5 things to watch as Jets face Texans in Week 14
The Jets face a tough matchup on Sunday as the Houston Texans look to improve to 8-5 and keep pace with the Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars in a competitive AFC South title race.
Houston is looking for its fifth win in its last six games against a struggling Jets team that has lost five straight and scored more than 20 points in regulation just once all season.
Here are the biggest stories to watch as the Jets look to snap their losing streak...
CJ Stroud proves that developing a young quarterback can be done
Stroud is having a terrific rookie season. He’s leading the entire league in passing yards and is second in interception percentage. After their recent failures at developing young passers, it will be interesting for the Jets to see first-hand a rookie who has made the transition to the pro level look so easy.
Stroud has passed for over 300 yards six times this year and has only been under 200 yards twice. The Jets have limited some top passers to season-low numbers this year, so it will be interesting to see how he fares.
Zach Wilson just wants to have fun
The Jets announced during the week that Wilson will be back in the starting quarterback role, after a report surfaced suggesting that he had expressed a reluctance to make his return.
Wilson has refuted that report and says he is ready to have more fun now that he’s back in the lineup.
Wilson will no doubt be eager to dispel any concerns about his fearlessness, which could mean he’s prepared to take more risks than he has at any point so far this season. Houston would be wise to set some traps to see if they can bait Wilson into momentum-changing mistakes.
Will the Texans offense struggle without Tank Dell?
Rookie wide receiver Tank Dell has been one of Houston's best playmakers on offense this year. He leads the team with seven touchdown catches and was on target to post a thousand-yard season until he suffered a season-ending fibula fracture on Sunday.
While Nico Collins should surpass the thousand-yard mark on Sunday, Noah Brown has a knee injury and tight end Dalton Schultz has a hamstring injury, so Robert Woods is their only other fully healthy pass-catcher who has been productive. Woods has 30 catches this season.
Stroud may need a backup like John Metchie III or Brevin Jordan to step up if Schultz and/or Brown are out in addition to Dell. Jordan could be a good bet to contribute, as the Jets have given up a lot of big plays to backup tight ends throughout the season.
Will Xavier Gipson’s role on offense continue to increase?
Gipson had probably his best game of the season last Sunday as he racked up 77 yards on five catches. With Mecole Hardman traded and Randall Cobb having been a healthy scratch of late, the path is clear for Gipson to get plenty of playing time and targets if the team wants to get him involved.
Gipson obviously has good elusiveness and speed after the catch, but if he can showcase an ability to get downfield separation or to get open on third downs and in the red zone, he could establish himself as a potential offensive weapon rather than just a return specialist in the years ahead.
Who will take the lead in the Jets' sack race?
Stroud has been sacked 31 times this season and the Jets will be looking to add to that total. With not much left to play for this year, at least the race to be the Jets’ sack leader is compelling with Jermaine Johnson’s 6.5 sacks leading the team -- just half a sack ahead of both Bryce Huff and Quinton Jefferson.
While Quinnen Williams has just two sacks after having led the team with 12 last season, he’s also more than capable of making a late run to get back among the team leaders.
