FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — You don't need Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson to tell you how big Sunday's contest against the Patriots is for Gang Green.
A victory moves New York to 3-3 and arguably their most significant win as a franchise in years. A loss wouldn't sink their season, but it would highlight that the team perhaps isn't as far ahead as many fans would have hoped at this point.
Before the team takes the field in Foxborough, though, the Jets had another Friday practice. It's time to open the notebook to see where the organization is heading.
Positive Injury News
Let's start with the good news on the injury front.
New York is expected to have rookie wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. back on the field with the team after missing the last few weeks with an ankle injury. Dane Belton, Kenyon Sadiq, and Kiko Mauigoa are all expected to be able to play as well.
For Sadiq, the first-round tight end still needs to pass the next phase of concussion protocol, but there's hope he will in time for Sunday's game.
New York will, however, remain without Breece Hall, Adonai Mitchell, Dylan Parham, and Joseph Ossai, as all have been designated as "week-to-week" according to head coach Aaron Glenn. That said, the coach did say there was some hope that all four players may return to practice next week.
Getting Cooper and Sadiq on the field would be massive for a Jets passing offense that has struggled in recent weeks. At the very least, though, it should give New York a chance to see more of their talented rookie class in action against a tough opponent.
Gameplan for the Patriots
Sunday's contest won't be easy for the Jets. The Patriots have a top-10 defensive unit in almost every category across the board. With Cooper expected to return to the field, New York's passing offense is expected to get a boost.
But that doesn't mean the team is going to be throwing the ball to start against the Jets' arch rival, according to Glenn.
It's really going to be critical for us to make sure we establish that run game so we can open up everything else when it comes to the passing game.
Aaron Glenn on Week 6 vs. Patriots
The Jets have not hidden the fact that they want to be a run-first team. That said, it could be seen as a mistake for the team to openly talk about running the football effectively against a Patriots defense that looks for any advantage it can. New England should expect to do everything in their power to stop Gang Green's rushing attack.
Even after a career game from Braelon Allen in last week's win over Cleveland.
"I thought Braelon did a hell of a job," Glenn said of the team's rushing performance. "The whole line and the run concepts that we had... I thought was pretty good."
Right or wrong, the Jets are going to push the run game on Sunday. Time will tell whether being open about it will work.
Glenn's AFC East conundrum
New York understands that the season is not made or broken by the outcome of Sunday's game. That said, a potential win could fundamentally shift how the team is perceived in the NFL.
Not just as a possible playoff team, but one that seems to be ending the Jets' demons across their division.
Since 2011, the Jets are 25-65 against AFC East opponents. They have beaten the Patriots in Foxborough just once during that stretch. Last season, New York was 0-6 against their biggest rivals in the division.
And while it certainly weighed on fans, a different approach was felt by the team's head coach.
"It was more or less just the season weighed on me. It didn't matter who we lost to," Glenn said. "I don't look at it as more as just division games. I look at it more as just winning games. Because I think at the end of the day, that's what this is all about."
If the Jets are going to prove to the NFL that they are, in fact, improved from the years of struggles they have seen, then winning divisional contests, even against the Patriots, will be massive.
Penalty problems
The Jets have been penalized the second most of any other team in the league this season. Some fans point to the team's lack of discipline. Others wonder if this franchise-consistent problem will ever be fixed.
Glenn and the offense, though, have the right mindset. Other teams like the Bills, Seahawks, Ravens, and Packers are all close to the Jets' penalty totals. The difference between the Jets and these playoff contenders is the fact they haven't been able to recover from a mistake.
And that's something the Jets are working on.
It all starts in practice, and it all starts with concentration. You don't want them, but you have the confidence you can get out of them, and those things we practice.
Aaron Glenn
Penalties are going to happen in the NFL. Pre-snap and in-game penalties are just things that are dealt to every team. The difference is that good teams are able to recover from a false start or a hold, and bad teams are not.
So far this season, the Jets have been unable to recover whenever a mistake is made. That needs to change going forward.
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