NFL News & Analysis

NFL Preseason Week 1 Game Recap: New York Jets 24, Philadelphia Eagles 21

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson (2) passes the ball against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Quarterback Zach Wilson’s knee injury suffered late in the first quarter was the story of the New York Jets’ 24-21 preseason Week 1 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. It remains to be seen if the second-year signal-caller will miss time because of the injury.

Editor’s note: All grades in this article are subject to review. All PFF player grades will be finalized by 12 pm ET tomorrow.

New York Jets

QUARTERBACK: Zach Wilson

Passing depth PFF Grade Comp/Att Yards
Short (0-9 yards) 39.0 3/5 23
  • While Zach Wilson’s first drive of the night ended in an interception, the bigger story is the right knee injury he suffered on a scramble during his second drive. The second-year quarterback didn’t target a pass farther than six yards downfield on his five attempts before exiting.
  • Mike White took over for Wilson and completed only 10-of-20 attempts, although he dealt with two drops.

RUNNING BACK

  • Rookie Breece Hall churned out 18 yards after contact despite rushing for 15 yards total. He handled five carries in his preseason debut and forced a missed tackle.
  • Fellow rookie Zonovan Knight tallied only 13 yards on six carries but found the end zone on a two-yard run in the third quarter.

RECEIVERS

Player Rec./tgts. Yards YPRR Passer rating generated
Denzel Mims 2/5 25 2.5 56.3
Tyler Conklin 3/4 23 3.29 88.5
Garrett Wilson 2/3 25 2.78 92.4
  • Former first-round pick Denzel Mims paced the Jets in targets but also dropped a pass.
  • Both of Garrett Wilson’s catches went for first downs, with the first-round rookie playing nine receiving snaps in his preseason debut.

OFFENSIVE LINE

Player Pass-blocking snaps Sacks allowed Total pressures allowed
Max Mitchell 29 0 2
Nate Herbig 22 0 0
Chuma Edoga 20 0 0
Ross Pierschbacher 17 0 0
Dan Feeney 17 0 0
  • 2021 first-rounder Alijah Vera-Tucker stayed clean on 12 pass-blocking snaps at right guard.
  • Rookie Max Mitchell got the most playing time of any Jets lineman but also struggled the most. He allowed two pressures overall and was beaten another four times by a defender.

DEFENSIVE LINE

LINEBACKER

  • Jets linebackers struggled overall in coverage. The group combined to allow 13 catches on 14 targets for 124 yards.
  • Kwon Alexander allowed one catch on one target across 12 total snaps in his first action as a Jet.

SECONDARY

Player Rec./tgts. Yards
allowed
Touchdowns allowed
Rachaad Wildgoose 3/4 30 0
Justin Hardee 1/4 9 0
Luq Barcoo 1/2 14 0
  • First-round rookie Ahmad Gardner played 10 snaps in coverage but didn’t face a target.

Philadelphia Eagles

QUARTERBACK: JALEN HURTS

Passing depth PFF Grade Comp/Att Yards
Short (0-9 yards) 62.1 4/4 30
Intermediate (10-19 yards) 71.6 1/1 22
Deep (20+ plus yards) 84.4 1/1 28
  • Jalen Hurts made the most of his lone drive, going 6-for-6 for 80 yards and a touchdown. That netted him an 88.3 PFF passing grade on first review.
  • Gardner Minshew took over for Hurts and completed eight of his 12 attempts for 81 yards en route to a 60.6 PFF passing grade on first review.

RUNNING BACK

  • Miles Sanders didn’t record a carry but caught both of his targets in the passing game for 20 yards. Sanders played seven receiving snaps on the night.
  • Jason Huntley handled the majority of the work out of the Eagles’ backfield, producing three first-down runs and averaging 1.4 yards before contact behind a solid offensive line display.

RECEIVERS

Player Rec./tgts. Yards YPRR Passer rating generated
Jalen Reagor 3/4 26 1.44 91.7
Noah Togiai 4/4 29 1.71 96.9
Deon Cain 1/4 14 0.52 41.7

OFFENSIVE LINE

Player Pass-blocking snaps Sacks allowed Total pressures allowed
Cam Jurgens 21 0 1
Iosua Opeta 21 0 1
Jack Anderson 19 0 2
Jack Driscoll 19 0 2
Andre Dillard 14 0 0
  • Rookie center Cam Jurgens stood out in an impressive way with the first-team offense and beyond, paving the way multiple times in the run game. He earned a team-high 86.0 run-blocking grade on first review.
  • Starters Jordan Mailata, Lane Johnson and Isaac Seumalo, among others, stayed clean in pass protection.

DEFENSIVE LINE

  • Kobe Smith tallied the Eagles’ lone sack, and Tarron Jackson paced the unit with three pressures.
  • First-rounder Jordan Davis recorded one quarterback hurry on his eight pass-rushing snaps.

LINEBACKER

  • Rookie Nakobe Dean recorded an 85.1 overall grade on first review. He made two stops across 24 snaps.
  • Zach Wilson’s first-drive interception flew right to Kyzir White, whom the Eagles signed this offseason on a one-year deal.

SECONDARY

Player Rec./tgts. Yards
allowed
Josh Jobe 5/6 57
Mac McCain III 1/3 9
Zech McPhearson 1/3 10
Tay Gowan 1/3 16
  • The Eagles’ young cornerbacks were put to the test, with Tay Gowan the standout of the corps. The second-year player forced two incompletions and allowed only one catch on four targets into his coverage.
  • Josh Jobe gave up five catches on six targets for 57 yards and three first downs.
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