Jets Brace For DK Metcalf, Plan to 'Defend Him By Committee'
In each of the Jets' last six games, an opposing wide receiver or tight end has had 100-plus receiving yards. After allowing Raiders tight end Darren Waller to explode for 200 yards this past Sunday, it can't possibly get any worse for New York's secondary, right?
Enter Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf.
Heading into Week 14, Metcalf is leading the league with 1,119 receiving yards. Playing in all 12 of Seattle's games this season, the second-year wideout and Mississippi product has 63 catches (on 98 targets). That's good for 17.8 yards per catch and 93.3 yards per game.
With quarterback Russell Wilson having an MVP-caliber campaign, Metcalf is poised to finish off his special season with a bang. Seattle may have lost three of its last four games, but Metcalf is only two weeks removed from setting a new career-high with 177 yards against the Eagles.
"He's a big, physical, talented young receiver and obviously it's going to be defend him by committee," Jets interim defensive coordinator Frank Bush said in a Zoom call on Thursday. "There's so many things that he's capable of doing, so many big plays he's making and he and Russell have a connection that's kind of uncanny right now."
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Metcalf will line up against a crew of defensive backs on Sunday, featuring a handful of rookies, that's had quite a bit of trouble stopping top targets in the passing game. Injuries and roster moves have opened the door for members of the Jets' latest draft class to step in and gather in-game reps, but that's often translated to impressive performances from playmakers on the other side of the line of scrimmage.
Just look at the Jets' last four games and how their opponent's top receivers have fared:
WEEK 13 — Raiders TE Darren Waller: 200 yards, 13 catches
WEEK 12 — Dolphins WR DeVante Parker: 119 yards, 8 catches
WEEK 11 — Chargers WR Keenan Allen: 145 yards, 16 catches
WEEK 10 — BYE
WEEK 9 — Patriots WR Jakobi Myers: 169 yards, 12 catches
So, how can the Jets prevent Metcalf from surpassing each of those memorable games with a historic performance of his own? Jets head coach Adam Gase explained that stopping someone like Metcalf isn't exactly an option, it's more about containing him.
"It’s tough. You’ve got do a good job of playing physical. You’ve got to find different ways to disrupt his routes," Gase explained. "You want to try to keep him in front of basically your defense as much as possible, and then you have to do a good job of tackling. You’ve got to gang tackle and sometimes it’s hard when it’s an outside guy that’s that big, because you need a lot of guys to come to the party. When it’s one on one, that’s where it can get a little dicey."
For the league's second-worst defense at defending aerial attacks, Metcalf certainly isn't a favorable matchup. Mix in the fact that standout safety Ashtyn Davis could be out for the rest of the year with a foot injury and the job only gets tougher.
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New York will get a boost at the cornerback position, however, as Bless Austin will make his return from the injured list on Sunday.
Austin was designated to come off the IR earlier in the week and has proceeded to practice all week long. Gase revealed on Friday that Austin and rookie Bryce Hall will get the start at cornerback on Sunday.
"Yeah. If everything goes smooth today and we end up activating him, which I’m hoping that’s what happens, unless something crazy happens today, he goes right back to where he was," the head coach said Friday morning.
Even with Austin around, it won't be one individual defensive back that attempts to take Metcalf out of the equation. Bush reiterated that this will be a full-team effort on Sunday. It's the only way to contain one of the best receivers in the game.
"It's got to be by committee," Bush said. "We've got to figure out ways to do things to limit some of the things that he can do and hopefully things work out for us, but it's a challenge because he is such a talented young man."
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