Jets need to stop explosive plays, improve turnover margin

Jeff Ulbrich believes the most telling stats that determine the outcomes of games are turnover margin and explosive plays. The Jets are proving their defensive coordinator right.

They are minus-4 in turnovers, and their defense has allowed too many explosive plays. The Jets record: 0-2.

Ulbrich has his group flying around and standing up in critical times. The Jets are ninth in total defense, third in opponent’s third-down conversion rate and tied for second in red-zone defense. Teams have been in the red zone seven times thus far and punched it in just twice.

But the Jets will continue to work on eliminating chunk plays after New England picked them apart with a short passing game. Other teams will follow that blueprint until the Jets can prove they can stop it.

"There’s plays that we need back from an efficiency standpoint," coach Robert Saleh said. "We gave up more inopportune explosives, that’s probably the word. The explosives that we gave up were big, big explosives that led to points."

The defense was in a lot of sudden-change situations against the Patriots because of four interceptions thrown by Zach Wilson. After Wilson’s fourth pick, running back Damien Harris broke five tackles and carried a few Jets in the end zone on a 26-yard touchdown run.

When Ulbrich was hired, Saleh put a poster in his office. It said, "Eliminate Explosives !!" with three bombs drawn on the bottom of it. Saleh was the artist. They consider any pass more than 16 yards or run more than 12 yards explosive.

The Jets have given up 13 explosive plays and forced just one takeaway in two games.

The defense is an aggressive, attack 4-3 front with their defensive backs often in press coverage or cover three-zone. The Jets don’t want to give up anything over the top.

They did in Week 1 when Robby Anderson caught a 57-yard touchdown pass from Sam Darnold. But Carolina and New England were extremely successful using screen passes to backs or receivers or draws for big gains.

"We can’t allow those screens," tackle Sheldon Rankins said. "Those are big. For a defense like us that attacks the way wey attack we’re going to get that all year. We got to be able to stop those."

Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey had five catches of 11 yards or more on screens or dump offs, including a 22-yard gain. On Sunday, James White was the beneficiary of a few of those, including a 28-yard catch and run. The series ended with White scoring on a 7-yard touchdown run.

"We want to make them check the ball down, make them throw it short before giving up the deep ball," linebacker C.J. Mosley said. "The first two weeks has been a lot of screens. When teams see success in certain areas, they’re going to use it in their game plan.

"We can expect to be running and playing screens and draws and traps and all that until we get it nipped in the bud. Until then we can expect to see that a lot."

This could lead to big days for Broncos backs Melvin Gordon or Javonte Williams when the Jets play in Denver on Sunday. But Saleh and Ulbrich could have the Jets’ playing tighter to the backs and try to take away some of the underneath game.

Creating takeaways is another area of focus for the Jets’ defense. Mosley said they have to work on their technique in practice.

The Jets have one fumble recovery. They thought they had another on Kendrick Bourne in New England’s opening drive, but the officials said his forward progress had stopped. John Franklin-Myers had a strip sack on Mac Jones but the Patriots recovered the fumble.

"We had our chances to get the ball," Mosley said. "What we talked about after the game, what we talked about [Monday] in the defensive room was just going to the next level, having the mindset, we have to get the ball. When we got a chance to get the ball back, we got to find a way to do it."

Notes & quotes: Left tackle Mekhi Becton had surgery on his right knee. He’s expected to be out 4-8 weeks. … The Jets signed linebacker Del’Shawn Phillips to the active roster and waived safety Sheldrick Redwine. He was beaten on the Anderson touchdown, and didn’t play any defensive snaps against New England.