The New York Jets finally cracked their five-game losing streak on Halloween against the Houston Texans, but they face an over-.500 Arizona Cardinals squad on a three-game bounce for a Sunday afternoon matchup in Glendale.
“Excited about this opportunity in Arizona, a really good opponent that’s playing really good football right now, and it’s going to be a great test on all three sides of the ball for us,” interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich said.
Jets vs. Cardinals viewing information
- Date: Sunday, Nov. 10, 4:25 p.m. ET
- Venue: State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ
- TV: CBS
Now 3-6, Gang Green needs to continue their momentum into this Week 10 draw for their playoff hopes. Aaron Rodgers led a Jets offense that might be finally starting to click, throwing three touchdowns and 211 yards. Davante Adams is starting to look like the receiver everyone thought he was — registering seven receptions from 11 targets for 91 yards and a touchdown.
Garrett Wilson continued his good run of form as well, with nine receptions, 90 yards, and two touchdowns. On the ground, tailback Breece Hall ran for 70 or more rushing yards in back-to-back games.
However, the offensive line is looking a little light. Starting guards John Simpson and Alijah Vera-Tucker did not practice today and are doubtful for Sunday. Reserve guard Jake Hanson also did not practice today, leaving rookie first-round pick Olu Fashanu in line for his third start in the league. He has started at right guard in Weeks 4 and 5, a position he never played before in his career.
“The historical reference about a guy that’s never played this position in his life, including Pop Warner, and to play as well as he did was pretty astounding to me,” Ulbrich said. “If he’s a guy that has to play in there, that’s a great opportunity for him to play and get some experience. At the same time, he provides us with a quality asset for us when he does play. We’ll see. A lot to assess from an injury standpoint.”
The Jets’ saving grace has been their defense. Ulbrich and his men have done well; the pass defense ranks second in the league for a 56.9% completion rate, and the pass rush defense sacked C.J. Stroud eight times last week to total 31 over the season, the second-most in the league.
Thirty-year-old Jalen Mills has emerged as a solid starter in the secondary after injuries to safeties Tony Adams, Chuck Clark, and Ashtyn Davis. He denied all four attempts in his area against the Texans, leading the team with 10 tackles while playing all 79 snaps. Solomon Thomas, Michael Carter II, and C.J. Mosley did not practice today either.
However, the Cardinals’ offense is in a groove, running loose against the Bears in a 29-9 win, making it back-to-back games where they’ve scored 28 or more points. Kyler Murray has thrown 11 touchdown passes with a 67% completion rate and only three interceptions in the season, but presents a dual-threat on the ground as well, with two rushing touchdowns. James Conner leads the rushing offense, averaging 5.9 yards per carry last week and totaling over 100 yards in his last four games.
“Arizona is going to run the ball and run the ball and they’re going to run the ball again, and they don’t care if you stop it, they’re going to run it again,” Ulbrich said. “It’s been the strength of that team, in my opinion, right now. So what better week to prove who we are defensively than to go up against an opponent that is leaning on the run as hard as they are and is running the ball as effectively as they are.”
