Why Breece Hall, Justin Fields Are Key For Jets Week 2 Upset Over Bills
The New York Jets have done a lot to add to their offense this season, including bolstering the offensive line and adding Justin Fields, a dominant running threat, at quarterback.
In Week 1, it worked out tremendously, as the Jets ran for 182 yards and three touchdowns on 39 carries against a loaded Pittsburgh Steelers defense.
Ted Nguyen of The Athletic recently shared a lot of praise for the Jets' running game and suggested that it's as legit as it looked in Week 1.
"Offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand and offensive line coach Steve Heiden have done a good job of designing a run game that will be a nightmare to defend," Nguyen wrote. "They have a strong traditional outside run game, and they can go to their zone read game. Defenses will have a plan for both. The Jets essentially have their own version of the Baltimore Ravens’ system.
"This also will be the first time in Justin Fields’ career in which he has a good line in front of him. He played one of the best games of his career, taking advantage of play-action shots and getting rid of the ball on time. Fields won’t always be this efficient, but this run game looks like it will be a problem for defenses every week."
Jets running game is key to a shocking Week 2 upset over Bills
This running game is going to be the key to the Jets coming away with a massive Week 2 upset over the Buffalo Bills.
The Jets play host to the Bills in Week 2, and they're heavy underdogs. The Bills, one of the best teams in football, recently came away with a shootout victory over the Baltimore Ravens. Buffalo scored 41 points and looked unstoppable on offense. But there was a glaring hole in Buffalo's defense: run defense.
The Ravens ran the ball 29 times for 238 yards and three touchdowns, though it's important to note that the Ravens have the most dominant ground game in football.
Either way, the Bills were gashed on the ground. It was a clear weakness in Week 1. The Jets have a loaded offensive line and some talented rushers of their own, so it wouldn't be surprising to see them lean heavily on the ground game in Week 2.
If the Jets are going to bring home a big upset against the Bills, it's going to be led by Breece Hall, Fields, Braelon Allen, and the run game.
Alex Ovechkin Has Lobbied To Bring The Three-Time Stanley Cup Champion - His Longtime Nemesis - To DC
Sidney Crosby playing an NHL game in a jersey not emblazoned with the Pittsburgh Penguins logo is a possibility, at least according to his agent.
There’s been no playoff hockey in the Steel City over the last three seasons. That’s increased speculation that the 38-year-old centerman could be moved to a contending club for one last shot at a championship before presumably calling it a career once his current contract is up after the 2026-27 season.
“Let’s put it this way, it’s always a possibility, you know?” Crosby’s longtime agent, Pat Brisson of CAA Sports, told The Athletic on Monday night regarding a possible trade. “It’s been three years they haven’t made the playoffs. It all depends on how Sid is going to be and how the team is going to do. I maintain the same position that I do believe that he should be playing playoff hockey every year. In my opinion.”
The Penguins were relatively quiet during the summer, adding just goalie Arturs Silovs and defenseman Matt Dumba via trades. Hardly win-now moves that will boost Crosby’s Stanley Cup prospects in Brisson’s eyes, especially with a ticking clock on his client’s career.
“First of all, he’s been so consistent for 20 years. He had another great year last season. He just keeps going,” Brisson said. “The comparison is Tom Brady. We want Sidney to hopefully be in the playoffs every year. We want him to hopefully win another Cup or two. So each year the team that he’s playing for fails to make the playoffs, it creates a lot of speculation. In reality, he’s not getting any younger. We’re here to support him. It’s the beginning of the season here. Let’s see how things are going. Hopefully they have a great season and the speculation will go away.”
Last season Crosby logged his third consecutive campaign with at least 90 points (33g, 58a, 91pts), the first time he’s done so in his illustrious career. “[T]he reason we all talk about this is because he’s such a great player still,” Brisson said.
Crosby himself isn’t ruling anything out but publicly he continues to stay loyal to the team that drafted him first overall in 2005.
“If it ever came to that point, I would discuss it, but I don’t feel like I’m there (yet),” Crosby told NHL.com Tuesday. “I’m worried about playing for Pittsburgh. I haven’t seriously considered anything else.”
But he has considered other things. The Nova Scotia native told The Athletic the same day he’s heard the rumors surrounding a potential reunion with the Montreal Canadiens, his boyhood favorite club.
“I get it,” Crosby said. “Trust me, growing up a Montreal fan and being from not too far from there, I understand how passionate they are… And I get it why [trade speculation] would come up and that sort of thing. It doesn’t make it any easier when you’re losing to hear those things. But at the same time, to know that a team like that wants you, it’s not the end of the world. It could be worse.”
Even his nemesis-turned-friend Alex Ovechkin has lobbied to bring the three-time Stanley Cup champion to DC.
“If this happens, it would be wonderful,” Ovechkin told a Russian outlet in July when asked about Crosby trade speculation.
If things don’t improve soon for the Penguins, the timing of a Crosby trade is up in the air. Insider Frank Seravalli told Bleacher Report’s Open Ice the conversation surrounding the issue “will continue to evolve.”
“I also tend to believe [the conversation] is not one that would happen mid-season,” he added. “I’m not expecting something this year but who knows what one-year’s time will play out like.”
Despite the noise, Crosby says he remains focused on winning games with Pittsburgh. He’d “rather be talking about who we’re getting at the [trade] deadline” than discussing his own potential departure.
“It doesn’t change my approach,” he added. “I still go out there trying to win every single game and try to be the best that I can be.”
