The New York Jets need their interior defensive line to take over vs. Buffalo
The New York Jets’ defense faces its toughest test of the 2021 season this week with the Buffalo Bills coming to town.
Buffalo’s offense, lead by quarterback Josh Allen, is top 10 in both total yards per game and passing yards per game, while ranking fourth in points per game. Allen is tied for fifth-best in the league with 17 touchdown passes.
Simply put, the Bills’ passing offense is lethal.
However, it is not unstoppable.
Buffalo will be looking to bounce back after a devastating loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, where their offense only managed six points. The Jags slowed down the Bills by routinely pressuring Allen and playing zone coverages to take away the deep ball, a plan the Jets can replicate.
The Bills only ran traditional run plays nine times against Jacksonville, despite the Jags selling out to stop the downfield pass game. With starting safety Marcus Maye out for the year, Buffalo will likely look to attack deep again. In order to prevent Allen from dropping bombs on the Jets’ secondary, the defensive line has to get home.
Deep passing concepts usually take time to develop, providing time for the defensive line to win their matchups. If the Bills look to throw downfield often, the pass rush has to get to Allen before he can take the top off. Allen’s ability to scramble and make plays out of structure is a problem for any defense, so keeping him contained in the pocket is crucial.
With the Jets’ edge rushers likely playing contain and not rushing full-force, it will be up to the interior of the line to provide the pressure. Quinnen Williams, Foley Fatukasi, and Sheldon Rankins all will have to put forth their best efforts to bring Allen down.
If the interior linemen can win their matchups, Allen will have no room to step up in the pocket and will be forced to scramble into the waiting contain.
The Oklahoma Drill Podcast is back to lay out the key strategies for a Jets win against the Bills. Listen in as the crew breaks down the game-plan on offense and defense, before finishing with their score predictions.
The Jets’ defense is desperate for a strong performance after three straight lackluster outings. Stopping the Bills’ offense is no easy task, but if the interior can get to Allen, they may just shock the world and pull off the upset.
