Preview, prediction, what to watch for
An inside look at the Jets-Seahawks Week 13 matchup at MetLife Stadium:
Marquee matchup
Seahawks QB Geno Smith vs. Jets CBs Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed
The return of Geno Smith is the major subplot to this week’s game. Smith has not faced the Jets at MetLife Stadium since he left following the 2016 season.
The 2013 second-round pick of the Jets has reinvented himself in Seattle over the past three years and now returns as the No. 2 passing yards leader in the NFL with 3,035 yards.
“I’ve always had tremendous love and respect for that organization,” Smith said. “Obviously, the team that drafted me, gave me a chance out of the gate. A lot of great people there. Some people that I was there with, a lot of those people are now gone.
“So as far as the whole revenge thing, that’s not on my mind.”
The Jets defense has not had its best season. Gardner has struggled and the unit gave up a game-winning drive to the Colts in the previous game. Reed has had a strong season, but the Jets are going to need a better effort against Smith than they’ve shown lately.
“Man, he is, I don’t know what not to say about him, he’s got excellent mobility,” Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said of the Seattle QB. “He’s killing people with his feet at times, he’s got the ability to extend plays, he’s way more athletic than you think when he moves around, and he makes the off-platform stuff go. He can make every throw.”
Costello’s call
Much of the Jets organization has turned its eyes to 2025 with a search for a new GM and coach already underway.
The players and coaches are left to play out these final six games.
I think the Jets will keep this close until the fourth quarter, when Geno Smith throws a game-clinching touchdown.
Seahawks 30, Jets 20
Four downs
Rejuvenated Rodgers: The bye week stirred up plenty of speculation about the future of Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers and whether injuries have affected his play.
Rodgers, who turns 41 on Monday, said he is unsure if he wants to play in 2025 but if he does, his first choice would be the Jets.
As for his health, Rodgers was not on the injury report this week for the first time since Week 4. He has recovered from the hamstring, knee and ankle injuries that plagued him in October.
Rodgers has had a disappointing season but is still hoping to get something out of these final six weeks.
“I’m going to enjoy them,” Rodgers said. “Obviously, the future is unknown for a lot of us, but yeah, I have a lot of pride in this game — when I take the field, when I go to practice. So I’ll be excited about being out there with the guys and finish off strong.”
Leaping Leonard: Geno Smith is not the only former Jets early draft pick to be returning to MetLife Stadium this week.
Leonard Williams, the Jets’ first-round pick in 2015, is coming back to MetLife as a Seahawk. Williams spent his first 4 ¹/₂ seasons with the Jets then played at MetLife for the Giants before being traded to Seattle last season.
Williams had a huge game last week against the Cardinals with 2.5 sacks.
“He’s been a game wrecker for a long time in this league, and when he turns it on, he is as impressive as they get,” Jets passing game coordinator Todd Downing said. “So, we’re going to have to have a plan for him. He’s playing at a high level with a lot of energy and certainly yesterday that jumped off the tape.”
Point of no return: The Jets spent a portion of the bye week studying the issues that have held them back this season.
One of the areas they identified that needed improvement was in their return game — both on kickoffs and punts. They have gotten very little from returner Xavier Gipson this season and are trying to find ways to get more explosiveness.
“One thing is we’ve got to be more physical,” special teams coordinator Brant Boyer said, “and I think that we’ve got to shoot our hands and run our feet a lot more, be a little nastier in our blocks, and execute our double teams and things like that, and then the returners got to hit the holes.”
The 11th hour: The Jets have repeatedly mentioned “No. 11” this week as in Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the second-year receiver from Ohio State who has exploded lately.
Smith-Njigba has become a focal point of the Seahawks offense in recent weeks and has had some monster games. He had 180 receiving yards and two touchdowns against the Rams three weeks ago and scored a touchdown against the Cardinals last week.
“No. 11 has been coming alive the past few games especially,” Jets cornerback D.J. Reed said.
