The Thanksgiving Day holiday will be a little different this year for Jets OC Tanner Engstrand and his family. Not in terms of the traditional playbook, in terms of food. After spending five years with the Detroit Lions, who have hosted a game on the day since 1934, Engstrand and his family will get to (mostly) share their experience with millions of Americans following Thursday's practice.

"They're excited that they will be able to get home for a good meal in the afternoon," Engstrand said. "Having been in Detroit for five years, it was an accelerated week, but a normal Thursday game for us. So this week, knowing that we play the traditional Sunday game, it still maybe speeds it up just a little bit, you know? But, yeah it'll be a little different not playing on Thursday."

As Engstrand and the Jets (2-9) prepare to host the Atlanta Falcons (4-7) at MetLife Stadium on Sunday in their Week 13 game, the team's 43-year-old offensive coordinator who began his coaching career as Jim Harbaugh's graduate assistant at University of San Diego in 2005 said he's been encouraged by the continued evolution of the offense.

"I think we're an offensive unit that is making weekly improvements," he said. "And I would bet everybody would agree that we're not where we want to be or strive to go, but we're doing a lot of things on a weekly basis that show promise, that we're seeing the DNA of what we want to be.

"The two biggest things, I see a physical mentality, and that obviously starts with the O-line up front," he said. "I see a physical presence by those players. I see the tight ends involved in it. I see the wide receivers becoming involved in the run game, blocking down safeties and staying on blocks and blocking corners. And then the runners are doing a good job. I mean, Breece Hall is having a heck of a year back there, and Isaiah Davis is doing a great job in his role. So I feel really, really good about that. And then we're starting to see some of the things that can come off the run game, such as your play action pass and in your movement game. So I'm really starting to see some things to start to formulate."

Hall is the leader of a rushing offense that is No. 7 in the league (135.8 yards per game), while individually he is closing in on 1,000 rush yards (he has 766 with 6 games to play) and has also been a big contributor in the passing game with 28 receptions for 301 yards (10.8 per catch, with 265 yards after catches). After Hall's fumble as he struggled for yards near the goal line last week against Baltimore, Engstrand applauded the effort and quickly turned the page.

What could Engstrand say after it happened?

"It's really hard," he said. "Because it's a sensitive moment at that time, because he's giving everything he has to try to win the football game. And really, I just said it to him, honestly, I did, I said, 'You're one of the reasons we got down there, move past it. Move to the next one and we'll try to fight our way back into this.' And he knows he's got to hold on to the football. He knows that we preach it every day."

QB Tyrod Taylor will again get the start for the Jets against the Falcons, his second straight and third of the season.

"He's a never too high, never too low guy, but he'll show some emotion at times when he feels it necessary or when I guess he feels like he needs to," Engstrand said. "He's a calming presence, that's for sure. And I think that's really good for some of the young players that we have on our team. We've got a handful of first- or second-year players that are out there playing right now, and to have that kind of calming presence I think is a good thing."

With WR1 Garrett Wilson on injured reserve with a knee injury, GM Darren Mougey obtained a pair of wide receivers -- John Metchie III from Philadelphia and Adonai Mitchell from Indianapolis -- who have quickly and seamlessly moved into the rotation at the position. Metchie has caught a TD pass in each of the past two games.

"He [Metchie] is a pro like you want to talk about what a pro is, that's John," Engstrand said. "He's a very instinctual, smart football player that loves the game and he wants to just help this team be as good as it can. [Mitchell] has taken the playbook and he's absorbed it, the game plans for that week and knowing where to line up, and learning the details of his routes and the blocking schemes in the run game.

"Quite frankly, they have surpassed my expectations of getting a receiver in the building at the trade deadline."