Jets edge rusher David Bailey will be back after missing the Raiders loss with a groin injury, providing a much-needed boost to the defense which has allowed at least 26 points in each game of their three-game losing streak.
Aaron Glenn said he needs to see “improvement” from the unit, especially in regards to committing penalties on third down.
Bailey will help, they hope, in limiting the Chiefs’ run game — an area Glenn said the rookie has improved “drastically” in, including with his mental approach.
He’s also been solid against the passing game, but the challenge of dealing with Patrick Mahomes figures to be especially tough.
“We already know how good he is at rushing [the QB],’’ Glenn said. “We just have to understand that with Mahomes, he’s gonna fake a throw, he’s gonna move around. We’ve got to make sure we squeeze the pocket and make sure we don’t let him out of the pocket in situations like that.”
Bailey, a full participant in Friday’s practice, said he’s “feeling good” after a “tough” week in which he was forced to sit out against the Raiders.
Now, he’ll be tasked with helping to contain Mahomes — who, like Bailey, played at Texas Tech.
“I’ve never met him formally,’’ Bailey said. “He’s definitely a big name in the league.”
Asked about the key to keeping Mahomes in check, Bailey said, “Just sticking to the game plan [and] sticking to our responsibilities.”
Stop us if you’ve heard this before: No team has fewer interceptions than the Jets this season.
They enter Sunday’s game with just one on the season — Minkah Fitzpatrick’s in Chicago in Week 4.
“It is surprising,’’ Glenn said of his team’s lack of success in that area again. “It’s something that we talk about a lot. But there are other ways to take the ball away and we try to make sure we focus on all aspects of how we take the ball away. [With] punch-outs, guys are doing a really good job of that.”
To Glenn’s point, only the Raiders have forced more fumbles (12) than the Jets (10) on the year and no team has recovered more (seven).
But for a team that stressed the importance of forcing more takeaways, the inability to get more interceptions remains an issue.
“That’s one area we have to improve on, is interceptions,” Glenn said. “It’s something we talk about a lot.”
The Jets are last in the NFL in touchdowns from the red zone at just 42.3 percent. Last week against the Raiders, they were even worse at 2-for-6.
“It’s not enough and we have to be better,’’ offensive coordinator Frank Reich said of the red-zone woes. “We just have to be better. There’s a sense of urgency among players and coaches. From the coaching staff’s perspective, there are two things you do: You scheme it and you coach it. From the players’ perspective, they have to bring it to life. But no matter what, we’re in it together, and collectively as a group, we just have to do better in the red zone.” … CB Nahshon Wright (back) was added to the injury report as questionable. He has yet to play a defensive snap this season after signing a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the team in free agency.
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