Three Biggest Keys for New York Jets to Defeat Seattle Seahawks

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

Oct 31, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich talks to the officials during the second quarter against the Houston Texans at MetLife Stadium. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The New York Jets don't have much to play for as they enter the final third of their season and host the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. eastern and the game will be broadcast on CBS.

The Jets (3-8) are in full blown flux. Now that owner Woody Johnson has cleaned house, including firing head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas, the organization gets a seven-week head start to look for new pieces at those two positions.

The new GM and the new coach will inherit a roster with one huge question at the top — whether to keep quarterback Aaron Rodgers in 2025. That assumes Rodgers wants to return after all of these changes.

There are other key questions too, including a long list of players that are eligible for free agency after the season.

Meanwhile, the Jets could use as high a draft pick as possible and while no one in the locker room is advocating publicly for tanking, New York will surely keep an eye on that as the season winds down.

Meanwhile, Seattle (6-5) has plenty to play for as it enters the game in a tie for first place in the NFC West with Arizona. The Seahawks beat the Cardinals last week and will play them again next week, a rare twist where two NFL teams will play each other in a three-week span.

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

Well Hello, Geno

Seattle quarterback Geno Smith has faced his old team before, but this will be his first time starting against him in New York.

He's resurrected his career since he became Seattle’s starting quarterback in 2022, with NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors and two Pro Bowl nods.

This season he leads the NFL in completions (280) and passing yards per game (275.9). One troubling area is that he’s thrown as many touchdowns (12) as interceptions.

He remains a dangerous runner with 224 yards and two scores, and two weeks ago Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson exploited the Jets’ weakness in run defense.

So, the Jets defense needs to set an edge on Smith, who runs Seattle’s RPO well and is adept at off-schedule plays. Second, the secondary needs good coverage to help extend plays for the pass rush.

Red Zone Points

On paper the Seahawks’ defense doesn't scream “Legion of Boom,” as they are in the middle of the pack in both rushing and passing yards allowed. But, the unit allows just 22 points per game. Seattle is a “bend-but-don’t-break” outfit where the yardage allowed doesn’t matter, but the points allowed does.

The Jets have been points challenged all season and that includes struggles to score touchdowns in the red zone. New York needs a change there on Sunday. They’re likely to only get two or three chances in an area of the field were Rodgers can operate efficiently.

Turnovers, Please

Remember when the Jets forced a turnover against Indianapolis two weeks ago? It was like a dam burst.

New York has been awful at creating turnovers since Ulbrich became interim head coach. New York has just two turnovers in that span. That isn’t going to cut it when the offense struggles to score points. The Jets need extra possessions.

In Saleh’s final four games before his firing the Jets forced six turnovers and they went 2-2. So, yeah, there’s a link.