Three takeaways from Jets' Week 18 victory over Dolphins
Garrett Wilson of the Jets avoids the tackle of Jalen Ramsey of the Miami Dolphins during a game at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. Credit: Errol Anderson
1. Keeping Garrett Wilson happy should be a priority
As bad a year as it was for the Jets, Garrett Wilson had one of the best seasons for a wide receiver in club history.
He caught four passes for 51 yards in the season-ending 32-20 victory over Miami on Sunday and set career highs with 101 receptions for 1,104 yards and seven touchdowns.
Wilson is the second Jet with 100 catches in a season, joining Brandon Marshall (109 in 2015).
An impressive year, but Wilson was neither satisfied nor happy.
“I’m sure it will be [meaningful] down the road when I finish up playing and all,” he said. “I had 100. I needed about 130, 120 or so if we were going to do what we wanted. I didn’t play my best ball. I’m sure down the road I’ll look back on it and be like maybe it wasn’t that bad.”
Wilson was so excited to be able to play with Aaron Rodgers, but as the season progressed, his frustration with losing and not getting targeted in key moments was very apparent. Rodgers looked Davante Adams’ way more than Wilson’s. Adams was targeted 12 times and Wilson five on Sunday.
There has been speculation that Wilson could ask to be relocated to a better situation. He’s only 24 and eligible for an extension.
One of the first things the new Jets general manager and coach should do is work on repairing the relationship with Wilson and try to lock him up long term.
2. Sherwood and McDonald were major surprises
The Jets’ biggest surprise — other than how badly this season went overall — was the performance of two defensive players.
Linebacker Jamien Sherwood led the Jets with 158 tackles, tied for the third most in franchise history. Will McDonald, the second-year edge rusher, had a team-high 10.5 sacks.
Injuries and one lengthy holdout contributed to their breakout seasons.
The loss of Jermaine Johnson (torn Achilles tendon) in Week 2 and Haason Reddick’s seven-game holdout gave McDonald more opportunities, and he produced. McDonald and Johnson give the Jets two athletic, versatile edge rushers who could continue to improve.
Sherwood’s expanded role came because of multiple injuries to captain C.J. Mosley. Sherwood’s teammates voted him the Jets’ MVP. He’s going to be a free agent, and the Jets shouldn’t let this homegrown player leave their building.
3. So many disappointments
The biggest disappointment was how badly the Jets underachieved. Here are some other big disappointments:
n Rodgers wasn’t able to impact winning the way most expected. The Jets finished with two fewer wins than the previous two seasons, when Zach Wilson was their starting quarterback.
n After ending his holdout, Reddick didn’t have an impact on defense. He finished with one sack in 10 games.
n The defense overall. From points allowed (23.8) to blown fourth-quarter leads (six) to the lack of pressure the Jets got on quarterbacks, this unit regressed in a major way after Robert Saleh was fired in October.
n Breece Hall’s numbers. He was sure he would get 1,000 rushing yards and flirt with 1,000 yards receiving but fell short on both. It’s not all his doing.
The Jets’ run-blocking wasn’t effective. They also deserted the run quickly. Hall never had more than 20 carries in a game as the Jets became a pass-heavy offense under Rodgers. Hall was targeted less than last season but also had eight drops.
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
