Week 3: Building Off Of Momentum



Editor's Note: This piece is taken directly from contributor Matt Barbato's website: Jet Fuel.

By: Matt Barbato (@RealMattBarbato)

The New York Jets and Chicago Bears enter their Monday night matchup on completely different sides of the momentum spectrum. The Jets are coming off a major collapse in all phases against Chicago's rival, the Green Bay Packers. The Bears rallied back from a 17-point deficit on the road against the San Francisco 49ers and won a much-needed game.

Both teams enter the game at 1-1, but are vastly different teams. The Jets will focus on winning the game in the trenches. The Jets took a 21-3 lead against Green Bay because of a strong ground game, but went away from it as the Packers started their comeback. Chicago has all-purpose running back Matt Forte, but prefer to throw the ball often.

The Jets lead the league in running the ball and stopping the run. New York's timeshare of Chris Johnson and Chris Ivory has averaged 179 yards in two contests, while the fearsome front seven has stifled opponents to just 52.5 yards through two games.

Chicago is 30th in the running game, averaging only 66 yards per game on the ground, while allowing an average of 160 yards in two contests.

The difference will be in the passing game. The Jets' secondary was exposed by Aaron Rodgers and Jordy Nelson, who had a career-high 209 receiving yards last Sunday. Expect similar results on Sunday, as Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffrey march into MetLife Stadium.

Cutler is coming off of an inspirational second half against San Francisco, but struggles to string together gaudy performances. Cutler is 57-of-83 on the season for 525 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions. Despite Chicago's talent on the perimeter, it's tight end Martellus Bennett, leads the team with 15 receptions. Forte might be at his most dangerous when he's receiving out of the backfield, as he's tied with Marshall for second on the team with 13 catches.

While Nelson is more of a possession receiver who runs clean routes and has great hands, Marshall and Jeffrey present size mismatches, as both are listed as six-foot-four. That will be a problem for New York, whose tallest cornerback is six-foot-one converted safety Antonio Allen.

The other key storyline of Monday's matchup is Santonio Holmes' return to New York. Holmes had a tumultuous four seasons with New York that was filled with injuries and attitude issues. This is why he sat on the free agent market for months before Chicago picked him up just before the preseason. Holmes is learning Chicago's offense and will have an extra bit of motivation going to face the team that cut him after the 2013 season.

If the Jets want to knock off Chicago, they'll need to do what they did in the first half against Green Bay: Run the ball.

 

Geno Smith has been solid at times, but has had a couple of crippling turnovers in two games. His interception inside Packers' territory that led to Green Bay's 97-yard drive to close out the first half, marked the beginning of the demise for the Jets. The Bears' front seven stepped up their run defense against San Francisco, but this still a unit that can be controlled in the ground game.

Muhammad Wilkerson will need to have an impressive showing after getting ejected in the third quarter of Sunday's game for throwing a punch. The Jets defense was ripped to shreds by Green Bay in the second half and completely lost its poise. A better showing will be crucial for a unit that has claimed to be one of the best in the NFL.

The Jets will have to mask their awful secondary with a strong pass rush. Cutler is pretty good at evading pressure in the pocket, but his mechanics suffer when under duress and his decision making skills diminish. When he's on, Cutler can be a top-10 quarterback, but if enough pressure is applied, it tends to result in an interception.

A group to watch in Monday's game is the tight ends. With Eric Decker's status uncertain due to a hamstring injury, Jeff Cumberland, Jace Amaro and Zach Sudfeld will need to remove their invisibility cloak and try to get open against a beatable Bears' defense. Cumberland and Amaro have combined for just eight catches and 87 yards in two games, a number that needs to improve.

The Bears are riding high into MetLife, but don't expect a defensive struggle with the Monsters of the Midway. The new monsters are on the perimeter of the offense and although Chicago's offensive line is banged up, Roberto Garza and former Jet Matt Slauson both missed last week's game, the Jets won't be able to contain Chicago's arsenal of weapons.

Score Prediction: Bears 27 Jets 16 

Be sure to follow Matt on Twitter (@RealMattBarbato)

 

Read more of Matt's work on his site, Jet Fuel.

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