For the second consecutive game to begin the 2024 season, the New York Jets defense did not quite play up to its lofty standards.
Against a Tennessee team that doesn’t exactly have the NFL’s most intimidating offensive roster, the Jets often struggled to get stops. The Titans had five offensive drives in which they gained at least 50 yards; they had only two of these against the Bears in Week 1. Luckily, those five drives translated to just 17 points, allowing the Jets to pull off the win, but it was troubling to see how easily Tennessee moved the ball at times.
Visit our New York Jets Analytics page to learn the advanced football numbers.
New York ultimately held Tennessee to 300 yards of offense, 2 turnovers, and 17 points, which sounds like a solid game in a vacuum. However, things could have been worse if Will Levis and the Titans did not bail the Jets out with some self-inflicted errors.
Even with the Titans’ blunders, the Jets defense likely would have surrendered more points if not for the standout performances of two particular players: linebackers Quincy Williams and Jamien Sherwood.
On a day when the Jets defense was shaky in many aspects, Williams and Sherwood seemed to be the only two players who constantly made their presence felt throughout the entire game. Both players were all over the field, plugging holes in other parts of the defense.
Williams led the Jets with seven defensive stops*, which tied Chicago’s Tremaine Edmunds for the most among linebackers in Week 2. While making all of those key plays, Williams only missed one tackle.
*-Tackles on plays that constitute a “failure” for the offense.
Sherwood filled in for C.J. Mosley after the veteran left the game with a toe injury, and the Jets defense arguably looked better after Sherwood came in. The fourth-year converted safety finished with four defensive stops, second on the team to Williams. Overall, Sherwood had a team-high 12 tackles, and he only missed one tackle in the process.
Nearly half of the time, it was one of these two players who stepped up to make the stop that New York needed. The duo’s combined total of 11 stops made up nearly half of the Jets’ 24 stops as a team.
The two backers also thrived in coverage. Williams was targeted 8 times and held those plays to 48 yards (6.0 per target) and 1 first down (12.5%). Sherwood was targeted twice and allowed 8 yards (4.0 per target) for no first downs while also recording a pass breakup on one of the two targets.
The linebackers’ coverage in the middle of the field was essential to the Jets’ victory, as Levis was having success throwing the ball elsewhere. On 10 targets directed at Williams or Sherwood, Levis produced just 56 yards and 1 first down (5.6 yards per target, 10% first down rate). On 18 targets directed at anyone else, Levis produced 136 yards and 8 first downs (7.6 yards per target, 44% first down rate).
There were quite a few defensive issues for the Jets in this game. The pass rush couldn’t get Levis down. The run defense – while it rebounded in the second half – had stretches where it could not stop Tennessee from gaining positive chunks at will. Even Sauce Gardner had what might have been his worst game as a Jet.
Amidst all of that, the athletic linebacker pairing of Williams and Sherwood constantly showed up with huge stops in key moments to stop the bleeding. Without their excellence, many of the Jets’ bad situations would have been exacerbated. But thanks to Williams and Sherwood, the Jets were often able to do just enough to prevent Tennessee from putting more points on the board.
Titans running back Tony Pollard had a good amount of room on this outside toss play, but Williams ranges across the field to hold him to a measly two-yard gain.
Some good and bad on this play by Quincy Williams.
The good: He's a beastly linebacker with incredible speed and hit power.
The bad: Careful man, that ball boy has a family!! 😂 pic.twitter.com/ZbX1iFvX65
— Michael Nania (@Michael_Nania) September 17, 2024
The only way this rep could be improved is if he did not come within inches of uppercutting an innocent ballboy.
The following play was an elite rep in coverage by Sherwood.
Really good coverage play by Jamien Sherwood. Doesn't bite on PA, recognizes the over route, and shows great awareness by getting out in front of the route instead of chasing down the receiver. Puts himself in perfect position to impede the pass pic.twitter.com/LqWF5hpkJm
— Michael Nania (@Michael_Nania) September 17, 2024
With C.J. Mosley’s status in doubt heading into a game on short rest, Sherwood could be in line to start for the Jets on Thursday.
While Sherwood has technically started 8 games in his career, he has never been used in an every-down role throughout an entire game. The Titans game actually marked Sherwood’s career-high in snap percentage at 82%. His previous high was 68%, recorded in Week 7 of 2021, and after that, he’s never played more than 44% of the snaps. Thursday night could mark Sherwood’s first full-fledged outing as a starting every-down linebacker.
And he seems ready for it.
Sherwood thrived in his limited role in 2023, making him one of the team’s most promising young players going into 2024. In his first extended appearance of the season, Sherwood looked prepared to step into a starting role. He displayed impressive awareness in coverage (aided by his past experience at safety), range from sideline to sideline, and sound tackling.
Meanwhile, Williams looks every bit like the same player who earned All-Pro honors in 2023. He’s still playing with his signature blend of speed and tenacity, but in a controlled manner that does not cost him missed tackles in exchange for his splashy plays. Blending this newfound discipline with his athleticism and aggression is what made him a star last season, and he is showing no signs of losing that combination.
The Jets defense has a lot of issues at the line of scrimmage right now. The pass rush is not getting home as consistently as it has in recent years. The run defense is allowing running backs to get through the first level consistently.
These problems emphasize the importance of having good linebackers. With a depleted defensive line, the linebackers must constantly clean things up at the second level for the Jets defense to stay afloat. Williams and Sherwood did just that in Nashville, allowing the Jets to pick up their first victory of the season.
