Who Is an X-Factor in Jets-Cardinals?

Throughout the regular season, NewYorkJets.com reporters Eric Allen, Ethan Greenberg, Randy Lange, Caroline Hendershot and John Pullano will give their responses to a series of questions regarding this year's Jets.

Today's question: Who is an X-factor in the Jets-Cardinals?

EA: I'll take Jamien Sherwood. The fourth-year linebacker, whose team-high 76 tackles have nearly eclipsed the 77 stops he had in 2021-23, will make his ninth start Sunday in Arizona. He's become the mainstay in the middle with multiple injuries derailing C.J. Mosley's season to date. The Cards have one of the NFL's best rushing outfits, ranking No. 2 in rush yards/play (5.32). James Conner remains the bellcow and 'Zona is 5-1 when he's rushed for at least 53 yards. According to Pro Football Focus, Conner is No. 1 in forced tackles missed (47), No. 2 in 10-plus-yard runs (22) and No. 5 in yards after contact/attempt (3.64). They'll also get Emari Demercado and Trey Benson involved, but QB Kyler Murray is the team's second-leading rusher and his 8.1-yard average leads all QBs. If Sherwood and the Jets defense can contain the Cards' rush attack, they can make the 'Zona offense one-dimensional. The Jets' pass rush, coming off an 8-sack performance against C.J. Stroud, is going to continue to get better as Haason Reddick gets more involved.

EG: Cardinals TE Trey McBride. McBride, a second-round pick in 2022, leads Arizona with 45 receptions and 481 yards, which each rank No. 3 in the NFL among tight ends. The Colorado State product has been a security blanket for QB Kyler Murray and has 17 more receptions than any player on the team (rookie WR Marvin Harrison Jr. has the second most with 28). McBride has been targeted at least 6 times in every game this season except last week's 29-9 win over Chicago. He's been targeted at least 9 times in 3 games this season including Week 8 when he had a season-high 11 targets, 9 catches and 124 yards. If the Jets can limit McBride, who was coached by the Jets' staff at the Senior Bowl in '22, it will force Murray to throw the ball elsewhere in a season in which he's averaging a career-low 199.1 passing yards and 28 pass attempts per game.

RL: Seems odd to say but I'll go with Sauce. Gardner, unlike his first two Pro Bowl/All-Pro seasons, has scuffled for much of the first 9 games. Not to bring up bad karma but Gardner is allowing the highest passer rating (105.0) and completion percentage (58.1%) of his career as the nearest defender in coverage this season (via Next Gen Stats). And the corner's interception drought has reached the last 33 games he's played in. He'll be tested by another young star also having some ups and downs. Rookie WR Marvin Harrison Jr. has dipped from 3.8 catches/game and 4 TD receptions in his first 4 games to 2.6 catches/game and 1 TD strike from QB Kyler Murray. They should run into each other a few times under the State Farm Stadium roof and if one or the other scores a solid individual win, that could go a long way toward determining whether the Jets or the Cards come away victorious.

CH: My X-factor is RB James Conner. Conner leads Arizona with 664 rush yards, which ranks No. 6 in the league. Conner is coming off a game in which he had 18 carries for 107 yards, his fourth game this season with 100 or more rushing yards. Last week, the Jets allowed 106 yards on the ground to Texans RB Joe Mixon, but only surrendered 15 in the second half. The Cardinals' rushing offense ranks No. 6 in the NFL while the Jets defense ranks No. 21 in rush yards allowed per game. If the Green & White can limit Conner, it will have a much better chance of winning this game. The Jets have continued to emphasize their run defense, but as interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich said: "What better week to prove who we are defensively than to go up against an opponent like this that is leaning on the run as hard as they are and are running the ball as effectively as they are."

JP: Center Joe Tippmann. Tippmann helped navigate a banged-up interior offensive line last week that was without RG Alijah Vera-Tucker (ankle), and lost starting guards John Simpson (groin) and Jake Hanson (hamstring) in the first half against the Texans. With Tippmann at the pivot in his second season and first as a full-time starter, the Jets did not surrender a sack in the second half. Tippmann will play a key role in keeping QB Aaron Rodgers upright against a Cardinals defense that's coming off a season-high 6 sacks as the Wisconsin product helps set the protections. Rodgers has been nursing hamstring, knee and ankle injuries and has struggled against pressure this season. Rodgers, according to Pro Football Focus, has 11 TDs and 4 interceptions when kept clean, and 4 TDs and 3 INTs when under duress. The Cardinals are applying pressure on just 15.3% of dropbacks, fifth lowest in the NFL.