Jets defense won't let team's offensive woes impact their play
Raiders running back Josh Jacobs runs with the ball as Jets linebacker Quincy Williams defends during the second half of an NFL game Sunday in Las Vegas. Credit: AP/John Locher
The Jets defense is the main reason why this team still has a shot at making the playoffs, but its stars insist that the heavy burden isn’t causing a rift between them and their ailing offense.
While linebacker C.J. Mosley and lineman Bryce Huff acknowledged the inherent frustration of this 4-5 season, both players said they don’t feel the undue pressure of carrying a team that hasn’t scored a touchdown in 36 consecutive drives (spanning over 11 quarters).
“Those are our brothers out there trying to do the right thing, trying to put us in the right position,” Mosley said of the offense. “In 2021, our defense was in the same position, trying to figure out what our style [was]. How did we want to come out and play our style of defense? And it took some time.
We look at that season and we look at us now, it’s a whole different defense…The only thing we can do is keep doing our job as a defense, as a team, keep uplifting our brothers through this time of struggle.”
Pro Football Focus has the Jets defense, which has allowed teams to convert just 26.3% of first downs, as tops in football. They've totaled 34 sacks and have held opponents to an average of six yards per attempt, allowing 19.1 points per game.
“I don’t feel like we need to be perfect,” Huff said. “I feel like we need to continue to play to the same standard that we have and just have the least margin of error as possible…
"We would like to be playing better as a whole but as a defensive player, all we can do is control what we can control and just put our best foot forward.”
Lost in translation
Many wondered why the Jets had Garrett Wilson attempt a pass in the fourth quarter of their 16-12 loss to the Raiders on Sunday after the wide receiver was seen on the sideline getting work done on an apparent injured elbow. The answer? A miscommunication.
“It was a trick play we put in,” Robert Saleh said of the pass, which fell incomplete. “I’m not sure it was communicated all the way down to use with regard to what the injury was. But at the same time, I think he was cleared to go and felt good. If he held onto it for about another hitch, [Allen] Lazard probably pops open for a touchdown.”
Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.
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