2011 New York Jets Predictions

Written by Steve Janus

The New York Jets made it back to the AFC Championship Game in 2010, but again failed to get the elusive win to go on the Super Bowl. New York finished second in the AFC East with an overall record of 11-5, and put together to strong playoff wins over the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots before falling the Pittsburgh Steelers. Head coach Rex Ryan has came out and said the Jets will win the Super Bowl this season, and they definitely have the talent to do so. This team needs to focus on winning their own division, and get the home field advantage in the playoffs.

Offense:

Mark Sanchez has shown flashes of what becoming a true franchise quarterback, but he still struggles to read defenses and lacks consistency. He opened the 2010 season on fire, throwing eight touchdowns with no interceptions in his first five games, but then threw just nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions in the final 11 games of the regular season. What you have to like about Sanchez is he seems to be at his best in the playoff and late game situations where he has to step up and make plays.

The Jets added veteran running back LaDainian Tomlinson to bolster the rushing attack in 2010, and the future Hall of Famer delivered with 914 yards and six touchdowns. Tomlinson had to take on a much bigger role than expected, as Shonn Green didn’t quite have the season everyone expected. Green figures to get another shot at taking over the primary role, and his success will likely play a huge role in whether or not the Jets can take down the Patriots in the East.

While the Jets were able to re-sign wide out Santonio Holmes, the receiving corps underwent some big changes in the offseason. Jerricho Cotchery, Braylon Edwards, and Brad Smith have been replaced with Plaxico Burress and Derrick Mason. Burress has the potential to really make a big impact, but he hasn’t played in two years. Mason has been one of the league’s most consistent receivers, but he is getting up their in age and could see his numbers drop.

The offensive line features three very good players in left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson, center Nick Mangold, and guard Brandon Moore. Ferguson and Mangold both earned a trip to the Pro Bowl and Moore was deserving of the honor. The big question comes at right tackle, where the Jets have to replace Damien Woody. The leading candidates are Wayne Hunter and Vladimir Ducasse.

Defense:

Since Ryan took over as coach, the Jets have featured one of the elite defenses in the NFL. In 2010, they ranked 3rd in total defense, 6th against the run, and 3rd against the pass. While their will be some changes made up front on the defensive line, New York figures to continue win games on this side of the ball.

The Jets have parted ways with nose tackle Kris Jenkins and defensive end Shaun Ellis. Jenkins was a stud when he was on the field, but was injured for most of the last two seasons. They bring back nose tackle Sione Pouha and defensive end Mike DeVitto, but will have to find a replacement at the other end spot. One candidate is rookie Muhammad Wilkerson, who the Jets drafted in the first round. They also have big expectations for second-year end Marcus Dixon. New York also added depth at nose tackle in the draft, taking Hampton’s Kenrick Ellis in the third round.

The Jets return four quality starters at linebacker, but inside linebacker David Harris is the only one that isn’t on the decline. Outside linebackers Calvin Pace and Bryan Thomas are decent pass rushers, but upgrades could have been used at both spots. Veteran inside linebacker Bart Scott is a great leader, but he isn’t the same player anymore. One player that could see more playing time this season is outside linebacker Jamaal Westerman.

New York was able to bring back starting corner Antonio Cromartie to team up with Darrelle Revis, giving the Jets two lockdown corners on the outside. The hope is that second-year corner Kyle Wilson will emerge this season and play a much bigger role. The Jets secondary took a big hit when veteran safety Jim Leonhard went down with an injury last year, but he figures to be back at full strength.

Prediction: 2nd AFC East, 12-4 Overall – When you have a defense as good as what the Jets send on to the field, you are going to win a lot of football games. If they are going to take over the East from the Pats, Sanchez has to get better and Green has to become the back they envisioned he would be last year. The addition of Burress could do wonders for Sanchez, who now has another outstanding red zone target to go along with Holmes. Even though they will likely have to win three road games in the playoffs, this team is more than capable of getting to the Super Bowl this season.

Individual Team NFL Season Predictions

AFC
AFC West	AFC North	AFC South	AFC East
Kansas City Chiefs Predictions	Pittsburgh Steelers Predictions	Indianapolis Colts Predictions	New England Patriots Predictions
San Diego Chargers Predictions	Baltimore Ravens Predictions	Jacksonville Jaguars Predictions	New York Jets Predictions
Oakland Raiders Predictions	Cleveland Browns Predictions	Houston Texans Predictions	Miami Dolphins Predictions
Denver Broncos Predictions	Cincinnati Bengals Predictions	Tennessee Titans Predictions	Buffalo Bills Predictions
NFC
NFC West	NFC North	NFC South	NFC East
Seattle Seahawks Predictions	Chicago Bears Predictions	Atlanta Falcons Predictions	Philadelphia Eagles Predictions
St. Louis Rams Predictions	Green Bay Packers Predictions	New Orleans Saints Predictions	New York Giants Predictions
San Francisco 49ers Predictions	Detroit Lions Predictions	Tampa Bay Bucs Predictions	Dallas Cowboys Predictions
Arizona Cardinals Predictions	Minnesota Vikings Predictions	Carolina Panthers Predictions	Washington Redskins Predictions

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