Gang Green Nation
Last season’s opener saw Justin Fields put together an impressive performance as he completed 16 of 22 passes for 218 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 48 yards and two scores.
It actually wasn’t his best performance of the year statistically, as he had three other games with more passing yards, one of which saw him complete a higher percentage of his passes.
However, it was the only time all year Fields played with unflappable confidence and it could have been a signature win if not for an incredible lucky bounce landing right in DK Metcalf’s lap. This set up the long game-winning kick as time expired.
Clearly the performance was a significant outlier, but how does it stack up against some of the wackiest outliers in Jets history?
Let’s come up with an arbitrary top-10 list and then you guys can tell us what we missed and where we went wrong!
10. Stephen Hill: Rookie Sensation
Stephen Hill was one of the final draft busts of Mike Tannenbaum’s tenure as Jets’ general manager. The second round wideout ended up with just 45 career catches as he lasted just two years with the Jets and was soon out of the league altogether.
For one game, though, it looked like the Jets had found a difference maker. Hill caught five passes for 84 yards and two touchdowns as the much-maligned Jets offense stunned the Bills 48-28 in Hill’s NFL debut.
Hill was injury prone and displayed shaky hands over the rest of his career, although he did actually post a 100-yard game against the Bills in his second season so maybe this isn’t the outlier we remember it to be. Let’s call it the exception that proves the rule…
9. Josh Johnson’s flawless record
Josh Johnson has already had one of the wildest careers on record, having played for 14 NFL teams since being drafted in 2008.
He was with the Jets in both 2015 and 2021, but only got a shot to play meaningful reps once.
He played in the final three quarters of a 2021 game, after Mike White got knocked by the Colts and their head coach, current Jets offensive coordinator Frank Reich. However, Johnson passed for 317 yards and almost led the Jets within striking difference after they had trailed 42-10 late in the third quarter.
With the Jets down 15, Johnson had the Jets in the red zone with over a minute remaining, and a touchdown would have made it a one-possession game with a chance to go for an onside kick. A deflected pass was intercepted to end the threat but, for three quarters, Johnson had looked the part.
He didn’t get another chance with the Jets and then promptly put up another 300-yard game in his only start of the 2022 season with the Ravens. One 300-yard passing performance in zero starts as a Jet is an impressive ratio, though.
8. Brett Favre shows up
The Jets made a blockbuster trade to...
