New York Jets Must Win These Three Huge Keys to Beat Arizona Cardinals

Here are three keys to success for the New York Jets as they prepare to face the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

Oct 31, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets wide receiver Davante Adams (17), quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) and interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich celebrate Adams touchdown against the Houston Texans during the second half at MetLife Stadium. / Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

By the time the New York Jets face the Arizona Cardinals they will have had 10 days off — and they’ll be a wide receiver down.

On Tuesday, New York (3-6) traded veteran wide receiver Mike Williams to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a draft pick. The Steelers probably needed a wide receiver more than the Jets needed to keep Williams. Pittsburgh is in the playoff face.

The Jets, on the other hand, need plenty of help. A win against the Cardinals (5-4) is basically necessary when the two teams tangle at 4:25 p.m. eastern on Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., a game that will be broadcast on CBS.

For the first time in more than a month, the Jets are coming off a victory. But the Cardinals have won three straight games and are coming off a blowout win over the Chicago Bears. Arizona has the playoffs on its mind too.

So how do the Jets beat the Cardinals? Here are three keys to making it happen.

The Wide Receiver Who Steps Up

With Williams out the door, now the Jets must figure out which receiver will slide into the No. 3 spot. There’s no question about No. 1 (Garrett Wilson) and No. 2 (Davante Adams). The hope at the start of the season was that Williams would be that No. 3. It just never happened.

So, now what? New York has three other wide receivers on the roster — rookie Malachi Corley, speedy returner Xavier Gipson and former Division II star Irvin Charles. New York should get veteran Allen Lazard back from injury at some point, but for the next few weeks one, or more, of those receivers have to step up.

Who it will be may help determine who wins the game. Don’t rule out an outside role for tight end Tyler Conklin, either. He’s proven to be a quality target for quarterback Aaron Rodgers, especially on seam routes up the middle.

Contain, Contain, Contain

Last week the Jets defense did a number on Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud. New York sacked him eight times and contained him for most of the game.

That could prove to be a good template for dealing with Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray, who is one of the most effective running quarterbacks in the NFL. He’s not running quite as much as he used to. But, he’s gained at least 60 yards rushing in two of his last five games. So, lately, it’s been feast or famine.

New York needs to make sure it’s a famine kind of situation when it comes to Murray making an impact with his legs.  

Put a Full Game Together, Aaron

Aaron Rodgers was happy about his performance against Houston — the second half, at least. He threw three touchdown passes in those 30 minutes and even put together a huge run that would have moved the chains without a holding penalty.

But he knows he hasn’t strung a full game like that yet this season. He acknowledged that last week with ESPN’s Pat McAfee. If the Jets are going to make any sort of run toward a playoff berth, Rodgers needs to starting having full games that look like his second half against the Texans.