Monday night is as close to a must-win for the New York Jets and their playoff hopes as they come. At 4-3, a loss wouldn’t completely hurt their season, but a win over the Los Angeles Chargers would significantly improve their chances of ending their decade-long playoff drought.
For a team as banged up as the Jets, to even be in a situation where they need to (and can) win a game against an organization as talented as the Chargers is a testament to the entire makeup of the 2023 roster.
Monday night won’t be easy though.
For all the talent the Chargers possess – including one of the most talented quarterbacks in football – their coaching staff and injury report have hampered them to a mere 3-4 record heading into this key matchup against New York. A loss would not only put the Jets in the playoff picture, but it would also give them an important tie-breaking edge over a team they could be competing for down the stretch.
With every matchup this year, AM New York breaks down the upcoming matchup on Monday Night Football for the Jets. Let’s look through it now.
New York Jets vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Where: MetLife Stadium
When: Sunday, November 6th, 2023
Kickoff Time: 8:15 pm – ET
How to watch: ESPN
Line: Chargers -3.5
Keys to the Game
Interior Pressure on Herbert
Justin Herbert is just the next great quarterback on the Jets schedule this year. The good news is that New York has embarrassed the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, and Josh Allen already. Herbert, while a superb talent, is banged up and is known to struggle with touch passes down the field.
If the Jets can get consistent pressure along his interior – where the Chargers line is weakest – they should be able to make Herbert the next top quarterback victim of their vaunted defense. Los Angeles’ quarterback is a little different than the signal-callers this defense has faced, but every quarterback is the same: once you put pressure on them, they begin to unravel.
Own Time of Possession
To win on Monday night against an underachieving Chargers squad, New York’s offense has to do something they haven’t shown they can this year: win on third down, and eat the clock. The Jets are the worst third-down offense in football and haven’t been able to get into any sort of rhythm due to the injuries sustained at almost every position group.
That has to change if they want to move to 5-3 on the year this season. New York is expected to get back Duane Brown at some point over the next few weeks and Joe Tippmann. If both come back at a high level, the Jets should be able to have a lot of success on Sunday against a Chargers defense with plenty of stars, but little to show for it.
Excel on Special Teams
When you have the best special teams players on the planet, you can sometimes steal away possessions from teams that have more talent. That’s how the Jets have won their last three games the way they have. Thomas Morstead is coming off a historical week against the Giants in which he had three punts inside the five-yard-line. Greg Zuerlein has been dependable as they come, and the kickoff and punt coverages have been excellent. Los Angeles does have some dangerous returners of their own, but if the Jets have their big guns working Monday Night, that could shift the tide of this game.
X-Factor – Breece Hall
New York’s top running back has been a revelation of sorts over the last few weeks. Hall’s check-down breakaway was the lone touchdown of the day last week for the Jets. He remains as important to the offense as Garrett Wilson outside. When playing a top quarterback, it’s important to take as much time off the clock as possible.
That’s where Hall’s importance will come this week. Keeping Herbert off the field with efficient runs will be extremely important. Getting the offense in third-and-manageable situations is also important.
The Jets need to feed Hall early and often on Monday night for the win.
