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3 Bold Jets Predictions for Week 3 (Including Aaron Glenn Slowing Down the Lions' Offense)

Don't be surprised if Gang Green keeps things closer than expected this weekend.
Head coach Aaron Glenn's defensive play calling must be on point if the Jets are going to beat the Lions this weekend.
Head coach Aaron Glenn's defensive play calling must be on point if the Jets are going to beat the Lions this weekend. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

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The odds are not in the Jets' favor this week. Their Week 3 contest against the Lions comes right after Dan Campbell & Co. enjoyed 10 days of rest since their last game.

Ten days to move past their 41-31 blowout loss to the Bills last week.

New York taking on a very focused Detroit team could normally mean bad news for the roster. But at 1-1, the Jets have shown an ability to hang with playoff-contending teams, and if the team is going to pull off a road upset, the organization needs to do three things better than the Lions on Sunday.

Ahead of what will likely be an uphill battle, here are three bold Jets predictions we have going into Week 3.

1. Jets get back to ground and pound

The Lions have struggled on the defensive end so far this season, allowing 35.5 points (31st) and 457.5 total yards (31st) per game, as well as 5.9 yards per play (25th). It's why the Jets should be able to get back to doing what they do well.

New York wants to be a team that runs the ball effectively. In its Week 1 victory over Tennessee, the team tallied 152 yards on the ground. In the Jets' Week 2 loss, though, they averaged just 2.5 yards per carry.

Detroit's rank against the run? Fifth-worst in football.

Breece Hall runs with the ball.
Breece Hall could be in for a big day if the Jets take advantage of the Lions' poor defensive play. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Jets are going to be able to get back on track on the ground. If they are able to do it consistently, their offense should put up plenty of points against the Lions' high-powered offense.

2. NY holds Detroit to under 30 points

The Lions have put up 30 points in each of their first two games of the season. They may be 1-1, but their offense is as elite as ever. The last time they got even close to putting up 30 points in their first three games, though, was in 2022, and it ended in a 28-24 loss to the Vikings.

Head coach Aaron Glenn was formerly the Lions' defensive coordinator from 2021 to 2024. He will take on the offense he worked against in practice for years. If anyone understands what the unit wants to do and how they want to do it, it is the Jets' bench boss.

That is why the Jets will hold the Lions to under 30 points: Glenn knows them, and he will have a plan to shut down their best player.

Speaking of that...

3. Jahmyr Gibbs is held in check

Through two games, Gibbs has received nearly 300 yards from scrimmage already. That's an average of nearly 150 scrimmage yards per game, which would put him in the top five in NFL history if that mark continues.

The difficulty in dealing with Gibbs is that he is just as effective as a receiver as he is as a runner. It won't be enough for the Jets to just hit him once he touches the ball; Detroit does a good enough job of scheming him open.

Jahmyr Gibbs runs with the ball.
It won't be easy, but the Jets can find ways to shut down star Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs on Sunday. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Jets don't have any stars on their defense. However, the scheme they run, under Glenn as their play-caller, is designed in part to limit the strengths of opposing teams. Remember, in their Week 2 loss to Green Bay, the Jets limited the Packers' passing attack. In Week 1, Jordan Love nearly threw for 400 yards against Brian Flores and the Vikings.

In Week 2, Love was held to 145 yards.

The Jets will have a plan for Gibbs, becoming the team that finally holds the All-Pro in check.

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Nick Faria
NICK FARIA

Nick covers the NFL for Sports Illustrated/FN. He was previously on the New York Jets' beat for AM New York with prior experience reporting on the New York Islanders and the Philadelphia Eagles. The New York City resident is also an Adjunct Professor at LIU Brooklyn.

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