The New York Jets prevailed in their first preseason game, 20-17, over the Washington Commanders this past Saturday.
Only one starter played for the Jets, but those on the field fared well. Sure, this is only the first game of the preseason, but there were a lot of positives to take away from Saturday's victory . In addition, Jets fans should be hopeful about what's to come in 2024.
Here's what we saw in Preseason Game No. 1.
Rookies Came to Play
Heading into the first preseason game, one of the many key focuses for the Jets was how the rookies would look against another opponent. Every 2024 draft pick besides QB Jordan Travis played in Saturday's game and each single one showed why they belong.
The 11th overall pick, Olu Fashanu. seems like the future answer at left tackle for the Jets as he had an impressive debut. Fashanu finished with the highest PFF pass-block grade on the Jets (83.8) this past Saturday and allowed 0 pressures on 14 pass-block snaps.
It seems like the rookie has learned a lot in camp so far from Hall-of-Fame teammate Tyron Smith , even adopting one of Smith's primary pass-protection moves.
In the backfield, both Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis had individual highlight plays and the Jets are going to need similar production when the regular season begins in a month.
Allen rushed 6 times for 54 yards in his Jets debut and displayed his brute, downhill run style pulverizing Commanders veteran safety Percy Butler for a first down early in the second quarter. The 6'1, 235-pound back was efficient with 9 yards per carry and even made a nice catch down the sideline for a first down that got called back.
Davis wasn't having the best starts at training camp but proved in his debut how versatile he can be in the passing game. He finished tied with the most receptions on the Jets (4) for 33 yards. His highlight play came on a 3rd and 11 in the second quarter where he ran a beautiful angle route that resulted in a 24-yard first down and eventually led to points on the board for the Jets.
Even though it's a small sample size for both backs, Allen and Davis look like great additions so far in a running back room that was lackluster just a year ago besides star Breece Hall.
Efficient QB play
The Jets have been starving for solid QB play and last season could have possibly resulted in a playoff appearance if the QB room was addressed after the Aaron Rodgers season-ending injury. Nevertheless, general manager Joe Douglas did a great job this offseason bringing in a highly regarded veteran in Tyrod Taylor and three other young QBs that will be fighting for a QB3 spot.
With the 4x MVP Rodgers held out and backup Taylor having only played a few drives, QBs Andrew Peasley and Adrian Martinez played the majority of this game. Both had splendid debuts for the Jets, finishing their days with 95+ QB ratings.
Peasley, the undrafted free agent out of Wyoming, was the first QB to take over after Taylor. He finished his day going 8/11 and had 73 yards through the air. His signature drive came late in the first quarter where he delivered a beautiful touch pass over the DB and right into the basket of Jason Brownlee's hands for a touchdown.
Martinez replaced Peasley in the second half and similar to Peasley, was methodical in the pocket, especially down the stretch. He'd led the Jets down the field for a game-winning field goal with 21 seconds left in the 4th quarter, capping his day by completing 6/10 passes for 104 yards. The former Nebraska QB and UFL MVP showed off his escapability late in the 4th quarter delivering a majestic ball on the run between two DBs to WR Brandon Smith.
After the game, head coach Robert Saleh spoke glowingly of both performances saying "Overall, I thought both quarterbacks executed really well, especially in situational football, the receivers did a great job coming down with those balls."
The Jets drafted Travis in the fifth round, but because of his gruesome injury last year with Florida State, he will most likely not see any playing time this preseason which bodes well for Martinez and Peasley. Both young QBs will have a great opportunity again next week versus the Carolina Panthers to prove they can go out and be successful.
In all, the Jets had a great weekend and they look to replicate Saturday's game this week against the Panthers with potentially more starters being thrown into the mold.
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