Week 15 Detroit Lions Game Info/Matchups to Watch

Game Information – NY Jets Game Preview

• Detroit Lions (+1) @ New York Jets (44.5 O/U)

• Date/Time: December 18th, 2022, 1:00pm EST
• Announcers: CBS – Ian Eagle, Charles Davis, Evan Washburn
• Location/Weather: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ (temp/wind/precipitation)
• Referee: Craig Wrolstad

2022 Season Leaders

Passing: Jared Goff (290/444, 65.3% comp, 3,352 yards, 22 TD, 7 INT)

Rushing: Jamaal Williams (204 att, 806 yards, 14 TD)

Receiving: Amon-Ra St. Brown (82 rec, 898 yards, 6 TD)

Tackles: Alex Anzalone (100)

Sacks: Aidan Hutchinson (7)

Interceptions: Kerby Joseph (3)

Jets/Lions History

• Series tied 7-7-0
• Last Meeting: Week 1, 2018; NYJ won 48-17 (Sam Darnold’s rookie debut)
• NYJ has won 4 of last 5 since 2002
• Both teams coached in the 2022 Reese’s Senior Bowl

Matchups to Watch

WRs Amon-Ra St. Brown/Jameson Williams vs CB D.J. Reed/Sauce Gardner

• To the surprise of nobody, the Jets’ cornerbacks are going to be the focal point of this week’s matchup. St. Brown is averaging just under 75 yards per game, while Gardner is allowing just 20.1 yards per game, so when these two are lined up against each other it will be strength on strength. Sauce has allowed 50 or more yards once, back in Week 3, and I fully expect that trend to continue. New York has the advantage on the boundary in this matchup.

WRs Garrett Wilson/Elijah Moore vs CB Jeff Okudah/Jerry Jacobs

• Jerry Jacobs has been the Lions starting boundary cornerback opposite Okudah for the last 3 games. He has allowed 257 receiving yards in the last 4 games (for comparison, Sauce has allowed 262 yards all season), so the opportunity to throw the ball will be there. Finally getting back on track, Elijah Moore has 19 targets and 131 yards since Week 12, trailing only Garrett Wilson in those categories. This dynamic young duo for New York should have plenty of chances to make splash plays against a leaky Detroit secondary. Okudah, despite being a top-3 overall draft pick just a few years ago, has had his fair share of struggles so far in his career. Allowing 437 yards and a completion percentage of 65.3% to opposing quarterbacks, look for Moore and Wilson to continue finding success in the passing game.

Keys to Victory

• Keep Zach Wilson grounded. The entire game is going to hinge on how well, or how poorly, Wilson plays Sunday. With a playoff opportunity on the line, it is imperative that the offense continues to trend in the right direction after watching Mike White average 317 yards over the last 3 games. If his benching did in fact help him “find the fun in football” and made him a better quarterback fundamentally, then he should be able to do more than enough to lead this team to victory. If we get to the 3rd quarter and we are reliant on a defensive touchdown, then it will likely be the last chance for Wilson to lead this team in 2022. Everything, once again, falls on #2’s shoulders.

• Disrupt Jared Goff to keep the passing attack somewhat ineffective. Since Week 10, Goff has been one of the best quarterbacks in several key analytic categories. He is 2nd in TD:INT ratio (8-0), 3rd in QBR (76.0), and 3rd in Yards per Dropback (7.3). The Jets defense hasn’t allowed 250+ passing yards since Week 3 against Joe Burrow when he threw for 261, and Goff shouldn’t be the quarterback that bucks this trend.

Predictions

• Elijah Moore and Garrett Wilson combine for 120+ receiving yards
• Bam Knight scores a touchdown
• Sauce Gardner gets his 3rd INT of the season

A large majority of the talk this week in the national media has been centered around the Detroit Lions and their high-powered offense. That was until New York announced that Mike White is out for the game, and that Zach Wilson will be the starter this week. Now, with expectations scattered all over the map regarding Wilson, the Jets enter “must-win” territory with 4 weeks remaining. Despite the hot streak the Lions are on, and the production over-expectation that the team as a whole has given over the last six weeks, I believe this is a game that the Jets should be in control of. If Zach Wilson can get off to a hot start, giving the defense a lead to work with, they will have the ability to make Detroit look like a pedestrian team that has no business in the playoff picture. With all that being said, I think the volatility of Wilson, as well as the injuries to Quinnen Williams and Corey Davis, will keep this game close at a minimum. The playoffs start now for New York, but I think they can take care of business in this one.

• Score: Win, 21-20