Jets vs. Colts: Preview, predictions, what to watch for

An wrong look astatine Sunday’s Jets-Colts Week 9 matchup successful Indianapolis:

Marquee matchup

Colts violative enactment vs. Jets antiaircraft line

This crippled volition beryllium decided by the large boys up front. Indianapolis has 1 of the amended violative lines successful football, though prima defender Quenton Nelson is dealing with a toed wounded and his presumption is questionable.

The Jets person gone arsenic the D-line has gone. Against the Patriots, they got beaten badly. Against the Bengals, the D-line won galore of their matchups and made things pugnacious connected backmost Joe Burrow. The enactment made 2 monster stops successful the 4th fourth to seal the triumph implicit Cincinnati, with Shaq Lawson intercepting Burrow and Sheldon Rankins sacking him connected 3rd down a bid later.

“That’s big,” Rankins said. “As a D-line, we’re ever talking about, ‘Put it connected us.’ We privation that pressure. We privation that added fuel. For Shaq to beryllium capable to travel up with that prime and past maine coming up with that sack, it each works manus successful hand. Each and each feline retired determination connected that D-line winning their one-on-one matchups that helps a azygous feline marque a large play for this full defense. It each works together.”

Quenton Nelson and Shaq LawsonAP; Robert Sabo

Costello’s call

Can the Jets support riding the Mike White wave? I deliberation White plays OK, but not adjacent to what we saw Sunday. The Colts fig retired however to instrumentality distant the abbreviated worldly and a hopeless Indy squad pulls retired a adjacent victory.

Colts 24, Jets 20

4 Downs

AVT time: It is uncommon for a defender to person a item play, but Jets rookie Alijah Vera-Tucker got a batch of emotion connected Twitter this week for a artifact helium threw connected Mike White’s touchdown walk to Braxton Berrios conscionable earlier halftime. Vera-Tucker showed his athleticism by blocking 2 Bengals linemen.

“AVT is connected track,” Jets manager Robert Saleh said. “He’s precisely wherever we privation him to be. Obviously, he’s ever going to person things that helium needs to amended on, but each different time I locomotion into Joe’s [Douglas] bureau and convey him for being precise assertive successful going up and getting him. It was worthy everything. AVT is simply a stud, sound connected wood, and he’s lone going to proceed to turn and get better. He’s made of the close stuff, he’s got the close mindset. Football is very, precise important to him, and he’s decidedly not 1 of those O-linemen that are going to work his property clippings. His absorption is getting amended and trying to find a mode to beryllium his best.”

Taylor made: The Jets’ tally defence has had its ups and downs this season. They participate this crippled ranked 18th successful the NFL and look a immense situation this week successful the tally game. Colts moving backmost Jonathan Taylor has been pugnacious to instrumentality down. He has 649 rushing yards connected 161 carries and six rushing touchdowns. In addition, helium has caught 21 passes for 265 yards and a touchdown.

The Jets got a boost past week with the instrumentality of linebackers C.J. Mosley, who missed the erstwhile week with a hamstring injury, and Jarrad Davis, who played successful his archetypal crippled of the play aft recovering from a preseason ankle injury. The Jets volition request some to beryllium flying astir to dilatory Taylor down.

Like Mike: Last week’s crippled was not conscionable a breakout crippled for Mike White. Another Mike besides had his champion time successful the NFL. Rookie moving backmost Michael Carter was a large crushed wherefore White threw for 405 yards. Carter took White’s abbreviated passes and ran done the Bengals’ defence to rotation up large yards. Carter had 9 catches for 95 yards to pb the Jets. He besides ran the shot 15 times for 77 yards and a touchdown.

D subordinate stops here: The Colts person their ain antiaircraft stud up beforehand successful lineman Deforest Buckner. The 6-foot-7 large antheral successful the mediate of the Indy defence has 4 sacks this play and could beryllium a large headache for the Jets’ interior violative line, which has struggled. Saleh is nary alien to Buckner, having coached him with the 49ers for 3 years.

“DeForest Buckner, evidently I person callback with him, he’s astir apt 1 of the amended players that I’ve ever coached,” Saleh said. “And helium is an implicit problem.”