Sunday afternoon was nothing short of a disaster for the New York Jets in all facets of play.
Whether it was an offense that didn’t convert on a single third down, a passing game that didn’t record over 10 yards until late in the fourth quarter, or a defense that gave up over 200 yards on the ground, the Jets’ 30-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills was a worst-case scenario for the Jets.
Head coach Aaron Glenn, as a defensive-minded individual, was particularly concerned about Sunday’s game for one key reason.
His defense, which had been a top-five unit over the last few years, has been shellacked in the first two games of the regular season. First, they surrendered 34 points to Aaron Rodgers. On Sunday, the opposition put up another 30-point effort, this time with Josh Allen leading the charge.
Glenn and the defense know their performance on Sunday was unacceptable. A day after the loss, the Jets’ head coach detailed where the unit needs to improve the most moving forward.
Jets’ defensive woes simplified
In Week 1, the Jets’ run defense looked very solid. After years of schematic concerns that put the front seven in a tough situation, Glenn’s philosophy, coupled with defensive coordinator Steve Wilks’s play-calling, was expected to change the defense’s life.
After a good performance in Week 1, the Jets took a significant step back against the Bills.
Buffalo ran for 224 yards on over five yards a carry during the win.
James Cook, the team’s lead back, ran for over six yards a carry on his own. A big part of Cook’s success was due to the cut-back lanes he found wide open throughout the game.
It stood out to Glenn and the team when watching film on the contest.
“Over pursuit for the most part and just playing leverage football because the effort was absolutely there,” Glenn said. “Our guys were running their (expletive) off trying to get to the ball, but when you have two or three guys running outside the ball, and it’s a cutback League, man, we can’t allow that to happen.
“I look forward to making sure that when we get into the meeting, we will address
that.”
Overpursuit is a sign of many things. It could be poor discipline from the defense—they are focused more on making the big play themselves than on playing good team football. It could also be something that the coaching staff just doesn’t really care about. Some defensive coaches would rather their defense be fast and physical, even if it means they run past the play at times.
Chances are the Jets’ overpursuit problem has more to do with the middle of each argument. Players need to do a better job of playing within the confines of the defensive scheme, and coaches need to do a better job enforcing discipline on each play.
Whatever the reason for those issues is, it is irrelevant, though.
New York was embarrassed at home on the defensive side of the ball. Week 3’s contest against the 2-0 Tampa Bay Buccaneers is a big test to see how well Glenn’s adjustments will work, and if the players understand what they need to do on their own.
