Preview, prediction, what to watch for

An inside look at Sunday’s Jets-Vikings NFL Week 5 matchup at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London:

Marquee matchup

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson vs. Jets CBs Sauce Gardner and DJ Reed

The Jets get to test just how good their secondary is this week against the man most considered to be the best wide receiver in the NFL.

They faced him two years ago with Gardner and Reed splitting time covering him.

There is no reason to expect them to have one player following Jefferson this time.

Jefferson signed a four-year, $140 million contract extension in the offseason.

He has 20 catches for 358 yards and four touchdowns through four games this year.

Reed is coming off a strong game against the Broncos, and Gardner has been solid as usual in coverage.

They both said they are looking forward to this matchup.

“Justin, you know, there’s a reason why he’s the highest-paid receiver,” Reed said. “You know, he’s a very special receiver. Probably the best, I would say. Yeah, it’s either Justin or Tyreek (Hill). So it’s not just for me thing. It’s everyone on the field has to know where he’s at because obviously they’re going to utilize them. And yeah, I’m looking forward to the challenge, though.”

The Jets have been stingy against the pass this season.

They rank No. 2 in the NFL in passing yards allowed.

They have not allowed a 100-yard receiver yet this year.

Calvin Ridley of the Titans had the most receiving yards against them with 77.

Costello’s call

The NFL is wacky.

One week the Jets look like an efficient machine, the next week they look like they can’t do anything right.

I think things swing back the other way again this week, and the Jets will put together a strong game on offense.

I expect a motivated Aaron Rodgers after the criticism grew loud this week.

The defense struggles, but Sauce Gardner intercepts Sam Darnold to seal this win.

Jets 31, Vikings 27

Four downs

Sam I am

The Jets saw Zach Wilson standing on the opposing sideline last week.

Now, they get to see another one of their former first-round pick quarterbacks, but Sam Darnold will be playing in this one.

Darnold is off to an amazing start in his first year with the Vikings.

He has thrown for 932 yards, a league-best 11 touchdowns and three interceptions.

He has the Vikings at 4-0, and he is living up to the potential the Jets thought he had when they drafted him No. 3 overall in 2018.

“He’s balling, man,” Jets cornerback DJ Reed said. “You know, right now he looks like an MVP, you know, type of player for the National Football League. I would just say the O-line is doing a great job blocking for him. You know, it’s not that much pressure in his face, which, you know, I think he’s one of the best if he just doesn’t have anything in his face and he’s just making throws, he could do great without pressure. And he’s making smart decisions and he’s making explosive plays as well.”

Flag day

The Jets had a terrible day of penalties last week with 15 total and 13 accepted.

They were particularly terrible with false starts — five of them.

This has sparked debate among fans about coach Robert Saleh’s ability to do the job and the discipline of the team.

Fixing the penalties has been a focus this week, but Saleh was clear that does not mean he was making anyone run laps or do pushups for penalties in practice.

“I know personally they’re men,” Saleh said. “They want to be treated like men. They already know they messed up. They don’t need to be embarrassed. They need to know how to correct it, and I don’t think doing push-ups is teaching a guy how to correct it.”

G-force

One of the biggest mysteries of the early season for the Jets is what happened with star wide receiver Garrett Wilson.

The third-year player does not seem to be on the same page as quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and he has yet to have an explosive game.

Wilson has 20 catches for 191 yards and one touchdown in four games.

His season-high in receiving yards is 60 from Week 1 against the 49ers.

The team is downplaying the disconnect between Wilson and Rodgers, but it has been apparent early this season.

Could this be the day they click?

The 60K club

Rodgers is on the verge of a personal milestone in this game.

He needs 96 passing yards to become the ninth player in NFL history to pass for 60,000 yards — joining Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Ben Roethlisberger, Philip Rivers, Matt Ryan and Dan Marino.

He is going to have to do it against a tough Vikings defense.

They lead the league in sacks with 17 and are tied for the league lead with eight interceptions.

Rodgers took a beating last week against a blitzing Broncos team.

The Jets will need to show they can handle pressure this week from the Brian Flores-led defense that will blitz all day.