Jets rack up seven sacks in win

Robert Saleh said the Jets’ defensive game plan against the Titans on Sunday went like this: Stop the run and then play man coverage come third down and do "everything we can to make [Ryan] Tannehill’s life miserable."

Misery accomplished.

NFL rushing leader Derrick Henry ran for 157 yards and a touchdown, and Tannehill threw for 298 yards and a touchdown. But the pass rushers introduced the quarterback to the MetLife Stadium turf repeatedly, sacking him seven times.

That was one of the big reasons why the Jets finally claimed the first win of the Saleh era in the fourth try, outlasting Tennessee, 27-24, in overtime.

"Credit to this D-line," Saleh said. "They’ve been doing it all year, getting after the quarterback. But it’s rush and coverage, right? I don’t think enough credit goes to these young kids on the back end . . . But the line, they’ve been tremendous all season. That was good to see them get Tannehill on the ground."

The Jets made history in the process. Quinnen Williams led the way with two sacks. Linebacker Quincy Williams added another. They became the first set of brothers on the same team to record at least one sack each in the same game dating to 1982, when sacks officially started being a stat.

"I didn’t know that," Quinnen said. "It’s cool."

Quincy, a third-year pro claimed off waivers from the Jaguars on Sept. 1, had a big game with 12 tackles.

"I grew up with him," said Quinnen, who’s two years younger at 23. "I know what he can do."

The others to attack for sacks included defensive linemen Bryce Huff (1.5) and John Franklin-Myers (1), linebacker C.J. Mosley (1) and cornerback Bryce Hall (0.5).

The rush also pressured Tannehill into an incompletion on third-and-10 from the Jets’ 31, forcing a 49-yard field-goal attempt that Randy Bullock missed on the final play of overtime.

"Every single third down we had, the stadium was rocking," the younger Williams said, explaining the pass rush’s success. "Second of all, execution."

The defense, which is on the young side, allowed a touchdown with 16 seconds left in regulation, but Zach Wilson gave credit to those players overall.

"They’re putting us in positions to win," the quarterback said.

Saleh was enthused, too.

"The defense has been spectacular all season," he said. "The stats don’t do justice to what they’ve been able to accomplish."