That’s right, the Jets actually have a game this week.
The Jets need to overcome not just two straight losses but also themselves after another controversy hit Jets land this week. How they bounce back from this one will determine if their slim playoff hopes remain alive. The team they face in St. Louis on Sunday is also desperate at 3-5-1 and this one should be tight.
Three things to watch for …
1. A Schott at revenge
It seems like the former Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer took a disproportionate amount of blame for the Jets’ offensive woes last year. Now in St. Louis with former No. 1 pick Sam Bradford under the center, the irony is that his offense is No. 26 in the league and the Jets are No. 30.
“His knowledge, his experience and the success he had there at New York,” Rams head coach Jeff Fisher said when asked what he impressed him about his offensive coordinator. “When you’re putting together a new football team, you have to do it and developing a young talented quarterback like Sam, you have to first start with the run game. I think statistically, the Jets run production over the years while Brian was there, speaks for itself.”
2. The development of Bradford
In 2011, it seemed like Bradford had regressed, throwing six touchdowns and six interceptions in 10 starts last year before missing the end of the season with a high ankle sprain. Bradford has learned to manage the game better, a major reason why he has a career high 62.2 completion percentage this season. Bradford has benefited from Schottenheimer and quarterbacks coach Frank Cignetti, who was the offensive coordinator at Rutgers last year.
“[He is] a real talented guy,” Jets head coach Rex Ryan said. “He makes all the throws.”
3. Distractions, distractions
After Wednesday’s controversy, the Jets do actually play a game this week and against a team that needs a win as badly as they do. The good news for Jets fans is that in the past, Ryan’s teams have tended to fare well after arrests, controversies and distractions.
“Nobody wants to win more than we do, this football team and this week,” Ryan said. “We’re obviously disappointed with how things are going right now, how the season is going. We can’t fix what’s behind us; [we can] only fix what’s in front of us and we plan on doing that this week against a good football team.”
Follow Jets beat writer Kristian Dyer on Twitter
