Fantasy Index

Factoid

The Jets' woeful ground game

Can Lions coaches turn things around?

Do new Jets head coach Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand know what they're getting into? They're moving from one of the league's very best ground games to one of its very worst. They'll have their work cut out for them.

New York has ranked in the bottom 10 in rushing offense seven years in a row. The last two years they've ranked last or next-to-last in rushing touchdowns, with 15 total across those two seasons. That puts them at the exact opposite end of the spectrum as the Lions team those coaches come over from. Detroit has scored 56 rushing touchdowns the last two years, most in the NFL.

RUSHING TDS, 2023-2024
Team'23'24Tot
Detroit272956
Buffalo223254
Philadelphia222951
Baltimore262147
San Francisco271744
Indianapolis192039
Washington142539
Miami271239
Arizona171835
Green Bay102333
LA Rams181533
Atlanta141832
Jacksonville171330
Pittsburgh161430
Chicago161329
Seattle111728
LA Chargers111728
New Orleans131528
Tennessee161127
Carolina71825
Houston101525
Kansas City91524
Tampa Bay81624
NY Giants101323
Cleveland15823
Cincinnati121123
Las Vegas111021
New England91120
Denver81220
Dallas14620
Minnesota7916
NY Jets7815

But the new Jets coaching staff, or those holding onto Jets running backs in dynasty leagues, can at least take solace from the fact that there's nowhere to go but up. Teams that have finished at the bottom of the league in rushing touchdowns tend to get better the next season. In some cases, a lot better.

I looked at the five worst teams in rushing touchdowns over each of the past five seasons. Of those 25 teams, only four of them came back and scored fewer rushing touchdowns a year later. The other 21 not only improved, but more than half (12) improved by 5-plus touchdowns. (In the table, the decliners are in italics.)

TD-POOR RUN GAMES, NEXT SEASON (2019-2024)
Team'19'20+/-
Chicago812+4
Detroit717+10
Pittsburgh712+5
NY Jets69+3
Jacksonville39+6
Team'20'21'+/-
Chicago1214+2
Pittsburgh1210-2
Houston108-2
NY Jets914+5
Jacksonville913+4
Team'21'22'+/-
Minnesota1018+8
LA Rams1015+5
Pittsburgh1016+6
NY Giants821+13
Houston87-1
Team'22'23'+/-
Denver118-3
Washington914+5
Indianapolis819+11
Houston710+3
Tampa Bay58+3
Team'23'24'+/-
Denver812+4
Tampa Bay816+8
Minnesota79+2
Carolina718+11
NY Jets78+1

In general, odds are great that the Jets will be scoring more rushing touchdowns next season; potentially a lot more. Now, we can't be 100 percent certain who the main beneficiary will be (Justin Fields, for example, might be running in a bunch of them). But the new coaching staff should be overseeing an offense that will be more respectable in this area in 2025.

--Andy Richardson

Older
Newer

Fantasy Index