At a juncture in the season where wins feel even more valuable, the Jets offense is doing its fair share to earn them. Over the last three weeks the Jets have scored 99 points, third-best in the NFL over that span. The 13 touchdowns they have scored since Week 12 are tied for tops in the league with the New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints, two of the league's three highest-scoring teams.
The Green & White have parlayed their NFL-best 71.4 percent red zone TD rate into an offensive outburst, helping to lead the team to three consecutive wins. The group is rolling, but coordinator Brian Schottenheimer insists they haven't made any significant changes.
"I always go back to execution," Schottenheimer said this afternoon. "Explosive plays help, but there's nothing that has really stood out other than the fact that guys are making plays."
Now in the middle of December, teams rely on their rushing attack a little bit more. Ideally, the Jets always want to run the ball a ton, but there has been an increased workload lately for RB Shonn Greene.
Greene has turned in quality performances over the last three weeks, rushing for 295 yards and four touchdowns at 5.0 yards per carry.
"The more attempts we give him, the stronger he gets," said Schottenheimer. "Throughout the course of the year, he warms up. That's been his MO since he's been here. He doesn't wear down, he gets better."
The run game figures to be a large part of the Jets game plan again this week against the ferocious pass rush of the Eagles. Coming off a nine-sack performance in a victory over Miami in Week 14, Philadelphia will look to disrupt the hot Jets offense with an array of pressures.
To keep the Eagles front at bay, Schottenheimer believes the screen game may play an important role.
"This league has become such a pass-rush-happy league, teams just turn them loose," said Schottenheimer. "So much of the screen game is big-little. You're going to hit some big, some are going to go for 1 or 2. We treat it like a run."
Schottenheimer said he relies heavily on communication from his offensive line to decide when to call a screen. If the line is getting beat or senses heavy pressure, they will relay the message to Schottenheimer, who may call the play.
Between the rededication to the run and the increased importance of the screen, Greene figures to have another busy day ahead of him. He has dealt with a sore rib since the Week 11 loss in Denver, but is feeling better at the perfect time.
"He's making people miss more than he was," said Schottenheimer. "He's attacking guys, getting real close to them and then making his move. He runs with such great pad level, he's hard to get clean shots on."
Greene knows his role is important, especially when facing a potent offense like Philadelphia's.
"It seems like every week we go up against a good offense," he said. "Our job is to keep our defense on the sidelines so when they do go out there, they're fresh. Ball control is really important."
Greene acknowledges that he did not start the 2011 season quite as well as he would have liked. Lately he has turned it around and hopes to continue improving as December turns into January.
"We're getting there," he said. "We've been grinding and working hard. The thing about us is that we stepped it up, kept with it, and the coaches believed in us. It's finally coming along."
