WATCH: Three observations from the Jets' preseason victory vs. Eagles
The New York Jets came out victorious against the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night by a score of 6-0.
In Week 4 of the preseason, none of the starters play and a good majority of the second string guys only see limited action. This week is usually the last chance for guys on the outside of the depth chart to impress the coaches and make a case as to why they deserve a spot on the 53-man roster.
With the win, the Jets will finish the preseason with a record of 2-2. Although the outcome of these games don't mean anything, it always feels nice to win.
Here are three notable things to take out of Thursday’s game:
1. The running back depth chart seems to have been decided
With Le’Veon Bell and Ty Montgomery already having the top two spots on the depth chart at running back locked away, Bilal Powell, Trenton Cannon, and Elijah McGuire were locked in a fight for the last spots.
Powell was inactive for this game which means that his spot on the team is secure. Thus leaving the two youngsters to battle it out. Cannon got the start and played a series with Trevor Siemian and the second stringers and then continued with Luke Falk behind center before being taken out of the game.
Elijah McGuire had 14 carries for only 29 yards and saw a lot of garbage time minutes which doesn’t bode well for his case. Albeit he did have a few nice runs and plays where he almost broke it for a big run. McGuire isn’t much of a standout on special teams which is usually the deciding factor during final roster cuts.
There is still the possibility the Jets move him before the roster deadline. There are a few teams in need of depth at the running back position so perhaps GM Joe Douglas can flip him for a draft pick.
Although he’s most likely headed to the practice squad, Valentine Holmes looked pretty impressive in what’s only his fourth NFL game. He had zero rushing yards on five carries however he did have five catches for 55 yards including a nice 27 yard over the shoulder catch along the sidelines in the third quarter. He’s shifty in space and isn’t afraid of contact which makes sense judging from his rugby background.
2. Shakiness in the third string quarterback competition
One of the underrated battles heading into Week 4 of the preseason was the one between Davis Webb and Luke Falk. After Trevor Siemian played a series to start the game, the next quarterback to enter the game was Luke Falk.
The second-year guy out of Washington State played fairly well against the Eagles backups. He went 13-for-18 for 91 yards and was sacked once with a QBR of 83.3. Falk led the Jets on their only scoring drive of the half after Marcus Cooper Sr. intercepted a pass in Eagles territory. Falk also led the Jets on a drive that would put the team in field goal range right before the half, however the kick was missed.
Davis Webb statistically had his best game of the preseason aside from two glaring errors. On the positive side, he went 18-for-23 for 176 yards. He even led the team to a field goal on the first possession of the second half.
However, the errors would soon follow.
Webb threw two interceptions in the game. The first of which came on the very next drive after the field goal. He would lead the team on a drive that resulted in yet another missed kick and then throw another interception on the very next drive.
Falk being the first quarterback in the game was a very telling sign. He played a solid first half and had some strong drives. It felt as if this was his spot to lose rather than Webb’s spot to win.
It’s also not good when you finish the preseason with zero touchdowns and four interceptions but that’s exactly what Webb did. The scales look to be tipped in Falk’s favor for now if the Jets go with three quarterbacks but it’ll be interesting to see what Douglas does with this decision.
3. Kicking woes resurge
What seemed like a done deal has now opened back up into a problem for the Jets. All preseason the Jets have struggled with finding a consistent kicker. They started with Chandler Catanzaro initially however after a less than stellar performance in the first preseason game Catanzaro retired and the Jets brought in Taylor Bertolet.
The young kicker has had an up and down preseason but a strong performance in the team's Week 3 game against the New Orleans Saints had things trending in the right direction for him. That trend unfortunately for him and the Jets went in a different direction Thursday night as he went 2-for-5 on his field-goal attempts.
Included in his misses were a 53-yard kick that sailed wide right and a 56-yarder that sailed wide left. His two makes on the night came at 23 yards and 39 yards respectively.
Kicking strength doesn’t seem to be the issue with Bertolet as none of his misses fell short. The problem is accuracy. And it isn’t as if he’s only missing to one particular side because he seems to be all over the place.
Mind you Bertolet was cut last summer by the Jets for Jason Myers who played well enough to be selected to the Pro Bowl. In a summer where the Jets had money to blow it’s a mystery why they would cheap out on a kicker of that caliber.
Now Myers is in Seattle and the Jets are left in a tough spot on whether to stick it out with Bertolet or go hunting for a replacement a week before the season starts.
