EAST RUTHERFORD — In their first six games, the New York Jets have faced All-Pro quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Russell Wilson, and Jalen Hurts.
What they’ve done to these excellent quarterbacks has been nothing short of impressive.
Hurts was the latest victim of a dynamic defensive effort Sunday night that resulted in the Jets’ first-ever win against the Philadelphia Eagles, 20-14. New York forced Philadelphia into four costly turnovers while confusing one of the best offensive lines in all of football. All this even came without corners Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed – two players out with concussions leading up to game time.
“Through these first six weeks, we have played a gauntlet of quarterbacks. I know we haven’t won them all, but we’ve embarrassed all of them,” Jets head coach Robert Saleh said. “I thought Brick (Jeff Ulbrich) and the staff had an excellent game plan down four of our six corners. I thought our D-line was good in terms of keeping that kid in the pocket. He’s a handful (Jalen Hurts). Their o-line, their receivers, I thought our guys battled all the way through. Proud of them.”
Of course, playing without their two starting corners will be the story, but it doesn’t paint the whole picture of Sunday’s win. For the first time in a long time, Philadelphia’s vaunted offensive line crumbled under the weight of the Jets pass rush and loss of All-Pro Lane Johnson.
New York’s pass rush generated 20 total pressures while recording two sacks. The 40% pressure rate was the most Hurts has seen in the last 36 games as a starting quarterback – a number that only shows just how complete the Jets defensive performance was on Sunday.
Keeping the top rushing attack in the NFL grounded as they also did explains how important the linebackers were in pulling off the upset.
“It’s everybody,” John Franklin-Myers explained. “…defensively, defensive line, we’re out there hunting, we’re out there getting them off the spot, doing everything we can to get them down. On the back end, those guys are covering their [explicit] off.”
If most Jets fans were polled before the season, they would have been ecstatic if the team could get to 3-3 with their tough opening schedule even with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. The fact that the team was still able to reach that mark with Zach Wilson shows just how dominant the rest of the team has been.
Garrett Wilson recorded eight catches for 90 yards, Breece Hall scored the game-winning score, and even Greg Zuerlein went four for four on field goal attempts. Against an Eagles team that had their kicker miss a 37-yard field goal, their running and receiver made multiple mistakes through the air, and the upset became more and more likely.
It wasn’t until Tony Adams’ interception late in the game though that made the likely scenario a reality.
“I had a game-winning interception before in college, but it was nothing like this,” Adams said. “To do it with these guys and this locker room, after all we went through, after the late news this week, it is an honor. It’s an honor to (handle) business with these guys, just doing my job.”
New York’s defense has certainly handled business against some of the top offenses in football. Against Mahomes, Allen, and Hurts, the unit has forced eight interceptions and has gone 2-1 against three of the top five quarterbacks in football.
Gang Green, at 3-3, is certainly in a position to make the playoffs now with Wilson at the helm. If they get into the later parts of the season, and with Rodgers’ potential comeback becoming more of a reality, the Jets are in a spot to compete not just to end their playoff drought but to win a highly competitive AFC East.
So long as the Jets’ defense plays as well as they did on Sunday, their hopes of the division and playoffs can become a reality far quicker than most realize.
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