The Jets don’t need to get fancy in Week 3. They need to get Garrett Wilson the ball - early, often, and plenty of times.
New York and Detroit both enter Sunday at 1-1 after losses in Week 2, and for the Jets to leave with a win, their best players have to deliver. Wilson sits at the top of that list. He’s the clear WR1 in New York, and there’s no real argument against building the passing game around him against the Lions.
That was already obvious in Week 1. Against the Tennessee Titans, Wilson led the Jets in targets with seven, catches with six, and receiving yards with 79. Even in a run-first approach, he was the center of the passing attack and looked tough to slow down.
Week 2 told a different story. In the loss to the Packers, Wilson still produced - five catches, 57 yards, and a touchdown on seven targets - but New York didn’t do nearly enough to make him the focal point.
Adonai Mitchell finished with 12 targets, Isaiah Williams got six, and Breece Hall added five. There’s nothing wrong with spreading the ball around, but Wilson should be the one setting the tone in the passing game every week.
This matchup gives the Jets a clear opening to do exactly that. Detroit’s defense has been a mess to start the season, ranking 31st in the NFL in total defense at 457.5, pass defense at 310.5, and scoring defense at 35.5.
The Lions are also shorthanded in the back end. Their star safety duo, Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph, is out for this one, and they just put Avonte Maddox on IR after he was expected to start at safety.
At corner, former Jet D.J. Reed is the top option, while Rock Ya-Sin, Christian Izien, and Roger McCreary are filling in elsewhere. On paper, there isn’t anyone on that defense who looks equipped to track Wilson for four quarters.
That’s not just theory, either. Chris Olave carved up Detroit in Week 1 with 10 catches for 182 yards.
The next week, Dalton Kincaid led the Bills with 95 receiving yards, and Keon Coleman added six catches for 63 yards after D.J. Moore left with a shoulder injury.
The pattern is pretty clear: this Lions secondary has been vulnerable, and the Jets should attack it through Wilson. Frank Reich and the offensive staff need to make getting the ball into his hands a priority.
Through two games, good things have happened almost every time New York has thrown his way. Sunday looks like the right time to lean into that and let Wilson drive the offense.
In Other News...
Jets Face A Kicker Decision They Cant Delay Much Longer
The Jets have spent the opening stretch of the 2026 season trying to play it both ways at kicker, alternating between Blake Grupe and Jason Sanders while waiting for one of them to separate. Sanders, who is on the practice squad, has already been elevated three times and is expected to handle the job again in Week 3 against the Detroit Lions, giving New York one more look before it has to make a cleaner call.
After Sunday, the decision gets harder to avoid. NFL rules limit practice squad elevations, so the Jets will need to either sign Sanders to the active roster or stick with Grupe and move forward without the weekly flexibility they have leaned on so far. For a team trying to steady a position that can swing games in a hurry, the clock on this one is already running down. [Read more 🡒]
Jets WR Crisis Could Force An Unexpected Choice Vs Lions
The Jets are heading into their game against the Lions with their receiver room stretched thin, and Aaron Glenn said the team plans to elevate a wideout from the practice squad to help patch things together. With multiple injuries leaving the position group short on healthy bodies, the move feels less like a luxury and more like a necessity as New York tries to get through another week.
Sterling Shepard and Tyler Johnson were recently added to the practice squad, giving the Jets a pair of veteran options to consider before kickoff. Glenn did not say which one would get the call, so the decision now hangs over a depth chart already under pressure and adds one more bit of intrigue to a matchup the Jets would rather approach with more stability on offense. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Pass Rush Has A Real Chance To Rattle Detroit
The Jets edge group is heading into a matchup that could shape the night against Detroit, with rookie David Bailey set to be part of a rotation that has quietly given New York a chance to pressure quarterbacks all season. Bailey has already flashed real pass-rushing ability, and the larger challenge for the Jets is turning that into a steady problem for a Lions offense that will be sorting out its tackles as the game unfolds.
Bailey figures to see one of two familiar-looking tests on the edge, either Blake Miller coming back from injury or Larry Borom after a rough recent outing, while Kingsley Enagbare and Will McDonald should also be in the mix. For a Jets defense looking to make an impact early, this is the kind of matchup where one strong stretch from the front can tilt the whole game plan. [Read more 🡒]