Like strong defensive-line play? You'll love the New York Jets-Detroit Lions matchup Sunday at MetLife Stadium. The game features six former first-round picks on the defensive line -- three per team -- led by the Jets' Muhammad Wilkerson and the Lions' Ndamukong Suh.
The Lions (2-1) rode their front four to a big win last week over the Green Bay Packers. If they can rattle Aaron Rodgers, they could certainly do the same to Jets quarterback Geno Smith, who played poorly in a Monday night loss to the Chicago Bears and will be on the hot seat with another bad game.
After losing to Rodgers and Jay Cutler in back-to-back games, the Jets face another prolific passer from the NFC North, Matthew Stafford. The Stafford-Calvin Johnson tandem poses an enormous challenge for the Jets, who have already allowed a 200- and 100-yard receiving performance.
ESPN Jets reporter Rich Cimini and Lions reporter Mike Rothstein break down the game:
Cimini: On paper, the Lions have so much offensive talent, but they're averaging only 20.3 points per game. Do you think Stafford and Johnson will bust out with a monster game against the Jets' suspect secondary?
Rothstein: Certainly possible, Rich. The Lions showed -- at least in passing -- what they could do against a somewhat suspect defense in the opener against the New York Giants. They put up 35 points and Johnson had a monster game. Stafford had one of the best games of his career. The problem for Detroit is it is somewhat one-dimensional right now because Reggie Bush and Joique Bell have struggled running. The Lions are 31st in the league in yards per rush (3.03), and until they get better there, teams are going to sit back in coverage. That should happen again Sunday, but I don't see anyone the Jets have who can handle Johnson even a little bit, so he should be good for the Lions on the field and for fans in fantasy.
The last time these teams played, the Jets had Darrelle Revis to deal with Johnson. With Dee Milliner injured, who will handle Johnson this time around, or is this a scenario in which the Jets have to mix and match?
Cimini: The Jets have a three-pronged strategy: mix, match and pray. They don't have an answer for Johnson. Then again, who does?
My hunch is that Milliner won't play, so it'll probably be Antonio Allen and Darrin Walls at corner. Allen is a converted safety, doing the best he can under difficult circumstances. Walls is a career backup, so take that for what it's worth. Rex Ryan is a creative coach, so you can expect some sort of wrinkle. Lately, he's been putting linebacker Quinton Coples out wide on receivers, jamming them at the line before passing them off to the corner on that side. Obviously, you can do that for only a handful of plays per game. The best way to defend Johnson is to disrupt Stafford, forcing him into bad decisions. Look for myriad pressure schemes. It's risky, but so is sitting back in soft coverages.
While we're on the subject of secondary play, is there any truth to the rumor the Lions might try to sign Lem Barney out of retirement if they suffer another injury? But seriously, how are they holding it together on the back end?
Rothstein: At this rate, anything is possible. Detroit has been bringing in defensive backs to try out weekly as potential replacements behind Darius Slay and Rashean Mathis at corner. The Lions have played six guys in the nickel already -- actually seven, if you include linebacker DeAndre Levy. That doesn't even touch on the issues at safety, where free-agent signing James Ihedigbo has yet to play this season. Suh took issue with me saying last weekend it was a patchwork secondary, but it is. That said, so far, so good. Mathis and Slay have been outstanding. Glover Quin is consistent, and New Jersey native Isa Abdul-Quddus has done well enough filling in for Ihedigbo. I'd anticipate the Lions being fine in the secondary this week considering the Jets' quarterback issues and Eric Decker's health, but in this league, you never know for sure.
It would seem that even with Detroit's primary secondary issues, the Jets are in a bit of turmoil right now with Smith. Any chance New York heads to a two-quarterback deal against Detroit?
Cimini: They've been using Michael Vick for a couple of plays each week, mostly in the Wildcat with Smith still on the field, if that's what you mean. If you're asking about the possibility of Smith getting benched during the game, I'd be surprised if that happens. He'd have to be really, really bad for Ryan to go to the bullpen. If he does -- boom! -- we have a full-blown quarterback controversy.
Smith cost them at least 10 points with two ugly interceptions on Monday night, continuing his turnover-prone ways. He had 25 turnovers last season, and he already has five this season. But, believe it or not, he's a better quarterback than last year. The Jets rank eighth in total offense, averaging 376 yards per game, but they're struggling in the red zone (4-for-12). If they can solve that issue, they'd be in decent shape, but they could have problems with the Lions' front.
That group looks pretty imposing. Can Suh & Co. carry the defense and shut down a formidable running team like the Jets?
Rothstein: They should be able to. I was actually surprised with how well Detroit did against Green Bay's run game after Stephen Tulloch's season-ending sack celebration. The Lions rely heavily on that front four for run stoppage, and, so far, it has worked. With the way Suh and Nick Fairley are playing, running up the middle is almost an impossible task, especially if Levy is sitting in the middle now. Rushing the edges is potentially a little bit better, but Jason Jones is having a consistent year, and the combination of Ezekiel Ansah and George Johnson has been good enough on the opposite side of Jones.
The Lions really focus on stopping the run, and they have held opponents to 2.81 yards per carry while facing Eddie Lacy (Green Bay) and Jonathan Stewart (Carolina), along with the Giants' somewhat questionable running back situation. I'd expect this to be an interesting battle -- perhaps where the game is won -- considering how well the Jets have run so far.
In terms of the Jets offense, how does it change without Decker? It seems that he is at least a question mark for Sunday.
Cimini: The Jets are hopeful Decker (hamstring) can play, but the question is: If he does, can he last the entire game? He aggravated the hammy Monday night, resulting in only 12 snaps of action. Chances are, he'd be in a limited role, probably third-down situations.
Decker is very important, especially to Smith. Check out this stat: In the first two games, Smith's completion rate was 73.5 percent with Decker on the field and 27.3 percent when he wasn't, according to ESPN Stats & Information. That pretty much says it all. Without Decker, Jeremy Kerley becomes their No. 1. Nice player, Kerley, but he's not a No. 1. Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg has to do a better job of creating better options for Smith, maybe with the tight ends.
