The highs and lows of an overhyped Jets defense
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The Jets defense had massive expectations heading into this season, both internally and externally.
One of the biggest storylines after last year was if the Jets could just find a quarterback, they would be a playoff team because they had such a good defense.
The unit finished fourth in the NFL last year in both yards allowed and points allowed.
The defense spoke confidently in training camp about being the No. 1 unit in the league, and cornerback D.J. Reed even ventured to say the unit could be better than the 1985 Bears, the group generally considered to be the best defense in NFL history.
So, how has the defense performed through five games?
Well, Richard Dent and Mike Singletary have nothing to worry about.
This has not been one of the best defenses ever to step on a field. However, they also have not been as bad as some people have made them out to be.
The unit is very up-and-down. They are doing some things really well and others not so much. Statistically, they are ranked 22nd in yards allowed and 14th in points allowed.
The injury to Aaron Rodgers has affected them like it has affected every piece of the Jets team.
The expectation this year was they would be playing with leads and be able to tee off on the quarterback. Instead, the Jets have played from behind for every minute of this season except for Sunday, when they had an early lead and then led for most of the second half against the Broncos.
Here is a breakdown of some of the good and some of the bad we’ve seen from this Jets defense.
The bad: Slow starts
Yes, part of the reason the Jets have been playing behind so much is the offense has struggled, but the defense also always seems to surrender points early.
The Jets have given up 34 total points in first quarter this season and 34 points in the second quarter. They have allowed 611 total yards in the first quarter and 455 in the second.
It has been odd to watch this unit start out slow. It is as if they don’t know what to expect from the opponent.
The Chiefs put up 17 points and 200 yards in the first quarter. The Broncos marched down the field on their first possession Sunday, hitting several big plays. The second quarter has not been much better, and that has led to the Jets trailing at halftime in every game they’ve played.
The good: In-game adjustments
If we are going to criticize the Jets for their slow starts, we also should credit them for their strong finishes.
The defense has made some great adjustments this season to how they were attacked early. The Jets have given up just a combined 12 points and 269 yards in the third quarter this season. They have allowed 17 points and 428 yards in the fourth. Denver’s touchdown Sunday was the first time the Jets have given up a second-half touchdown this season.
Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has hinted he has gotten too cute at the beginning of games and the Jets get back to basics later. They also have made some great adjustments. Against the Broncos, they switched up their secondary looks more, used a spy on Russell Wilson to take away his scrambling and shut down the screen game.
The bad: Explosive plays
The Jets have been giving up big plays, and it has hurt them. I’m going to define an explosive play as at least a 25-yard pass or 15-yard run, and that is generous. The Jets have given up 21 of those plays. Four of the eight touchdowns they have given up have been of 20 yards or more.
The past two weeks have been particularly bad. The Chiefs hit them for six big plays, two of them resulting in touchdowns. The Broncos hit them with eight big plays. When you ask the Jets what has led to them, they mostly say communication issues. But this defense has been together now for two years. Of the starters on Sunday, only Quinton Jefferson is new to the team this year. This is an area the Jets have to clean up.
The good: Red zone defense
Though the Jets have been giving up long touchdowns, they have been stingy on the short ones.
Opponents have scored just four red-zone touchdowns. That is just 31.3 percent of red-zone trips for opponents, which ranks third in the NFL.
On the CBS broadcast Sunday, the announcers said Broncos coach Sean Payton told them he stayed up late trying to come up with ways to attack the Jets in the red zone. You could see the Jets were in Payton’s head with some of his play calls inside the 20.
The bad: Run defense
The Jets are 29th in the NFL against the run, allowing 146.2 yards per game. The run defense has been leaky and has led to some massive runs.
Isiah Pacheco broke the long touchdown run for the Chiefs two weeks ago, and Jaleel McLaughlin hurt the Jets early Sunday when he broke a 38-yard run for the Broncos.
The Jets have a very strong pass rush, but their linemen are not as good against the run. Al Woods is their main run stuffer, and he was inactive for the Chiefs game.
The Jets have had trouble setting the edge in some games.
The good: Defending elite QBs
The Jets did an amazing job against Josh Allen in Week 1 and against Patrick Mahomes in Week 4. Allen had only one touchdown and three interceptions in the game. He has a combined 10 touchdowns and two interceptions in his other four games.
Mahomes never looked comfortable against the Jets, continually throwing off his back foot. He had one touchdown pass and two interceptions against the Jets. He has nine touchdowns and two interceptions against everyone else.
You can say Allen and Mahomes had bad days, but it’s not a coincidence it came against the Jets defense. Both quarterbacks looked uncomfortable.
The bad: A lack of sacks
The Jets have 11 sacks, which ranks 24th in the league. The expectation coming into the season was the Jets defensive line was going to terrorize opposing quarterbacks. There have been stretches where we have seen that, but not to the extent we expected.
The Jets still seem to be figuring out their rotation at edge rusher. Bryce Huff is seeing more time, and that will help the pass rush. Huff has an unreal first step and is becoming one of the best pass rushers in the league.
The good: Plenty of pressures
The Jets are 11th in quarterback pressures with 45 this season. The Jets have been in the backfield, but they have been hurt by two factors in getting sacks.
One, opposing teams have been playing with leads and running more. The other is teams have been using the quick passing game to neutralize the Jets’ pass rush. The Cowboys showed how effective this can be in the Week 2 game, and others are trying it. The Broncos used a lot of screen passes early, but when Wilson held the ball, the Jets got to him.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out as the season goes on. The Jets’ defensive style is to give up some underneath throws and to avoid getting beat deep. But they may need to tighten their coverage on short throws to allow their edge rushers to get home more.
Stat’s so
Breece Hall had a monster day Sunday in Denver, rushing for 177 yards. He continues to rack up impressive numbers. What he has done to start his career has been historic. His yards per carry are the most by any runner through their first 15 games.
Want to catch a game? The Jets schedule with links to buy tickets can be found here.
Mecole mining
The free-agent signing of Mecole Hardman was clearly a mistake. Joe Douglas whiffed on this one, and the quicker he admits it and moves on, the better.
ESPN reported Tuesday the Jets were shopping Hardman. They should not be picky on any offers they get. Hardman was a healthy scratch on Sunday, and has had no role on offense all year. The Jets need to move on and get whatever they can for him.
It sounds as if Hardman just wasn’t a good fit with the Jets.
When you ask people in the organization, they don’t say he’s a bad guy or anything. But he never clicked with the coaches and was passed on the depth chart. First, Randall Cobb started taking most of the slot receiver reps in training camp. Then, rookie Xavier Gipson moved past him in recent weeks, and has been used as a gadget guy.
Mistakes happen in free agency. This is not a costly one for the Jets. It was just a one-year, $4 million contract.
But it’s time to move on from it.
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