Following their Week 9 bye, the New York Jets wanted to see more from former first-round edge rusher Will McDonald. The third-year defensive end had only three sacks in eight games after racking up 10.5 in his second campaign.
The switch finally flipped on Sunday.
McDonald sacked Dillon Gabriel four times, tying a Jets franchise record, in New York’s 27-20 win over the Cleveland Browns at MetLife Stadium. His regular season sack total now stands at 7.0. He’s 3.5 shy of tying his career high from last season.
According to Jets head coach Aaron Glenn, the performance wasn’t surprising. It was just a reflection of what McDonald promised during the week.
McDonald calls his shot
The common theme among McDonald’s four sacks on Sunday was that the edge rusher showed a relentless motor to get after the quarterback. His determination and athleticism were on full display throughout all four quarters.
It was something he told Glenn was going to happen in the week leading up to his breakout.
“I told him I was going to keep being relentless,” McDonald said. “I’m just moving forward with that. From the beginning of the season to the end. Simple.”
Glenn himself pinpointed McDonald’s buy-in as a key reason for his dominant showing against a struggling Browns team.
“I have a lot of belief in that player,” Glenn said. “[To] do exactly what he said he was going to do during the week, be relentless and go make plays. He went out there and he did that.”
McDonald has always been a streaky edge rusher. He’ll have games in which sacks come in bunches, but he will also have long stretches in which sacks are hard to come by, and McDonald’s impact isn’t as pronounced as it should be.
New York wants to see that consistency from McDonald moving forward. For the Iowa State product, he’s focused on staying relentless.
“I was just going. I was just taking advantage of the opportunities that I had,” McDonald said. “The special defenses that we called made them hold the ball. You have to take advantage of that one rep because it may change the game.”
Jets’ defensive improvements
It wasn’t just McDonald who stood out for New York’s defense in Sunday’s win. In their first game without two All-Pros in Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams, the Jets provided hope that they could be just fine in the long run.
Gang Green held the Browns to 278 yards of total offense, including just 120 net passing yards. They enjoyed strong performances from leaders like linebacker Jamien Sherwood, cornerback Brandon Stephens, and even safety Tony Adams.
McDonald, though, was the catalyst.
Based on his thin frame, it’s questionable if the Iowa State product will ever be a complete edge defender in the NFL. In a passing league, though, sacks take precedence. That was evident on Sunday, when McDonald demonstrated his ability to take over a game and make the difference in a close victory.
