Some crucial long-term issues rose to the surface as the Jets defense allowed Russell Wilson to toss four touchdowns in three quarters.
Radio silence from the edge rush
With a red-hot Jordan Jenkins on the sideline (Jenkins ranked third among edge rushers with 15 pressures from Weeks 11-13), the New York Jets got absolutely nothing out of the EDGE position in Seattle. Tarell Basham, Frankie Luvu, Bryce Huff and Jabari Zuniga combined for one pressure over 51 pass-rush snaps, a microscopic rate of 2.0%. The 2020 average for edge rushers is 9.8%.
The Jets are still waiting to see something – anything – out of Zuniga. Over 84 defensive snaps in six games, he has just one pressure and one stop to his name.
Basham has taken a big step back after a promising 2019 season. After posting 39 pressures on 329 pass-rush snaps (11.9% rate) last season, Basham has only 22 pressures on 307 pass-rush snaps (7.2%) in 2020. That 7.2% pressure rate ranks 39th out of the 47 edge rushers with at least 300 pass-rush snaps this season.
Year after year, the Jets’ lack of an edge rush is a major issue. Making substantial investments at this position – whether they come in free agency or the draft – needs to be a top priority for Joe Douglas.
Nearly the entire defense was exposed in coverage
Russell Wilson and the Seahawks spread the ball to every corner of the field, getting whatever they wanted against any Jets defender.
Blessuan Austin, Tarell Basham, Matthias Farley, Bryce Hall, Arthur Maulet and Neville Hewitt combined to allow 14 conversions on 21 targets in their direction – 10 first downs and four touchdowns. That is an astronomical rate of 66.7%, nearly double the league average on all pass attempts this season (36.2%).
Farley took over for the injured Ashtyn Davis and was a big downgrade in his first start, allowing a 3-yard touchdown to David Moore and a 10-yard touchdown to Will Dissly.
Austin allowed 5-of-7 passing for only 24 yards, an impressive 3.4 per target, but that is a pretty misleading number. He still allowed three first downs (42.9% rate) across those seven throws and he also took some bad angles as a tackler that led to extra yardage on a few plays. Most notably, Will Dissley cleared Austin into the sideline on a 19-yard end-around by Penny Hart. Not to mention, Austin was knocked with a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the fourth quarter for sticking taking his helmet off and sticking his tongue out at the Seahawks’ sideline.
Hall had his worst game as a pro to this point, allowing 5-of-6 passing for 47 yards (7.8 per target), three first downs, and a touchdown (66.7% conversion rate). The touchdown was a brutal rep, allowed to D.K. Metcalf on a red-zone play in which Hall gave Metcalf the fade route without much of any competition. The one incompletion on Hall’s line was a deep bomb from Wilson to David Moore in which Moore toasted Hall on a go route and had the ball drop into his hands for what would have been a gain of at least 40 yards, but Moore dropped it. Hall also had a holding penalty against Metcalf on a third-and-8 play to move the chains.
Javelin Guidry keeps his momentum going
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