The New York Jets are set to play against the Miami Dolphins in the first Black Friday Game in NFL history. Their offense is going to look a little different when they take the field as the Jets opted to make a change at the quarterback position.
Zach Wilson, who has been under center since Aaron Rodgers injured his Achilles on the fourth play on offense, has been benched. He will now be the third-string quarterback, with Tim Boyle taking over as the starter and Trevor Seimian being his backup.
An argument could be made, based on Boyle’s performance in the NFL, that this isn’t an upgrade at all for the Jets. He has a 29 QBR in the NFL, throwing more interceptions than touchdowns. It is a troubling trend that has been carried over from college, where Boyle also had more turnovers than scores.
It will be a tall task for him to get this Jets’ offense on track. The offensive line is the worst in the NFL, struggling to hold up in pass protection or open up holes in the running game. Alas, in some areas, the only way for the team to go with Boyle under center is up.
New York is near the bottom of the league in numerous offensive categories and is on record-setting pace in others. According to Rich Cimini of ESPN, the Jets could set some ugly records this season.
“The Jets’ 22.9% third-down conversion rate this season is on pace to be the worst by a team since the 1970 merger (1970 Patriots were at 23.1%). And their 26.1% red zone TD percentage is on pace to be the second-worst rate in the past 45 seasons behind the 1997 Chargers (25.0%),” wrote Cimini.
Unable to sustain drives, the ineptitude of the Jets’ offense has negatively impacted the defense, which has been on the field constantly. Can Boyle find some rhythm offensively that Wilson was unable to generate throughout the season?
If not, things could quickly get ugly on Friday afternoon. The Dolphins enter the game in the polar opposite situation as the Jets offensively. While New York is wallowing near the bottom, Miami is near the top.
The 10 touchdowns they scored against the Denver Broncos in a historic Week 3 performance is more than the Jets have scored all season. If their defense is ready for Tua Tagovailoa and company, a blowout could ensue.
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