FLORHAM PARK — It hasn’t happened a lot this year. Due to injuries along the offensive side of the ball, the New York Jets defense hasn’t had an opportunity to play with a lead consistently in 2023.
That all changed last week against Houston.
And boy, did the Jets’ defense ever show how good they can be.
In New York’s 30-6 blowout win over the Texans, Gang Green’s defense held a top-10 unit in the league to just 135 yards of total offense. The Jets held CJ Stroud – the front-runner for offensive rookie of the year at quarterback – to just 91 passing yards before he was lost for the game late in the fourth with a concussion.
Probably the most impressive stat of the day came though in the second half. The Jets gave up just two first downs and forced Houston into six of seven possessions that lasted just four plays. The level of dominance that was put on display happened with the team holding a multi-possession lead – something that has rarely happened all year.
“It felt great,” Quinnen Williams said Thursday. “Just to see the offense have a lot of success, to see Zach go out and ball out, to see what we can be when we execute at all three phases. It was a super fun win. Just have to be more consistent and keep those things done.”
Easily the best part of the win – outside of the offense putting up the most points they have all year, was the levels of dominance on display from all three phases of the defensive unit.
“We know the circumstances of how it’s been,” Jordan Whitehead told AMNY. “We as a defensive back group, we definitely wanted the ball in passing downs more. Even though we didn’t get any interceptions last week, we still had seven-eight PBU’s. Hopefully this week we can get a lead and show the world what we can do.”
New York’s elite secondary made things difficult to move the ball downfield for a player like Stroud, but the interior of the defensive line certainly helped apply even more pressure. The Jets racked up five sacks against a unit that had been serviceable throughout the season.
While players in the secondary have credited the defensive line for their help in letting them dominant, it’s the other way around for the top guys up front.
“We’ve got amazing cornerbacks covering,” Williams said. “They’re doing their job and giving us that hitch to be able to affect the quarterback. When you have guys like J-White and TA, they’re all balling out.”
Gang Green’s task is far more difficult next week when they take on Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, and a Miami Dolphins offense that has been the top offense in the AFC this season based on points per game. Even though they’ve already lost to the fish this year just a couple of weeks ago, the Jets are extremely confident going into a game that could increase their playoff odds exponentially.
Even if they have a tough matchup upcoming against a lethal offense.
“They look like a mini-track team out there,” Jets captain CJ Mosley said. “It’s something that tests our rules, our strain…You got to make sure we handle the perimeter runs and get after the quarterback.”
If the Jets offense produces anything close to what they did last week, the defense could be in line for another stellar performance. It may be seen as a long-shot at just 5-8 on the year, but New York’s playoff hopes aren’t dead yet – and that leaves plenty of excitement going into Sunday’s AFC East showdown.
