It’s a shufflefest in the Jets locker room! Coach Robert Saleh was fired after the team scored 2-3 till Week 5 in the season. Hence, to replace him, coach Jeff Ulbrich stepped up. However, the result is the same – another loss for the team in Week 6. Now comes the new Nathaniel Hackett episode. Earlier quarterback Aaron Rodgers appreciated the former offensive coordinator after his demotion, calling him “one of my dearest friends in the league.” But, now that Todd Downing has taken over the playcalling after Hackett, has he stood up to the expectations?

Well, it seems the Jets running back thinks so, as he delivered a subtle criticism at Nathaniel Hackett. What happened was that NYJets’ star player, Breece Hall was asked about his take on whether the change in play-caller made any difference this week. To which, he said, “Runnings pretty much the same stuff, just executed better.” Hall thinks that although they had the same strategies and design of how they run the football, the players are now performing those plays more effectively.

In addition to that, Hall further emphasized, “It was just a matter of time before our offense got clicking…..And, you know, we just got to execute better in the red zone.” In the game, it was important to get Breece Hall and Braelon Allen going. Hence, the Jets did the same. As a result, the franchise was able to put up a close game against the Bills from the start.

So, this means, Todd Downing’s work and new coach Jeff Ulbrich’s belief in him has paved the way for Aaron Rodgers’ team. Therefore, with time, it’s likely the Jets could come up as strong, as Ulbrich himself highlighted Todd Downing’s importance by saying, via the NYJets official site, “When Downing was the OC in Tennessee (2021-22), the Titans were tough and ruthless and they finished and ran the ball and played on their terms.”

Hence, the new HC thinks, Downing can bring good fortune to the franchise.

Todd Downing can help Aaron Rodgers’ team to win games?

The Jets made a bold move, handing over play-calling duties to Todd Downing this week. And wow, it’s already paying off. Monday night against the Bills, the Jets came out strong, scoring on their first two drives. It’s great because it’s something we haven’t seen from them since 2022. But wait! There’s even better than that!

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw his first first-quarter touchdown in 22 games to Garrett Wilson. In addition to that, the offense, under Downing’s leadership, appeared more dynamic, as they used more motion, play-action, and quick play-calling. As a result, this has opened up better opportunities, especially for running back Breece Hall, who’s had his best performance of the season so far (65 carries for 197 yards and 3 touchdowns in the past 5 games).

Overall, despite some drops and minor errors, the offensive execution seems to be improving. So, does this mean the era of Todd Downing and the Jets have come?