Last season marked the first time in 21 years that the Jets finished with a better record than New England. That they did it with an array of unstartable quarterbacks is remarkable, and it's also a reminder that even in the modern-day NFL, a great running game and strong defense can give teams a fighting chance at the playoffs.
This year's Patriots probably hope a great running game and strong defense can offset QB deficiencies that almost rival those of the 2023 Jets'. That might seem like a brutal knock on journeyman Jacoby Brissett. But it also reflects on a very young wideout corps with no clear identity. Since rookie Drake Maye isn't ready, Brissett is tasked with minimizing mistakes and (sparingly) picking his moments -- just as he's done throughout a nearly decade-long career that began in New England, when he backed up 39-year-old Tom Brady and Brady's would-be successor, Jimmy Garoppolo.
As I wrote on July 3rd, Brissett has thrown more than two TD passes only once in his last 25 starts (now once in his last 27). That one time consisted of two garbage-time touchdowns with four minutes remaining in a blowout loss, when he had prime Nick Chubb and Amari Cooper, among other playmakers. The sooner Maye takes over, the sooner managers can go for broke rather than settle for mere adequacy.
Earlier this week I wondered if any Patriot WR would eclipse 700 receiving yards. Maybe that should be lower to 550. Rookie Ja'Lynn Polk has the best shot at cracking the top 80 (intentional sarcasm). 2023 upstart Demario Douglas is an afterthought. The downfield passing attack appears to be Hunter Henry or bust, though I strongly believe Henry's rest-of-season numbers will more closely resemble his Week 1 dud rather than his Week 2 explosion.
As is abundantly clear by now, this offense runs through Rhamondre Stevenson, who's somehow 14th in Patriot career rushing yards. In fact, no one ahead of him has a higher YPC (4.5). If he makes it through a full season, he'll probably be in the top 7, and some might say he has a decent shot (thanks to a long-term contract extension) at becoming the all-time leader.
However, he was a little-used running back in college. Daily readers might know where I'm going with this. The odds of Stevenson finishing his career #1 in Patriot rushing yards is close to 0%. In dynasty, there is no better time to sell high.
Did you know backup Antonio Gibson is four months *younger* than Stevenson? I didn't until researching for this write-up. Like Stevenson, Gibson was a little-used running back in college (who also played at wide receiver). Gibson's NFL career outlook plummeted in Year 3. Stevenson took a step back last season (Year 3). Again, I have no confidence that Stevenson can keep this going in 2024.
The Patriots' D will put up a fight tonight, though it likely won't be enough. By December, Breece Hall and rookie Braelon Allen might be one of the league's best one-two punches. Their 14-7 carry split in Week 2 suggests Hall will earn a full workload tonight. And Allen's talent suggests the rookie will offer deep-league streaming value.
Through the air, the Jets are putting their hopes in the nearly 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers, who already looked post-prime at age 38, his final campaign in Green Bay. Now he's more or less a glorified game manager. So far, it's been bad news for those who invested heavily in Garrett Wilson. It's hard to be a weekly must-start WR when your QB struggles to reach 200 yards, and when many of those yards come on RB dump-offs and extended looks to former Packer teammates.
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