JETS 101

The New York Jets will host the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football at MetLife Stadium, hoping to somehow knock off the undefeated Texans and take a step towards making something out of what has been a disappointing start to the 2012 season. Ultimately the Jets will have some important matchups that they need to win to keep it competitive and give themselves a shot late in the game.

Antonio Cromartie vs. Andre Johnson: The New York Jets are used to having Darrelle Revis shut down Andre Johnson when they face the Houston Texans. They won't have Darrelle Revis tomorrow, but can Antonio Cromartie produce a Revis-like performance and keep Andre Johnson off the board? Andre Johnson has 16 catches for 268 yards and two touchdowns on the season. A pass rush would be a big help to Antonio Cromartie, but that doesn't seem very likely given the performance of the defensive line this season.

The Front Seven vs. the Texans Zone Running Scheme: The Texans are widely accepted as the best zone running team in the NFL. The yards haven't been coming as easy so far this season, but the Texans are off to a 4-0 start and their past performance suggests that they will get on track soon on the ground. The Jets are ripe for the picking, having given up a ton of yards on the ground this season – 691 to be exact. Can the front seven control Arian Forster and the Texans? The ability of the linebackers to flow with the play but not overpursue and give up the natural cutback lane on the inside zone play will be crucial.

The Offensive Line vs. That Texans Pass Rush: With 13 sacks in four games (7.5 of those from J.J. Watt), it's safe to say the Texans aren't missing Mario Williams. The Jets have to give Mark Sanchez time to throw. No quarterback is truly comfortable under pressure and Mark Sanchez seems to get happy feet/trigger happy fairly easily. The Jets can't afford negative plays against a solid team like the Texans and pressure creates just that: sacks and turnovers.

Can the Jets realistically "win" these matchups? Antonio Cromartie can play with Andre Johnson. It will take some help from running backs and tight ends, or a finely-tuned quick passing game to negate the pass rush of the Texans. The front seven will have to control their gaps, something that will probably be an issue with their inability to play sideline-to-sideline against Houston's zone scheme.

Also…

Tags: Antonio Cromartie, Darrelle Revis, Football, Houston Texans, Mario Williams, Mark Sanchez, Monday Night Football, New York, New York Jets, NFL

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