The Jets defense was ranked No. 1 in yards allowed after two games this season.
That feels like a very long time ago.
The defense has crumbled since then, culminating with Sunday’s collapse against the Raiders when the Jets became the third team in the last 45 years to score on their first six possessions and still lose, according to ESPN.
The Jets wasted a rare 30-point game from their offense because their defense could not slow down Kirk Cousins and Brock Bowers and they allowed four touchdowns, with three coming in the second half (special teams allowed another).
“Defensively, we got to do a way better job than what we did,” Jets coach Aaron Glenn said Monday, “but when you really look at this game, and see what it came down to, it was the third-down penalties that you can’t give any offense a second chance to get a drive on you, and those things happened to our defense.”
Glenn pointed to the two penalties, which did lead to the Raiders staying on the field and scoring touchdowns, but the problems feel deeper than that. The penalties both came in the third quarter. Brandon Stephens was flagged for holding on third down against Raiders tight end Brock Bowers in the end zone on Las Vegas’ first drive of the second half. The Raiders scored moments later.
Later in the third quarter, Jarvis Brownlee Jr. was called for pass interference on third-and-10 when the Jets should have gotten off the field. That extended a drive that ended with another Raiders touchdown.
Glenn said the Jets will focus on cutting out those critical penalties this week.
“Well you’ll address it, first off, and then you look at the technique part of it,” Glenn said, “and see how do you fix that, so you don’t want that to happen on third down, you don’t want it to happen on second down, or first down, so if you can address that and fix the technique part of it, it gives you a chance to be successful in that position.”
While the penalties were costly, they hardly tell the full story. The Jets went a second straight week without a takeaway. They still have just one interception this season, which means they have one total interception in 25 games under Glenn.
“Certainly as a defense, you have to find a way to take the ball away,” linebacker Demario Davis said. “That changes momentum of the game, whether it’s a punch out or an interception. Have to find a way to create disruption when they’re putting those drives together by taking the ball away. We just didn’t do a good enough job of that and that’s one of the things you just have to own, fix and keep moving.”
The Jets have allowed 300 yards in five of their last six games after holding their first two opponents under 200 yards. They have given up 100 yards rushing in four of the last six.
The Raiders struggled to get a running game going, but the Jets allowed Bowers to catch seven passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns. Everyone in MetLife Stadium knew the ball was going to Bowers and the Jets could not find a way to stop him.
The Jets barely touched Cousins, who threw three touchdown passes and rushed for another. They sacked Cousins just once and had six hits on him. The Jets were playing without rookie edge rusher David Bailey, but you’d still expect them to get more pressure on Cousins.
“We’re not being consistent enough, I think, with disrupting the quarterback,” Davis said. “That’s a big thing. When we’re disrupting the quarterback whether it’s hitting him, being in those passing windows, or forcing incomplete passes, we’re better.”
The Jets needed a stop late in the game and allowed the Raiders to put together a nine-play drive before they kicked a field goal. That left the Jets offense with just 27 seconds and needing a touchdown. Late-game stops have been a struggle for the Jets since the loss to the Bears a month ago. The Bears, Patriots and Dolphins have all had long drives in the fourth quarter to seal wins.
The Jets are also bad at situational football. The Raiders were 7-for-11 converting on third down and they scored touchdowns on all four red zone trips.
Glenn, who is calling the defense, needs to fix things fast. It won’t be easy with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs coming this week, followed by Josh Allen and the Bills next week.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com
