well in this game, but again the Jets’ pitiful defense was missing most of their starters.

The lone shining light here was Jones. He is a pro’s pro and continues to prove such. He is vital to this offense, Lawrence’s development, and the ability for Jacksonville to function as a competent football team. There is a very solid floor here.

 

New York Jets

 

Quarterback

 

Zach Wilson: 14/22, 102 yards, TD | 4 carries, 91 yards, TD

 

Jets fans have been waiting months for Wilson to have another signature game since his heroics against Tennessee and it finally came. While very few expected him to make his mark on the ground, Wilson was explosive against the Jaguars.

 

 

Run it back turbo! This was one of the premier plays in the NFL this season and showed off Wilson’s very underrated athleticism. It was not his only big play on the ground either.

 

 

It was refreshing to see the Jets trust Wilson enough to attempt a 4th down conversion in the two-minute drill and he made a slick play to pick it up. He had one more big run, too.

 

 

Check out that speed around the edge! Wilson has never been regarded as a dual threat QB, but this element of his game is a welcome sight.

He made some notable plays with his arm as well. Not a whole lot (he averaged less than five yards per attempt), but there were plenty of throws to build on. Here’s him squeezing one into a tight window to Berrios on 3rd and long.

 

 

And another downfield to a very open Tyler Kroft.

 

 

Lastly, a fade to guard Connor McDermott?

 

 

Wilson did well here to evade the rush and had the cajones to toss one up to an interior lineman. It was fourth down so he did not have much of a choice, but plays like this show me Wilson is progressing. He was cool, efficient, and selectively spectacular.

 

Running Backs

 

Michael Carter: 16 carries, 118 yards | 3 targets, 2 receptions, 6 yards

Tevin Coleman: 14 carries, 57 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 4 yards

Braden Mann: 1 carry, 4 yards

 

Carter missed nearly a month before returning last week, but was on a pitch count and lacked his marquee explosiveness. He returned to form on Sunday and put together the best game of his young career leaving would-be tacklers in the dust all afternoon.

 

 

And again!

 

 

Man, that juke was so nice. Carter is a missed tackle wizard and the Jaguars could not get ahold of him.

 

 

He wound up with the first 100 yard game of his young career and crossed the century mark with this long scamper late in the fourth quarter.

 

 

There is a lot to be excited about with Carter and he will be flying up 2022 draft boards this offseason.

Coleman also looked good in a very similar workload to Carter. We are finally seeing offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur’s system starting to come to life with the Jets.

 

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

 

Braxton Berrios: 6 targets, 5 receptions, 37 yards | 1 carry, 3 yards

Tyler Kroft: 5 targets, 3 receptions, 29 yards

Keelan Cole: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 25 yards

Conor McDermott: 1 target, 1 yard, TD

Denzel Mims: 2 targets

Jeff Smith: 1 target

 

There is…not a lot here. Berrios has become Wilson’s favorite target and the lifeblood of the Jets passing game since Elijah Moore went on the IR. He does a lot right from the slot and has developed some clear chemistry with Wilson.

 

Some great timing here moved the chains on 4th down. Berrios is suddenly on fantasy managers’ radars and is incredibly important to Wilson’s development.

 

 

— James Schiano (@JeterHadNoRange on Twitter)

Series Navigation
Introduction
49ers @ Titans
Browns @ Packers
Colts @ Cardinals
Giants @ Eagles
Rams @ Vikings
Bills @ Patriots
Buccaneers @ Panthers
Jaguars @ Jets
Lions @ Falcons
Chargers @ Texans
Ravens @ Bengals
Bears @ Seahawks
Steelers @ Chiefs
Broncos @ Raiders
Football Team @ Cowboys
Dolphins @ Saints

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