An inside look at the Jets-Rams Week 16 matchup at MetLife Stadium:
Marquee matchup
Rams RB Kyren Williams vs. Jets front seven
The Jets run defense, which has been leaky at times this season, gets a big test.
Williams has rushed for 1,121 yards and 12 touchdowns this season on 280 carries.
He is second in the NFL in rushing yards, behind only Saquon Barkley.
The Jets are 16th in the NFL against the run and have played better in recent weeks than they did early in the season, though they gave up 136 rushing yards to the Jaguars last week.
The Jets also may be without star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, who is questionable with a hamstring injury.
Interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said Williams presents a challenge because of his skill and because of Rams coach Sean McVay’s scheme.
“There’s one piece of just, pure personnel, and the player, and he’s explosive, and he’s fast, he’s got great vision, he’s a hard tackle, all of those things, so that’s the first part of it,” Ulbrich said. “The second part of it is the coach, and the scheme in which we have to defend, and that’s extremely difficult. He does a great job of mirroring everything up. The run, the play pass, the keepers, the outside zone, all of it.
“Everything looks so sane, and the best offenses in the League, they’re built in that way, you know, and a lot of that is the struggle, because a lot of times, you get a play pass, you think it’s a run, it’s a play pass, and it’s a big part of their success as far as the run game is concerned, so we’re going to have our hands full.”
Costello’s call
The Jets offense has looked much better in the past two weeks, but I think the cold weather slows them down a bit Sunday.
The Rams can run the ball, and that has been a problem for the Jets since Week 1.
The Rams are fighting for a playoff berth. The Jets are dreaming of the beach.
Rams 30, Jets 23
4 Downs
Arctic blast: Baby, it’s cold outside.
The Jets and Rams will be playing in one of the colder games in recent history at MetLife Stadium when temperatures are expected to max out around 25 degrees.
Throw in some wind chill, and this one will be a cold one.
The Rams are coming from sunny Southern California, where it is around 70 degrees, so you’d think this will feel like quite a shock to their bodies.
Rams coach Sean McVay joked about prepping for the freezing temps.
“You have any ideas? Maybe we can get a cold machine out here, go get some cold plunge or something like that,” McVay said. “I think when the guys get out there, obviously the ball handling is a little bit different just based on the temperature, but they do a great job of being able to stay warm in between series and then when you’re out there, usually, it takes care of itself.
“They have to play in it, too, and we’ll handle it the best we can.”
Adams’ encore: Davante Adams exploded in the second half last week against the Jaguars with nine catches for 198 yards and two touchdowns. What he can do this week?
The Rams defense is better than the Jaguars, who have the worst pass defense in the league, but Adams and Aaron Rodgers have been clicking.
Adams has nine catches in each of the past two weeks and has gone over 100 yards, the first time he did that since he was traded to the Jets in October.
The Rams might focus on stopping Adams, which should open things up for Garrett Wilson.
Dynamic duo: Though the Jets will throw Adams and Wilson at the Rams, Los Angeles has a tremendous pair of receivers of its own in Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua.
They will test the Jets secondary, which is as healthy as its been in weeks with both Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed starting at cornerback.
Kupp has 63 catches for 657 yards and six touchdowns.
Nacua has 61 catches for 805 yards and three touchdowns. McVay will find ways to get those two open during the game.
Simmering sauce: After some early season struggles, Gardner has come on lately and played good football.
He has been tough against the Seahawks and Jaguars in his past two games.
He missed the Dolphins game with a hamstring injury.
“These past two games have been the best two games of the season in my opinion for him,” interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said. “I’ve just seen a rejuvenated spirit and focus, and it’s the Sauce that we all love, as far as the way he’s been preparing and it’s resulted in two really back to back games, so just got to keep it going.”
