(Image credit Vincent Carchietta/USA Today Sports)
Written by: Nicholas Mullick
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-mullick-354076184/
Now before we dive into the recap, here are some of the notable players that did not play due to injury/rest. (I will not be putting players that are currently on the PUP List so Ashtyn Davis and Kyle Philips won't appear on this list.)
New York Jets:
OL Mekhi Becton (Concussion) - QB Zach Wilson (Rest)
OL Conor McGovern (Rest) - QB Mike White Ribs
RB Tevin Coleman (Rest) - OL Greg Van Roten (Rest)
WR Corey Davis (Rest) - WR Jamison Crowder (Rest)
TE Tyler Kroft (Rest) - DT Quinnen Williams (Rest)
LB CJ Mosley (Rest) - DT Sheldon Rankins (Rest)
S Marcus Maye (Rest) - LB Jarrad Davis (Ankle)
DT John Franklin Myers (Rest) - RB La’Mical Perine (Foot)
Philadelphia Eagles:
The Entire Starting Offense and Defense (Rest)
Pregame: Normally I wouldn't dive into the specifics of the pregame for a preseason game but this game was originally supposed to start at 7:30 pm EST but due to poor weather conditions and the turf being damaged this game was delayed to 8:00 pm EST. The main problem is that the turf had a water build-up from the storm and it created air bubbles throughout the turf. It is always best to protect the athlete and the field conditions need to be proper to play on to avoid injuries. I think it is best to give a shout-out to Metlife Stadium’s facility and turf management crew who managed to quickly and properly fix the issue so that this game could take place and not get canceled. I would hate for this game to have been canceled as this will take another chance away from a player fighting to keep their dream of playing in the NFL alive. Plus think about the fans as this could be their only opportunity to see their favorite team play live in person. So I was happy that this game was taking place at all.
Quarterbacks
New York Jets:
No Zach Wilson in this one due to him resting up for Week 1 of the regular season. Mike White did not play due to the rib injury that he suffered against the Green Bay Packers which surprised me. I think he didn't play because the Jets' coaching staff wanted to see Josh Johnson and James Morgan perform more in this game. So the quarterback that started this week is Josh Johnson. To be honest, it is very telling that the Jets put in Josh Johnson over James Morgan at starting QB. It goes to show the level of confidence that they have in James Morgan. I got to say Josh Johnson still has it as he performed well against the Eagles. He even had a nice touchdown throw to Lawrence Cager. Next up was James Morgan and I got to say he was impressive. Especially with his two touchdown throws to Kenny Yeboah including the game-tying hail mary touchdown. He did throw an ‘interception’ but that should not have happened due to poor officiating by the refs. What happened was Lawrence Cager clearly caught the football and should have been ruled down by contact, yet the refs ruled a pick by Kevon Seymour. Besides that hiccup from the officials, James Morgan just made his case in making either a roster spot or a practice squad spot.
Philadelphia Eagles:
Joe Flacco was the starting quarterback after the decision was made to not play Jalen Hurts due to rest/injury. Joe Flacco performed well in this game. Better than he did during his entire tenure with the New York Jets and Denver Broncos. He had nice footwork moving in and out of the pocket and moved out of getting sacked to throw a nice touchdown to J.J. Arcega-Whiteside. Flacco does have a habit of holding onto the football way too long once the ball is snapped to him. Nick Mullens came in to back up for Joe Flacco. You know that name sounds familiar to my name. Already my favorite quarterback out of both teams and he hasn't even taken a snap yet. His performance against the Jets was not good as heoverthrew and underthrew receivers. He did have flashes as he has solid footwork in the pocket and made some solid throws. Sadly it was not enough as after the game, the Eagles acquired Gardner Minshew from the Jaguars in exchange for a 6th round pick and Mullens was released from the team.
Running Backs
New York Jets:
No Tevin Coleman as he was out due to rest and La’Mical Perine was surprisingly out due to his foot injury. The player that surprised me the most in the backfield was Josh Adams. Where the heck has this been? Adams was making solid runs and excellent catches throughout the game. Adams had a tremendous 2 pt conversion which sealed the tie against the Philadelphia Eagles. Maybe this was a revenge game because his first team in the NFL was with the Eagles. With his performance, he could earn a spot on a team's roster spot or on the practice squad. Ty Johnson performed well vs the Eagles and even scored a touchdown against the Eagles.
Philadelphia Eagles:
The Eagles running backs were one of the biggest positives on the night for the team. Boston Scott impressed me and showcased his skills on being a pass-catching running back and even scored a touchdown where he juked JT Hassell. The two players that heavily impressed me were Elijah Holyfield and rookie 5th round pick Kenneth Gainwell. Let's start with Elijah Holyfield. Holyfield had the most carries out of all the running backs with 16 and he did a solid job running for 60 yards. He made some solid runs which gave the offense a huge first down. Holyfield did not contribute to the receiving game. Let's get to the rookie who impressed me the most, Kenneth Gainwell. Gainwell only got 5 carries but he was solid with running the football and even scored a touchdown in the red zone. Gainwell is also valuable in the receiving game and has a lot of potential for the Eagles and if he keeps this up Gainwell could be a fantasy option if Miles Sanders gets injured or struggles in the regular season.
Wide Receiver
New York Jets:
The starting three receivers Crowder, Davis, and Moore did not play in this game. Keelan Cole did but he only was in for a few drives and even recorded a quick catch. The battle I was interested in seeing was Braxton Berrios vs Vyncint Smith. Braxton Berrios did not record a catch and once again struggled on offense. Vyncint Smith on the other hand did a solid job on offense and even had a nice 18 yard reception in this game. It will be interesting to see which receiver the Jets will keep on the 53 man roster. Jeff Smith had a good game vs the Eagles. He was not the best at catching the football but he was solid in jet sweeps and evan ran for 25 yards on one play. I question why he was not utilized this way vs the Green Bay Packers and the New York Giants. Lawrence Cager was also impressive in this game and even had a nice red zone touchdown on a 4th down.
Philadelphia Eagles:
The Eagles' receivers had a decent game tonight. The best receiver of the game was J.J. Arcega-Whiteside as he scored a 42-yard touchdown where he made solid moves fooling Elijah Campbell and Isaiah Dunn. John Hightower and Marken Michel were solid during the game as both had 3 solid catches. There were a lot of rumors that Travis Fulgham could potentially be cut at the end of the preseason. He needed to have a strong game. Fulgham did not impress as he only had one catch in this game and it wouldn't shock me if he didn't make the 53 man roster.
Tight Ends
New York Jets:
No Tyler Kroft as he did not play due to rest and Ryan Griffin did not have a lot of snaps due to hamstring issues. Chris Herndon again continues to show how disappointing he is. He is a terrible route runner, blocker, and lacks awareness. He looks lost out there on the field. Again I got to ask, why is this guy starting for the team again? I can tell you, one player that heavily impressed me in this game, was Kenny Yeboah. Where the heck has this play been? He performed extremely well and even caught two amazing touchdowns. One was the game-tying touchdown on a hail mary throw by James Morgan. Yeboah even showed up on blocking as he opened up holes for Ty Johnson to run through. He absolutely earned a spot on either the practice squad or the main roster. You want to know something that is telling that Kenny Yeboah shined more in two quarters than Chris Herndon did in the entire preseason. Out of all the tight ends, Daniel Brown was a tremendous disappointment. He did not perform well and fumbled.
Philadelphia Eagles:
Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert did not play due to rest so it was mainly Richard Rodgers and Jack Stoll who took the reps at tight end for the Eagles. Both did not impress too much but Rodgers had the better night as he has had an impact as a blocker. He didn't record a catch or get targeted once in this game. Jack Stoll on the other hand did and was ok in this game. He did fumble the ball after Bennett Jackson hit him. Overall the tight ends were decent vs the Jets.
Offensive Line
New York Jets:
The Jets' offensive line did not perform well against vs the Eagles. Alijah Vera-Tucker debutd and had a solid performance. The team has experimented with Corey Levins as the backup center and his snaps were all over the place. The one offensive lineman that extremely struggled is Dan Feeney. He has been extremely inconsistent all preseason. He continuously gets beaten in pass protection and has struggled as a run blocker. He has the ability to open holes but again needs to focus on consistency. Two players I kept a close eye on were Morgan Moses and George Fant. Especially as both are battling for the starting right tackle spot. They were in all games trying to prove themselves. Mekhi Becton’s concussion gave them an opportunity to prove themselves. I got to say both performed extremely well tonight and this battle will come close.
Philadelphia Eagles:
The Eagles offensive line did a solid job blocking the New York Jets defense. They were very good in opening holes for the running backs and protecting the quarterback. Two players on the Eagles offensive line stood out to me. The first one was Andre Dillard. Dillard was a first-round pick of the 2019 NFL draft who was drafted as the future replacement of Jason Peters. Dillard was extremely impressive and was an anchor on the offensive line during blocks. He even opened up holes for the running backs. If he keeps this up then he will be a player to watch during Eagles games. The second o-lineman that impressed me was Brett Toth. To me, Toth earned his roster spot tonight as he was strong as a pass protector and run blocker
Defensive Line
New York Jets:
John Franklin-Myers, Quinnen Williams, and Sheldon Rankins did not play against the Philadelphia Eagles. Foley Fatukasi who I myself labeled as the hidden gem of the Jets defense once again had a strong performance and even provided pressure to the quarterback as well. Jonathan Marshall didn't have a strong performance as he did in the earlier preseason games. Nathan Shepherd continued to struggle. With both Carl Lawson and Vinny Curry being out for the season the Jets edge rushers need to step up. The edge rushers were okay vs the Eagles. The one edge rusher that continues to impress is Hamilcar Rashed Jr. He has been consistently providing pressure to the quarterback and is a solid tackler. Again I need to ask the weekly question, has anyone seen Jabari Zuniga? He once again pulled a disappearing act and did not make an impact vs the Philadelphia Eagles. Zuniga has not been getting better and it would not be a surprise if he gets cut. This is the best time to remind you that the New York Jets and GM Joe Douglas wasted a third round pick on Jabari Zuniga.
Philadelphia Eagles:
The Eagles defensive line performed well against the New York Jets. A player that heavily impressed me was TY McGill. He was everywhere making plays. He provided a ton of pressure to Jets QBs and had two big sacks. He even had a pass deflection to make a huge 4th down. McGill definitely impressed me and should earn a spot on a roster or on the practice squad. Another player that impressed me on the defensive line was Tarron Jackson as he had key tackles and even provided pressure to the quarterback. If he keeps this up he could be a player that will start in the regular season.
Linebackers
New York Jets:
No CJ Mosley due to rest and Jarrad Davis suffered an ankle injury. I have given a lot of praise to the experimental players Jamien Sherwood and Hamsah Nasirildeen in their performances against the Packers and Giants. They did not perform well against the Eagles. Especially Sherwood as he missed tackles and on occasion, couldn't finish well-read plays. The biggest missed tackle was on Eagles RB Boston Scott who would score a big touchdown on the play. Nasirildeen was better but again needs to be consistent with his tackles. The player that shined tonight was Blake Cashman as he had a terrific night making nice tackles on third downs. Del’Shawn Phillips struggled a lot in coverage and lacked awareness when tracking plays.
Philadelphia Eagles:
The linebackers in the first three quarters performed well against the Jets mainly shutting down the tight ends and making solid tackles. When it got to the fourth quarter yikes they performed terribly. They let Kenny Yeboah run all over them for two wide-open touchdowns. Two players who performed terribly in coverage were Shaun Bradly and Rashad Smith as they had a lot of misreads both on coverage and with misdirection runs by Jets receiver Jeff Smith. A player who performed well for the Eagles was Patrick Johnson where he had flashes rushing the passer.
Cornerbacks
New York Jets:
The cornerbacks once again were the biggest weakness on the Jets defense. Even Bless Austin and Bryce Hall, two players I have the most confidence in, struggled in this game. Austin was terrible on third down letting receivers get past him to get the first down. Echols performed well throughout the preseason but left the game with an injury. Jason Pinnock is a good tackler but must be more consistent in coverage. The one player that had a poor performance was Isaiah Dunn. It is not looking good with his chances of making the 53 man roster after he let J.J. Arcega-Whiteside score a touchdown due to his poor coverage. Lamar Jackson again is not strong in coverage and is in danger of not making the 53 man roster.
Philadelphia Eagles:
The Eagles' cornerbacks were decent vs the Jets. To me, two players stood out. Kevon Seymour is one player as he was extremely impressive in this game. He was solid with his footwork and was solid in coverage. He did have an interception that was gifted by the refs after a terrible call where Jets wide receiver Lawrence Cager clearly caught the football and should have been ruled down by contact. The second player that impressed me was Michael Jacquet. He was legitimately everywhere in this game making solid tackles, covering players, and even returned a touchdown after recovering a forced fumble that should have ended the game. Both have a strong chance of making the Eagles 53 man roster.
Safety
New York Jets:
Not going to say too much for the safeties as the starters Joyner and Maye did not play plus Ashtyn Davis is injured. Sharrod Neasman and JT Hassell were solid again vs the Eagles. Hassell has been a solid pass rusher on occasion as well but got fooled letting Boston Scott score a touchdown. Elijah Campbell struggled a lot for the Jets in coverage and let J.J. Arcega-Whiteside score a touchdown.
Philadelphia Eagles:
Again not going to say much as the Eagles starting safeties didn’t play tonight either. I will say a player to watch if you are an Eagles fan is Blake Countless as he has been solid in coverage and is a solid tackler. Andrew Adams was terrible all game and even let Yeboah score the game-tying touchdown on the hail mary play. Adams is also a poor tackler as he missed easy tackles all game.
Special Teams
New York Jets:
The Jets Special teams performed well. Matt Ammendola made all of his kicks. A 31-yard field goal and 2 extra-point kicks. Mann was very good with his punts and even had a 58-yard punt which was impressive. Braxton Berrios and Vyncint Smith were battling for the lead return spot for the team and both showed flashes in this game and it will be a tough decision to choose who will stay and who will be cut.
Philadelphia Eagles:
Nothing much to say for the Eagles special teams. Jake Elliott is a top 10 kicker in the NFL and made all 5 kicks. 1 34 yard field goal and 4 extra-points. Punter Arryn Siposs did a fine job punting as well.
The New York Jets had a decent performance in their 31-31 tie against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Jets end the preseason with a record of 2-0-1 and the Eagles end with a record of 0-2-1. Next, the Jets will face the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on September 12th. The Eagles will face the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes Benz Stadium on September 12th. Week 1 action is on the way!