Three on O: Mitchell, Allen, Yeboah
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:
Max Efficiency
Morgan Moses was already battling an injury and then suffered a wrist injury in pre-game warmups, for which reportedly had a pain-killing injection. He gutted it out until early in the third quarter but then had to come out of the game.
Last week, Moses was replaced by Carter Warren with Max Mitchell a healthy scratch. This week, both were active and the Jets turned to Mitchell.
Whether this was because Warren dropped back below Mitchell in the pecking order after his struggles last week or just Mitchell's turn to get the opportunity is unclear. It was Mitchell's first playing time at the tackle position this season, having previously filled in at left guard.
On balance, Mitchell was slightly better than Warren was last week, especially in pass protection where he had no serious clean beats, handled some stunts well and was able to repel his man's initial move a few times.
He had a couple of plays where his man beat him outside but the quarterback was still able to get the throw off. He was also beaten by Chop Robinson for a potential sack but the quarterback had already been sacked before Robinson got to him.
In the running game, he was less effective, with no real impact blocks other than a second level block on a short yardage conversion. On this play, it arguably could have been a touchdown if he was able to seal Jalen Ramsey off, but Ramsey smartly used his quickness to duck inside his block.
It's useful for the Jets to get more of a chance to assess Warren and Mitchell in an effort to determine if any of them will provide worthwhile depth going forwards. However, it's difficult to say whether Mitchell's dependable play with limitations is preferable to Warren's inconsistent play with more athletic upside.
During Mitchell's rookie year, Joe Douglas was confident that Mitchell was going to be a starter. However, things haven't worked out that way. Wherever he is next year, he will need to continue to prove that he's reliable depth and make the most of any opportunities he gets.
Get on your knees and Brae
Braelon Allen's first chance to be the lead back went well and he and Isaiah Davis shared the load and were both productive.
Allen ultimately rushed for 39 yards on 11 carries, but his longest gain was only seven yards so he was consistently getting positive yardage on most of these plays.
He only accounted for one first down, though, on his final touch of the game. This was a wildcat carry where he did well to handle a high snap.
Allen did account for three first downs in the passing game though, including this 15-yarder where he broke a tackle in space.
It was interesting that the Jets used Davis to run the ball and Allen to catch passes early on, then reversed this in the second half. Allen carrying and Davis catching perhaps makes more sense so that might have been a deliberate ploy to set up their second half approach.
Allen did have one error, dropping a pass in the flat, but he also deserves credit for picking up Calais Campbell's pass rush on the deep completion to Garrett Wilson.
Hall is supposedly set to return soon, so Allen might not get many chances to get a workload like this again in 2024. He does seem to fare better when he is regularly involved, though, so the Jets should try to ensure that happens and see if he continues to produce.
Kenny from the Block
Backup tight end Kenny Yeboah got a chance to play 12 snaps in his fifth game of the season. So far, albeit in a small sample size, he's been much more consistent than the other backup tight end, Jeremy Ruckert.
Yeboah was obviously brought in as a blocking specialist, as he only ran a route on three plays. This was one of his most effective blocks, showcasing his effort and aggression.
Aside from this, he also got just about enough of Campbell on a reach block to prevent him from stopping Davis' touchdown run, made another good block at the second level and helped on an initial double-team before peeling off to seal the edge on the outside on Allen's wildcat run.
There were a couple of negatives from Yeboah, who allowed his man to get off his block and in on the tackle near the line on one play and false started on another. However, the way he has performed so far arguably should entitle his workload to keep increasing as Ruckert continues to struggle.
Previously: Three on D: Echols, Thomas, Reed