Jets Country

Ex-Jets Scout Breaks Down Preseason Win Over Eagles

This former scout runs through some takeaways and analysis from New York's win in their preseason opener against the Eagles.

Daniel Kelly

In this story:

The Jets won the war against the Eagles 24-21, but lost some of the battles.

If you want a regular media type of breakdown of the preseason opener, those are out there.

However, this is a little bit different.

This is a breakdown through the eyes of a former Jets scout, taking a look at the big picture. 

Bottom line: The Jets’ offense looked out-of-sync for most of the game, the defensive secondary looked downright awful, and the special teams looked good.

Philadelphia took a commanding 14-0 first quarter lead, when both sides still had relevant personnel in the game. 

The Jets’ secondary was weak with the exceptions of safety Jordan Whitehead and cornerback Isaiah Dunn.

Whitehead had a nice deflection in the end zone and Dunn played one route tightly and nearly came away with an interception on another throw. 

Outside of their performances, it was like watching kids playing catch at a park as Eagles’ starting quarterback Jalen Hurts and his backup Gardner Minshew worked the ball downfield with ease. 

That was the biggest concern of the game as the secondary looked loose in coverage and matched up poorly. 

A bright spot on defense was the pass rush.

After averaging only 1.9 sacks per game last season, the Jets’ got after the Eagles’ QBs, tallying up five sacks (Tanzel Smart 2.0, Micheal Clemons 1.0, Quincy Williams 1.0 and Jabari Zuniga 1.0). 

Clemons stole the show coming off the edge with a lot of pressure, but Smart kept showing up on the screen too.

Another huge bright spot was the Jets’ offensive line, at least in pass protection, as they didn’t give up any sacks from start to finish. 

Jets’ starting wide receivers Elijah Moore and Garrett Wilson looked the part, as did tight end, Tyler Conklin. 

New York just could not get anything going offensively as starting QB Zach Wilson and his back-up, Mike White couldn’t develop a rhythm. 

Even before sustaining the knee injury, Wilson (3/5 for 23 yards) threw a really ugly interception that looked like 2021 all over again. 

White didn’t look much better as his ball placement was way off (10/20 for 98 yards). 

The erratic play of these two QBs really caused the offense to sputter. 

The Jets’ ground game was just as pitiful in first and second quarters.

Finally, New York managed to get in position for a late first-half Eddy Pineiro 26-yard field goal. 

New York’s ground game picked up in the third and fourth quarters. 

La’Mical Perine was the leading Jets’ rusher (10 carries/51 yards) and the determined running of undrafted RB Zonovan Knight stood out, especially when he punched it into the end zone. Knight contributed on special teams as well, averaging 31.5 yards on two kick returns. 

The most pleasant surprise of the game for the Jets was their fourth-string quarterback Chris Streveler. 

He came out of nowhere going 6/9 for 62 yards, two touchdowns, and added 31 yards on the ground with his wheels. 

The offense didn’t come alive until Streveler, took over and he came from behind to win the game late in the fourth quarter. 

It was a performance that has a good chance of earning Streveler a spot on New York’s practice squad.  

It is also a game he will never forget, as he and the Jets left the City of Brotherly Love with the W.

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Daniel Kelly
DANIEL KELLY

Daniel spent four years in pro scouting with the New York Jets and brings vast experience scouting pro and college talent. Daniel has appeared in many major publications, including the New York Times and USA Today. Author of Whatever it Takes, the true story of a fan making it into the NFL, which was published in 2013. He has appeared on podcasts around the world breaking down and analyzing the NFL. Currently writes for SI All Lions. You can contact Daniel at whateverittakesbook@gmail.com

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