Robert Saleh declared that the New York Jets’ defense is a force to be reckoned with for elite QBs
“We’ve [the New York Jets] embarrassed all of them.”
That’s what Robert Saleh had to say about the elite quarterbacks the Jets have faced this season.
Going up against Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, and Jalen Hurts, three of the NFL’s best and perennial MVP contenders, the Jets have held firm. They’ve forced a whopping nine turnovers against the trio, including eight interceptions, and none of the three have exceeded a 65.0 quarterback rating in those games.
As Saleh said, although the Jets didn’t always escape with a win, they made those passers look human.
Wow: #Jets HC Robert Saleh says they’ve played a “gauntlet” of quarterbacks and have “embarrassed” all of them
QBs they have faced: Pat Mahomes, Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Russell Wilson, Dak Prescott and Mac Jones.
They’ve done very well.
pic.twitter.com/RK2ZLvynQI— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) October 16, 2023
This week’s effort tops them all when considering the decimated cornerback room. Not only were two of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed, both out with concussions, but Brandin Echols was also out. That meant that in addition to starting Bryce Hall, the Jets had practice squad cornerbacks Craig James and Tae Hayes going up against A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith for large swaths of the game.
This is a Jets defense that can be maddening as it allows third down conversion after third down conversion, but it finds a way to do its job. Bryce Huff continues to terrorize opposing offensive linemen and quarterbacks, while Jermaine Johnson‘s maximal effort showed itself on multiple plays in the game. Quincy Williams made his presence felt once more, and Tony Adams made a key play at the end.
Saleh was there for all of it.
Robert Saleh is the most electric coach in the league pic.twitter.com/sPeKwharR6
— Will Sommers (@WillSommers2) October 16, 2023
You can’t tell me Xerxes and Robert Saleh aren’t the same person pic.twitter.com/1QVYmn5IvD
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) October 16, 2023
Saleh isn’t wrong about what he said. It was expected that the Eagles would run all over the Jets. Instead, his team came out on top, heading into the bye week at 3-3 after a brutal six-game slate.
Beating the reigning NFC champions is a confidence builder. Making great quarterbacks look human is the icing on the cake.
