Early in the season, the New York Jets housed one of the worst defenses in football. Even their players admitted it.

After an 0-7 start and a trade deadline sale of two All-Pros, conventional wisdom was such that the Jets’ defensive concerns would only grow as the 2025 season progressed.

A funny thing has happened since, though.

Not only have the Jets started winning games, but their defense has been a primary reason why. Among the chief reasons for their turnaround has been improved production against the run.

Even after a slip in Week 13, Gang Green’s defensive front continues to look plenty different, and their head coach isn’t concerned about the recent dip.

When the Jets had one of the NFL’s best defensive units under Robert Saleh, stopping the run was not their strength. Their wide-nine formation left holes along the interior of the line, which opponents exploited.

Even with a different look up front in 2025, though, the Jets struggled to stop the run throughout the first few games of the season.

In recent weeks, those struggles have turned to triumphs. Across two road games against a pair of division leaders in the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens, the Jets allowed a combined 163 rushing yards.

During their Week 13 win against Atlanta, though, the group took a step back, giving up 167 yards on the ground in a 27-24 Jets win. That included 142 yards from Pro Bowl runner Bijan Robinson.

Days later, head coach Aaron Glenn acknowledged the struggles, but he isn’t concerned about the performance moving forward.

“I hate that it happened,” Glenn said on Wednesday. “I’m not overly concerned because we’ve been pretty good at defending the run. So, if one team comes out and they have a good day, I’m not going to look at that as, ‘Alright, we suck now.’ It’s just one of those things.”

There’s evidence to support Glenn’s claim that Sunday’s struggle was an aberration. Over a seven-game stretch dating back to Week 6, the Jets rank 14th-best in the NFL with 4.2 yards allowed per rush attempt.

Sunday was a simple case of an All-Pro player doing All-Pro things.

“Bijan’s a great player, but that doesn’t take away what we try to do each week as far as stopping the run first and forcing teams to be one-dimensional,” Glenn said.

Still, those struggles show that New York still has a long way to go on the road to establishing consistency on a week-to-week basis.

The Jets’ run defense will be tested in Week 14 against the surging Miami Dolphins. Over their current three-game win streak, the Dolphins have rushed for 177.7 yards per game, surpassing 160 rushing yards in each contest.

If the Jets want to build a winning streak by thwarting their division rivals at home, their run defense will have to be a part of it. Glenn is confident that the unit will do precisely that.