During their five-game losing streak, the Jets players kept saying they just needed to get a victory to turn things around.
They got one on Thursday night against the Texans, a 21-13 win when they played a really strong second half. At 3-6, the Jets now need to turn one win into several if they want to make a run at the playoffs.
“We said earlier in the week it takes one win to get this thing started and we got it and now it’s up to us to take the momentum,” right tackle Morgan Moses said Monday.
The Jets are feeling good after snapping their losing skid but they better not look past this week’s opponent.
The Jets travel to the desert to face the Cardinals on Sunday.
Arizona is leading the NFC West after winning four of its past five games to get to 5-4. The Cardinals beat the Bears convincingly on Sunday, 29-9, and have beaten the 49ers, Chargers and Dolphins in the past month.
The Cardinals could create some issues for the Jets with their rushing attack. They are No. 7 in the NFL in yards per game and rolled up 213 against the Bears.
The Jets have struggled against the run all season, starting with Week 1 in San Francisco. The Jets are 21st in the NFL in stopping the run.
“They are pushing the pile, that’s the main thing,” Jets linebacker Quincy Williams said. “Those linemen enjoy blocking for their running backs, also their quarterback, too. They both do a lot of running. We know that they’re capable of that. They have a good run game. Containing the quarterback also is one of the things on that list.”
Kyler Murray is having a good year for the Cardinals but he has not done much damage with his legs lately. He only had six rushing yards Sunday against Chicago.
Quarterback runs are another area where the Jets have scuffled lately. Patriots quarterback Drake Maye rushed for a touchdown before exiting the game two weeks ago.
His replacement, Jacoby Brissett, picked up a huge third down by running on New England’s game-winning drive. Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud rushed for 59 yards last week.
“You’re talking about a dynamic guy with Kyler Murray with the different throwing angles,” Jets safety Jalen Mills said. “He’s able to put the ball down the field and also his ability to run. Those third-and-3s, third and-5s even third-and-10, he’s scrambling for a first down. I think us as a defense on all three levels — D-line, linebackers and the secondary — it starts with the run game and then defending those guys down the field and also trying to contain Kyler Murray.”
James Conner leads the way for the Cardinals with 664 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
“Conner, he’s a beast,” Mills said. “He’s been a beast since he’s been in this league.”
Mills cautioned that the Jets can’t get too wrapped up in stopping the run that they give up a big pᴀss play to rookie Marvin Harrison Jr.
“You have the rookie Harrison over there,” Mills said. “He’s kind of putting guys to sleep because they’re running the ball so much, then the next thing you know in the deep play-action game guys are getting lazy on the outside or the back end and he gets you for an explosive play.”
The Cardinals sacked Caleb Williams six times on Sunday, so their defense can cause issues for the Jets, too.
For the Jets, the emphasis on this week will be turning one good half against the Texans into a full game.
“Obviously, looking at the film today there’s a lot of stuff that we can get better at correcting,” Moses said. “It’s a tale of two different halves, obviously speaking on the offensive side. We’ve got to figure out a way to start faster. That’s the biggest thing. Going into halftime, sitting down and making adjustments and coming out in the third quarter and executing on I think it was three scoring drives in a row with no punts is obviously what you want. But we’ve got to figure out how we can put together a full 60 minutes.”
