Yes, losing to the Detroit Lions sucked. The New York Jets came this close to tying the game or possibly scoring a touchdown and trying to go for two to win the game in regulation, but alas, the Jets were 1-2.
However, there is a silver lining to this loss: the Jets have an absolute breakout star in rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq. It only took one rash injury to discover it, but hey, beggars can’t be choosers.
He finished the Lions’ Week 3 game with seven receptions for 105 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. When you look deeper, the statistics are even more impressive. He averaged 15 yards per reception, had a long of 43 yards, was targeted eight times, and produced 46 yards after the catch.
Sadiq missed a ton of time this offseason due to sports hernia surgery. The Jets were forced to adjust the amount of playbooks thrown at him. After the 31-24 loss to Detroit, head coach Aaron Glenn said:
“Well, now’s the time to throw a lot to him. He’s getting every rep possible to do that. He can play multiple positions; as you saw today, he’s a guy athletically on a different level than a lot of tight ends in this league, and he’s very smart when it comes to understanding the football.”
He needs to be the main straw in the offense going forward. The Jets haven’t had a weapon like this at tight end since they drafted Dustin Keller in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft.
4 Studs and 4 Duds in Jets’ Hard-Fought Road Loss to Lions (O-Line Issues Overshadow TEs’ Big Day) – Nick Faria/Jets at SI