OK, now what?
The Jets were supposed to go into Detroit and take one across the mouth from the Lions. After all, the Lions were a winning team last year, and they had hired Matt Patricia as their new head coach.
You know Matty P. He had been Bill Belichick’s right-hand man as his defensive coordinator for years, and he seemed to take particular pleasure in beating New York. The idea of Patricia getting possession of the Lions defense while Matthew Stafford remained at the helm of a very productive offense seemed quite daunting for their Week 1 opponents.
But the Jets would have none of it, not even after their rookie quarterback threw a brutal pick-six on the first play of his career. Throwing across his body and the width of the field, Sam Darnold threw a sick balloon of a pass that was intercepted and taken to the house by Quandre Diggs.
You may have heard of the famous Joe Louis-Max Schmeling rematch at Yankee Stadium in 1938. In that fight, Louis unleashed a series of horrific punches that left Schmeling screaming in pain before he was knocked out before the end of the first round. Prior to unleashing the fusillade of punches, Louis had been punched in the jaw by Schmeling, and that blow triggered the onslaught.
That was basically what happened in the Jets season-opening road win over the Lions. Not only did Darnold perform like a savvy veteran, the Jets defense was remarkable. They registered five interceptions of Stafford’s passes. Darron Lee had two of those five picks, and the defense also played a nasty, physical style that easily got the best of the home team.
Fans may be dreaming of going to battle with the Patriots and even making the playoffs. If head coach Todd Bowles is smart, he will pour water on that talk because there is just too far to go. Teams don’t go to the playoffs just because they start 1-0, 3-0, or even 6-0.
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The NFL is just too difficult, and momentum does not carry over from one game to the next. If a team blows out an opponent, that’s just when opponents start to take them seriously. The Jets ripped up the Lions, so that means Miami head coach Adam Gase has to take them seriously.
His Dolphins are somewhat limited, but they beat the Titans in a marathon of a game in their season opener – multiple weather delays – and they have Ryan Tannehill back in the lineup after last season’s washout.
The Dolphins should be prepared, and Bowles has to know that. He has to give his rookie quarterback a chance to succeed again, and that means letting his running game and defense put their imprint on the game.
The Jets have a running game with Isaiah Crowell, who ran for 102 yards and two touchdowns against the Lions. Crowell, who has escaped from Cleveland with all of his abilities intact, runs hard on every play.
If Darnold gets support from the running game, and the defense builds off the Week One performance, the Jets have a chance to be competitive nearly every week.
Buster Skrine is a big hitter from the back end, while Jamal Adams, Trumaine Johnson and Morris Claiborne are all playmakers. However, the player to keep your eye on from this point forward is linebacker Avery Williamson.
>>MORE: Jamal Adams On WFAN: Sam Darnold Has 'Mindset Of A Champion'
The former Tennessee Titan is a big-time hitter who is committed to putting his imprint on every game. His teammates saw what he could do during the summer and in the opener, and there’s every chance that they will follow his lead.
So Darnold may just have a defense that delivers big hit after big play, and an offense that pushes for extra yards in the running game.
With those two items as the foundation, Darnold has a couple of receivers in Quincy Enunwa and Robby Anderson who are quite dangerous. Both Enunwa and Anderson had TD receptions against the Lions, and those two will be Darnold’s best targets.
Enunwa is a hard-nosed fighter who will try to make every play, while Anderson has the explosive speed needed to make big plays.
After one week, it looks like the Jets have a blueprint for winning. All Bowles has to do is get his players to follow it.
He does not have to talk about the future or make predictions to the media. He needs to prepare his team and get them to peak on an every-Sunday basis. One game doesn’t mean a thing, because it’s about consistency.
If the Jets figure that out, that’s how they will become a good team this year.