Arizona Cardinals vs. NY Jets: By the Numbers

Offense: This is about what most of us would have expected, although the passing offense should probably work their way into the top five soon. The passing offense has taken a back seat to the running game a couple of times and the running game has shown signs of becoming a productive part of the game plan. The points per game is down slightly (25.3 to 23.7), as is the passing offense (254.1 to 245.7). The total yards (344.1 to 347.7) and running game (90.0 to 102.0) have both improved though. The coaching staff has preached about having a balanced offense and while the passing game will always be the strength, they are working towards being more balanced than previous seasons.

Defense: The defense has come out of the gates very strong and shown signs of being a completely different unit than the one that got torched last season. Many will say that they're stats are inflated by playing inferior offenses but the fact remains that last season this defense didn't stop anyone, so this is an improvement. The defense has improved in every area expect against run (97.9 to 105.3), but with Gabe Watson getting healthy that number should start to creep back down. They have improved in points allowed (24.9 to 15.7), total yards (330.2 to 283.3) and passing yards (232.3 to 178). It'll be tough to keep the passing yards too far below 200, once they start playing better opponents but the rush defense could drop by a full 10 yards. I think as long as they can keep their average below 300 yards and points allowed below 20, this team can be successful.

Offense: It's hard to make much of the Jet's offensive numbers because Favre should get better every week as he learns more of the offense. As of right now, the offense as a whole is actually gaining slightly less yards than last season (294.7 to 285.7), but the main reason for the drop is the rush offense which has really fallen off (106.3 to 85.7). The pass offense (188.4 to 200.0) and points per game (16.8 to 19.7) are up slightly. The passing offense should probably sneak up closer to tenth in the league as the season goes along but the rush offense should be a big concern for Jets fans.

Defense: The defense, like the offense, is still trying to gel with new players and young guys getting a chance. The secondary is stocked with young inexperienced talent which would explain their poor pass defense. The pass defense is worse than last year (197.1 to 211.3), but as the young guys get experience that number could improve. The front seven has vastly improved the run defense though (134.8 to 86.7) and the additions of Jenkins and Pace seem to be reaping immediate benefits. Overall the defense is allowing fewer yards (331.9 to 298) but more points (22.2 to 27) than 2007.