Overview, forecast, what to watch out for

A preview of Sunday’s Week 5 Jets-Falcons game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium:

Marquee match

Jets QB Zach Wilson vs. Falcons Defensive Coordinator Dean Pees

Wilson had his best game last week, throwing two touchdowns and throwing two 50 yards or more. He showed the talent that made him the No. 2 draft pick. Now he has to start over.

The Falcons defense has allowed more runs than any NFL team going into Week 5. They don’t have many stars on this side of the ball, and their staff shouldn’t scare the Jets. But Pees has 47 years of coaching experience and could confuse the young quarterback.

Jets coach Robert Saleh said Wilson has done everything this week to strengthen his job against the Titans.

“This is where I think he’s phenomenal, this is his process,” Saleh said. “He takes the good with the bad and vice versa, and he’s always trying to find ways to improve. So he’s had a really good week of training. He, again, every week, the emphasis for him is on footwork, eyes, progress; footwork, eyes, progression. And as long as he can stick to that, he will continually improve. The extra-curricular stuff that we saw, you really can’t teach some of the things he just does, he does it naturally, instinctively. But, the footwork, eyes on progress, that’s where he’ll improve.

Costello’s call

This one is difficult to understand. Neither team is good. The Jets just won. The game is in London. I think the Jets’ defense is due for a clunker, especially after a game last week in which the Titans played 100 games. Matt Ryan gets them.

Falcons 33, Jets 17

4 bottom

start Me Up: The Jets haven’t scored a run in the first quarter this season. They were dominated 55-10 in the first half. This has seen them play from behind for most of the season. They took their first lead of the season in the third quarter last week against the Titans. The Jets have talked about starting faster.

“You never want to play from behind,” said quarterback Zach Wilson. “But there’s also the mentality that sometimes we’re not always going to start fast and maybe that’s how you end up. We must be able to continue to fight. So you can look at it from both sides. But of course you preach it, we want to start fast, we want to go out early on and let them know what kind of team we have.

Miss the target: The Jets have had an incredible series of injuries with their opponents. The Falcons will be deprived of wide receiver Calvin Ridley, absent for personal reasons. They will also miss Russell Gage (ankle). Last week, the Titans didn’t have receivers AJ Brown or Julio Jones. Two weeks ago, the Broncos were without top receiver Jerry Jeudy. Can the Jets take advantage of Ridley’s absence?

“We can see different groups of staff, it doesn’t really affect our game plan, it happened so late. Things are already in place, ”said coach Robert Saleh. “As far as the appeal of the game goes, those will be things you talk about over the next few days. But Ridley is a hell of a football player.

Bag Exchange II: The Jets’ defensive line has become the best unit on the team. They had seven sacks last week against the Titans and receive contributions from many different players. Quinnen Williams (3.5), John Franklin-Myers (3) and Bryce Huff (2) all have multiple sacks.

“It’s just a product of what we can be,” said Williams. “Just like a stepping stone to what we want to be and the right direction we’re going in as a defensive line, as a defense in general to build pressure, to get the quarterback on his throws and stuff like. that. You can see a lot of chemistry forming with our defensive line. “

Clever Cordarelle: The Falcons may be lacking in receivers, but their secret weapon this season has been Cordarelle Patterson, whom they use as a running back and wide receiver. Patterson has scored five touchdowns this year – four on reception and one on the floor.

“I don’t even know what to say he is,” said Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. “Yeah, he lines up, probably, back more than any other position, but still he’s sometimes on the tight end, sometimes he’s on the wide catcher. They certainly find many interesting, unique and creative ways to use his skills. He’s long and he’s fast and he’s physical and he’s playing hard. It’s going to be a big challenge.