The Summer of Hack finally began on Saturday against the Tennessee Titans and it definitely left Jets fans wanting for more. Nearly a year after he struggled in a pre-season finale disaster in Philadelphia, Christian Hackenberg went 18 for 25 for 127 yards and a lost fumble in New York’s 7-3 victory against Tennessee at MetLife Stadium. That performance earned a glowing review from starting quarterback Josh McCown who himself engineered an eight-play, 78-yard opening touchdown drive for the Jets.
There’s nowhere to go but up for the former Penn State quarterback, who didn’t appear in a single regular-season game for the Jets last campaign despite being selected in the second round of the 2016 draft. One thing Hackenberg must address if he is to become the Jets’ starter is his long passes. He went 0-for-3 against the Titans in passes that traveled more than 10 yards in the air.
The early signs are good, however, that Hackenberg is slowly mastering John Morton’s West Coast offense, which is predicated on a controlled passing attack. Hackenberg and the rest of the Jets’ offense will look to build on that strong start when they take on the Detroit Lions this coming Saturday. They will have their work cut out for them, however, against a Lions defense that allowed just 195 passing yards in their preseason opener against the Colts.
The Detroit Lions got their 2017 preseason campaign off and running with a comprehensive 24-10 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. Jake Rudock solidified his status as the Lions’ leading QB understudy, completing 13 of 21 passes for 142 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Having a solid backup is very important in this league, just ask the Colts who are still struggling to find a replacement for the injured Andrew Luck.
That being said, Detroit is still Matthew Stafford’s team. He played in just one series against the Colts, going 2 of 3 for 36 yards and an interception. Stafford, who played just two minutes on Sunday, is expected to get more reps against the Jets next weekend. Another player to watch out for in Week 2 is Kenny Golladay. The rookie wide receiver caught three passes for a team-high 53 yards and two touchdowns in the win against Indianapolis. If the Northern Illinois alum can continue his fine form, he definitely has the inside track on becoming Detroit’s No. 3 receiver this season. Golladay will look to dissect a Jets secondary that allowed just 87 yards through the air on Saturday.
On the injury front, it’s all bad news for Detroit as defensive lineman Kerry Hyder went down with a significant Achilles injury. If the Lions’ fears are confirmed and Hyder indeed suffered a torn Achilles tendon, that’s a crippling blow for Detroit’s defense. Hyder led the Lions in sacks last season with eight.
