Defending the Slot Receiver
Through six games of the season, the Jets have had one player with consistent production and that is their slot receiver, Jamison Crowder. Although Crowder has only played in four of the Jets six games, he is still the team leader in receptions and yards by quite a bit. In the four games he has played, Crowder has totaled 29 receptions for 383 yards and two touchdowns so far this season.
What is truly amazing is the amount that Crowder leads the Jets in targets. Once again, in only four games Crowder has a total of 46 targets which makes up almost a quarter of the target share. If he played all six games, there’s a chance Crowder’s target share could’ve made up around 30-40 percent of the Jets total targets.
In their first matchup of the season, Crowder managed to haul in 7 receptions on 13 targets for a total of 115 yards and a touchdown. Most of this production came on one big play in the third quarter when Crowder took a short pass and turned it into a 69-yard touchdown reception with his run after the catch.
Although the Jets are beginning to get their other receivers involved a bit more, defending the slot has been an area of weakness for the Buffalo Bills’ defense so far. Taron Johnson entered Year 3 with the nickel corner position locked up primarily because of his willingness and ability in run support.
However, when Johnson has been isolated on the slot receiver on passing plays, he has been picked on all season. He has been picked on so much that the Bills have experimented with Cam Lewis and Siran Neal at the nickel cornerback position the last two weeks.