Three on O: Lazard, Tippmann, Conklin

After each game, we'll be highlighting three defensive and three offensive players and looking in detail at their performance. We'll wrap up today with the offense:

O Come Allen Ye Faithful

Over the past three games with Davante Adams, Garrett Wilson and Allen Lazard available to him, Aaron Rodgers has averaged 295 passing yards per game. It was 219 before Lazard returned from injured reserve to complete the trio.

In those three games, however, Lazard has just three catches. Is his presence important to Rodgers' success - or has it just coincided with it?

Lazard's 2024 season has been way more productive than he was last year and if he'd produced like he was earlier in the year then maybe Rodgers' numbers these past three weeks would be even better.

On Sunday, he had two catches - one where he caught one underneath and hung on despite a big hit and this one on fourth down where he did well to find an open area and exploited his connection with Rodgers.

Rodgers looked for Lazard unsuccessfully on four other occasions. Two of these were drops as Rodgers threw slightly behind him in the flat and then hit him in the facemask as he seemed to lose the ball in the sunlight. Another - negated by a penalty anyway - was broken up, and the final one was out of Lazard's reach as he dived for a wide throw.

Lazard seems to be extremely unpopular with the fanbase and his recent production doesn't justify the kind of money he was earning. It looks certain the Jets will let him go to save money next year but if Rodgers returns and feels like Lazard is integral to the offense, then perhaps he may campaign for him to return on a lower deal.

Dashing through the Joe, on a one-horse open sleigh

Joe Tippmann has continued to come into his own during his first full season as a starting center. He's among the leaders on analytical sites like Pro Football Focus, has played every snap and is impressing with his consistency.

In pass protection, he didn't give up a pressure for just the second time all season. However, he's been unbelievably consistent in terms of not giving up pressures as he's only surrendered multiple pressures four times with a highest total of three.

The running game was reasonably successful, with 75 yards on 20 carries, and Tippmann working reach blocks, combos and being effective on the move.

Here's a play where he helps out Alijah Vera-Tucker at the line and then peels off and takes out the linebacker at the second level to allow Breece Hall to pick up a first down.

Perhaps the best thing he showed on Sunday, however, was his aggressiveness. That's a sign he's starting to get really confident in what he's doing. He put Kobie Turner on the ground a few times with pancake blocks in addition to showcasing his strength at the point of attack.

One negative from Sunday was a holding penalty - his third penalty of the season and second in two weeks. However, this appeared to be a bad call that perhaps should have been on John Simpson instead.

Tippmann's emergence is one of the bright spots from this season. The best case scenario when he was drafted was that he'd be someone the Jets could rely on to anchor their line for the next decade or so and, right now, he's on course for that best case.

Simply having a wonderful Christmas Tyler

On Sunday, Tyler Conklin had his most productive game since week three with 59 yards on five catches.

Those included two catches in the flat, one on 3rd-and-1 and another where he drove his man past the marker for a 12-yard gain. He had one other first down catch, on this 20-yarder as he found an open area when Rodgers extended the play.

Conklin had one of his better games as a blocker, making a few solid blocks on the outside.

Part of this, though, is due to how he's being used. They're using him less and less as in pass protection and seem to have realized he has limitations as an in-line run blocker too. On Sunday, he let his man get off his block and in on the play one time.

Conklin is durable, sure-handed (only one drop on his last 162 targets) and has size. However, despite that size, he's not much of a red zone threat, doesn't break tackles and isn't a good inline blocker.

As his Jets' contract expires, Conklin will be back somewhere on a starter-level deal, but it seems clear he doesn't have the kind of pro bowl upside he was teasing at the start of the year.

Previously: Three on D: Kinlaw, Reddick, Clark