Inside the Numbers: Jets Getting Contributions Across the Board in Week 11

Jets had several players step up in the win at Washington

It may have been against one of the worst teams in the NFL this year, but the New York Jets got some big performances from several players on their roster who are beginning to emerge over the past few weeks. And while the win is nice for the team’s psyche, the development and integration of these handful of players moving forward is a big part of this current reiteration of the franchise’s rebuild. 

The Jets got big contributions from several young players in Sunday’s 34-17 win at Washington on Sunday. Leading the way was cornerback Bless Austin, a sixth round pick out of Rutgers who made his NFL debut last week in the victory over the Giants. 

Austin had three tackles and a pass defended in Washington, the same stat line as from his debut against the Giants. He earned a 77.2 grade from Pro Football Focus, making him the eleventh best cornerback in the league last week. 

PFF also noted that safety Jamal Adams had the highest ‘Pass-Rush Win’ for the Jets so far this season. On Sunday he lined up to blitz 14 times, rushed the quarterback 13 times and had three sacks. Not bad production on the afternoon. 

Jets tight end Ryan Griffin, an under the radar free agent signing of general manager Joe Douglas in July, built on several recent strong games. The 29-year old stepped up with his biggest performance of the season with five receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown in the win over Washington. PFF noted that he was the most productive fantasy football tight end of the week. 

Jamison Crowder, a prime free agent signing, has had a slow start to his Jets career. But he has back-to-back games with a touchdown reception and might be turning a corner. 

PFF analyst Scott Barrett wrote in his recap this week of trends around the league that Jets quarterback Sam Darnold has targeted Crowder on 24% of all throws this season. As Darnold begins to own the offense more and more, Crowder’s production out of the slot might be an emerging storyline of the Jets. 

On Sunday, Crowder had five receptions for 76 yards a touchdown against his old team. 

Crowder is heating up, a major reason why the Jets offense is beginning to hum a bit. He came into November with 35 catches for 322 yards and no touchdowns in seven games. 

Over the last three games, he has 240 receiving yards and three touchdowns.