Silverman: Jets Must Find Success In 3-Week Journey Into NFC North
By Steve Silverman
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The Jets are about to move to the NFC North.
Well, not exactly. But they are going to have a three-week stay in the former Black and Blue Division, with games against the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions coming up.
These three non-conference games should serve as a barometer for what can be expected throughout the rest of the season. Each of those teams represents something of a threat, with the Packers serving as the biggest challenge.
Not only is that the only road game of the three, but the Packers are likely the only team in the conference that can challenge the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers in the NFC. Don't be fooled for a second by the 36-16 loss to the Seahawks in the season opener.
The Seahawks are the best team in the league by a wide margin, and they may retain that position for the next 16 weeks. They were better than the Packers as their Super Bowl championship banner was raised, but Green Bay gave a solid account of itself for the first 30 minutes and found a way to hang in with Seattle. That's a badge of honor at this point in the year.
The Packers are no longer just a pass-happy team. The presence of Eddie Lacy -- who took a huge hit and suffered a concussion in Week 1 -- makes the Packers a far more dangerous team. If he is in the lineup against the Jets, it's a huge concern.
The Packers used to be the Aaron Rodgers show. But with a strong running back in Lacy who gained 1,178 yards and had 11 rushing touchdowns in his rookie season, Rodgers does not have to do everything.
He is still the star of the show and perhaps the most gifted passer in the league. But Rex Ryan cannot simply design a game plan with the idea of slowing down the quarterback. They are going to have to shut down Lacy and the running game early, or this game will get ugly.
The Jets can do this if Muhammad Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson and David Harris are at their best. If they can shut down the Green Bay running game to the point where the Packers abandon it in the second half, they have a chance to come up with the upset. If not, the hungry Packers are too many steps beyond the Jets' reach.
Even the Jets' best effort may not result in a win over the Packers. But after going to Lambeau, the Jets host the Bears and Lions. Both of those teams think of themselves as playoff teams, but few outside of Chicago and Detroit have that kind of respect for them.
The Bears are just the opposite of the way they have been for generations. They have an explosive offense that can light up the scoreboard with Jay Cutler throwing the ball to Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery and tight end Martellus Bennett. Their best weapon is versatile running back Matt Forte, who is dangerous as a runner and a receiver.
But the Bears' defense is simply a joke. A team that brought Butkus, Hampton, Singletary and Urlacher into the public consciousness is now soft as an overripe pear. The Bears had the worst run-defense in the league last year, giving up 5.35 yards per attempt, and they don't appear much better this year.
The Jets have the kind of running game with Chris Johnson and Chris Ivory (and Bilal Powell) to rip up the Bears and push them around MetLife Stadium. The Bears lost their season opener at home to the Buffalo Bills and go out to San Francisco this week.
They will likely limp across the country with an 0-2 record, lacking the confidence to put up a 60-minute fight.
The Lions are another story. New York fans saw the good Lions as they pummeled the Giants on Monday night in the season opener. Quarterback Matthew Stafford appears to be in much better shape this season, and that allowed him to escape the pass-rush and make plays outside the pocket. Calvin Johnson is the NFL's best receiver and is unstoppable when he is healthy, while Reggie Bush is just quick enough to cause problems for high-level defensive teams.
What we don't know about the Lions is if they are disciplined enough to make the most of their talent. That was a destructive problem under previous head coach Jim Schwartz, and they were penalized eight times for 85 yards against the Giants on Monday night.
New coach Jim Caldwell worked with the Lions all summer on getting this issue resolved. He had no success.
If the Lions continue to make mistakes, there's no reason the Jets can't find a way to get past them at home. If Caldwell and the Lions suddenly see the error in their ways, this becomes a much tougher assignment.
The Jets are going to find out quite a bit about themselves in the next three weeks. These three games should give them some answers as they prepare for a much tougher stretch against San Diego, Denver and New England.
If they can't pass the first part of the exam, the second part could prove to be disastrous.
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