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NFL NFL Season is Underway Armand Membou’s heart raced the night before the game. The specter of trying to block one of the NFL’s best pass rushers, in front of thousands of screaming fans at Met Life Stadium and millions more watching on TV, haunted him. A looming matchup with T. J. Watt will cause sleepless nights for even the most well-adjusted vets. Membou felt ready for the moment — until Saturday night. Advertisement Membou had studied diligently all offseason, taking notes and listening attentively to coaches in meetings. He sought advice this summer from Jets defensive end Will Mc Donald — who he battled in practice most days — and did his best to soak in anything his veteran teammates had to offer. Even in moments when he struggled this summer, Membou felt like he was progressing, learning how to take his unteachable blend of athleticism and strength and best apply it to the NFL, where, for the first time in his life, opponents will match his physical abilities. Watt has made the biggest, strongest and smartest of offensive tackles look and feel inconsequential when they’ve come across him at the line of scrimmage. Send two or three blockers at him if you have to — he still usually wins. The 21-year-old Membou isn’t one to speak up. When he does, you could say he speaks softly but, as it turns out, indeed carries a big stick. His quarterback put him at ease before the first big test of his NFL career. Membou told Justin Fields — and linebacker Quincy Williams, too — how he was feeling on Saturday. Fields told him: Rookie, you’re not the only one who’s nervous. “Nerves are what comes with the game, ” Fields said. “Me and Quincy both told him we were nervous too — but that’s just how it is. That’s a natural emotion you’re going to have before the game. ” That meant a lot to Membou. “It means a lot that my teammates have my back, ” he said. “That they believe in me. ” Still, the butterflies fluttered on Sunday morning, too. They finally disappeared when the ball was snapped for the first time. Membou burst across the line of scrimmage and put his hands on Steelers defensive tackle Isaiahh Loudermilk. On his first play, Membou helped clear a hole for running back Breece Hall, who sped through it for an 18-yard gain. Advertisement “For me, before the game I was definitely a little bit nervous and once I stepped out there I realized it was just football, ” Membou said. “So I just played my own game and took the game at my own pace. ” That first play was only the beginning. On Braelon Allen’s 8-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, Membou quickly got to the second level and took care of a Steelers linebacker, blocking him back where he came from to help clear Allen’s path to the end zone. There were plays like that all afternoon, Membou creating holes in the running game that often didn’t exist for Jets running backs last year, when this team had one of the worst rushing attacks in the NFL. Across the board, the Jets’ offensive line took care of business against the Steelers, keeping Fields clean (one sack) and dominating in the running game. All five men did their job, but it was the youngest one who was probably most impressive — or at least the most surprising. Watt finished without a sack or QB hit in 22 pass-rushing snaps, and his one pressure didn’t come against Membou. In fact, Membou didn’t allow a single pressure, QB hit or sack all afternoon, one of only 10 offensive tackles to play at least 20 snaps and not allow any pressure. “He did a really nice job, ” offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand said. “It wasn’t too big for him. I think everybody is going to get pre-game jitters the night before. I had them. He settled into the game nicely and I think he put a good first showing out there. ” Added offensive line coach Steve Heiden: “He had a good day — we expect him to play well. Each opponent is new and different. I think the thing that I appreciated most about how he performed is how he prepared during the week. The kid was preparing for the looks. He attacked it the right way. ” And center Josh Myers: “It was fun to watch him play, especially against such a good player. I thought he did a nice job. I’m excited to keep watching him. ” Advertisement Membou wasn’t merely good for a rookie — he had one of the best offensive linemen performances in the NFL in Week 1, full stop, and one of the best rookie debuts for an offensive tackle the league has seen in a long time. According to Pro Football Focus’ grading, Membou had the best overall grade for a rookie tackle in Week 1 since at least 2006. He registered the second-best run-blocking grade during that stretch, behind only Lane Johnson — and only five offensive tackles had a better pass-blocking grade in their Week 1 debut: Taylor Decker, Ronnie Stanley, Rashawn Slater, Michael Oher and Hall-of-Famer Joe Thomas. Patriots tackle Will Campbell, drafted a few spots ahead of Membou in April, allowed four pressures and a sack in his debut. Jets coach Aaron Glenn has often cited Lions tackle Penei Sewell and his importance to the development of Detroit’s offense — well, Sewell allowed six pressures and two QB hits in his 2021 debut. Here’s what The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen had to say about Membou’s performance after watching the film: His debut game could not have gone much better. He was the most impressive rookie in Week 1 and straight up looked like a top-10 right tackle in the league. Of course, he'll have to repeat his performance week in and week out to really cement himself in that tier, but to do it against a quality opponent like the Steelers and T. J. Watt speaks volumes. Membou was dominant as a run blocker and pass blocker. One of the hardest run blocks to make is a backside cutoff. When a zone is called away from a lineman, they are in a disadvantageous position, having to get their head across an opponent that is lined up inside of them. Membou was elite on backside cutoffs and punctured so many holes in the Steelers front. Several runs cut right into blocks that Membou made. There were a few times when Membou was a bit overaggressive, but this was as clean of a game as you can ask from a rookie. It also says a lot that the Jets trusted him to block Watt without much help. He even pancaked Watt on a couple of occasions. We're just one game in but so far, but Membou looks like a weapon at tackle — that's rare. Membou only seemed to improve as the game went on, too. In the fourth quarter, Watt attempted to bull-rush the rookie, but Membou held his ground. When Watt attempted to reach his arm out to tackle a scrambling Fields, Membou blocked him into the ground. Fields gained 9 yards to get to the 1-yard line, then scored on the next play to give the Jets a lead. Advertisement Even on the Jets’ final drive, which ultimately went nowhere, Membou blocked Watt to the ground again on second down. For an organization that has been fishing for blue-chip players on the offensive line ever since D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold played their last snaps in green and white, Membou’s potential is tantalizing. It’s only one game, but it’s hard for the Jets not to get excited about what Membou, the youngest starting offensive lineman in the NFL, can become — or what, it seems, he might already be. “He's obviously very tough, ” Glenn said. “He's committed to being a really, really good player and the time he’s spent in the film room, the time he spends on the field, the time he spends with his teammates trying to be the best that he can be — you see that with him on a daily basis. I'm excited about that player. We're all excited about that player. He's going to be a good player for us for a long time. ” During camp, Membou lined up across Mc Donald in team drills most days, a difficult matchup for anyone considering Mc Donald’s unique blend of length and athleticism. Mc Donald won most of those battles, but not all of them. “I think he’s going to be one of the best tackles in the league at some point, ” Mc Donald said in camp. “This year, I know he’s going to ball out. ” Saturday night, Membou expects his nerves will return. The butterflies will flutter. And then he’ll go out and hit someone. (Photo: Mitchell Leff / Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle Zack Rosenblatt is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the New York Jets. Before joining The Athletic, he worked as a staff writer for The Star-Ledger, where he covered the Eagles and Giants. He also covered the Arizona Wildcats for the Arizona Daily Star. He's a graduate of the University of Arizona and is originally from Cherry Hill, N. J. Follow Zack on Twitter @Zack Blatt