Since joining forces as the leaders of the New York Jets’ defense in 2021, head coach Robert Saleh and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich have been known for strongly adhering to their scheme. For the most part, it’s led to great results, but there have been times where the Jets have run into trouble due to Saleh and Ulbrich’s rigid ways.
This mindset could have hurt the Jets in a major way on Thursday night. However, in a promising development, the two coaches made a tremendous adjustment that salvaged New York’s defense – at least for one night.
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Robert Saleh and Jeff Ulbrich proved they can adjust
The Jets’ defensive line had undergone a mass exodus of talent going into Thursday night. After losing Bryce Huff and John Franklin-Myers in the offseason, the Jets lost Jermaine Johnson to an Achilles injury in their Week 2 win over Tennessee, leaving them with a razor-thin defensive line going into Thursday’s game against New England.
Lacking pass-rush talent on the defensive line is a significant problem for any team, but it is doubly problematic for teams who run a scheme like the Jets’. Under this regime, the Jets have been one of the lowest-blitzing teams in the NFL. Their core philosophy is to rely on their four-man rush to create pressure without the help of the blitz, allowing them to drop seven defenders into coverage on a consistent basis.
That is difficult to accomplish when your pass rush heavily features players who were fighting for jobs in the preseason, like Takk McKinley, Micheal Clemons, Braiden McGregor, and Jalyn Holmes. Or, at least, it seemed like it would be difficult to accomplish, until the Jets went out on Thursday night and did what they did.
Despite all of the chatter about how thin New York is up front and how badly they need Haason Reddick, the Jets’ defensive line looked as dominant as it ever has under Saleh and Ulbrich. They sacked the Patriots seven times, and according to NFL Next Gen Stats, they pressured Jacoby Brissett on 56.5% of his dropbacks, the highest rate he has seen since 2018.
How did they do it?
The players deserve credit for maximizing a favorable matchup against New England’s injury-riddled offensive line. However, the main reason for New York’s pass-rushing success was the coaching staff’s dramatic change of pace from a schematic perspective.
Saleh and Ulbrich blitzed to a degree they’ve never touched before.
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, the Jets blitzed Brissett on 40% of his dropbacks, their highest rate in a game under Saleh.
Jets defense blitzed Patriots QB Jacoby Brissett on 40% of dropbacks, New York's highest rate in game under Robert Saleh, per @NextGenStatshttps://t.co/azZpsJPwKU pic.twitter.com/6NVzbVFsH9
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) September 20, 2024
For reference, that is more than twice their 2023 rate of 17.4%, which was the lowest in the NFL.
The blitz-heavy approach worked like a charm. According to NGS, when the Jets blitzed, they had more sacks (3) than allowed completions (2). Brissett went 2-of-9 for 28 yards when blitzed.
New York’s blitzes were well-timed and well-executed. On 14 blitzes, the Jets created pressure 9 times (64.3%) and picked up a sack 3 times (21.4%). For perspective, the NFL-average rates in blitz situations this season are 41.1% and 9.5%, respectively.
Not something you see often from the Jets: A safety blitz for the sack. Chuck Clark flying in. pic.twitter.com/zJs8BAKHKs
— Michael Nania (@Michael_Nania) September 20, 2024
Over the first two weeks of the season, Saleh and Ulbrich took a lot of heat from fans for being too predictable and vanilla. They deserve credit for making a major adjustment that led to great results against New England.
Going forward, it remains to be seen whether the Jets will maintain this approach to try and account for their lack of proven pass rushers. This particular matchup was an ideal one to test a blitz-heavy strategy, as the Patriots did not have the aerial firepower to punish the Jets for playing man coverage. They also entered the game with a strong rushing attack, and the Jets’ blitz-heavy approach helped them counter that as well.
So, this could have been a one-time thing based on the matchup at hand. Either way, the coaching staff won the chess match here. If you’re going to scream at them when they lose the chess match, the praise should be as loud as the criticism.
Saleh and Ulbrich proved they are willing to adapt and capable of doing it successfully. With the personnel issues they have up front, they must continue to be open-minded going forward. Some games, it might be smart to blitz 40% of the time again. Some games, it might not be. Whatever they choose to do, we at least know the Jets’ coaches are open to adjusting when the time calls for it, and that is a huge development.
If I were to add my two cents, I would implore the Jets to consider replicating this strategy in similar matchups, but I do not think it is something they should make their new bread-and-butter. I still believe they would be best served dialing back the blitzing against more dangerous passing games.
For example, when the Jets play Bo Nix and the Broncos next week, they should bring the heat once more. Nix is a struggling rookie quarterback, and the Broncos do not have a lot of talent on the outside. Like New England, there isn’t a high degree of risk associated with blitzing Denver. Send the house and see how they handle it.
But when the Jets visit London to take on the Vikings in Week 5, blitzing will become a dangerous proposition. Leaving Justin Jefferson one-on-one is asking for trouble no matter who you have covering him or who is throwing the ball. In Week 2, Sam Darnold threw a 97-yard touchdown to Jefferson on a play where the 49ers rushed six defenders.
Against Minnesota, the Jets should probably dial back to their usual low-blitzing tendencies so they can allocate help to Jefferson, and live with the results. They should probably stick to this mindset in other games against teams with explosive downfield passing games, too. It is in these games where the pass-rush mettle of Will McDonald (who is now second in the NFL with 5.0 sacks) and the rest of the crew will be truly tested.
If the four-man rush proves too weak to survive with against great passing games, the Jets can adjust to a heavier blitzing approach. They now have that card in their back pocket, which is tremendous. For the time being, though, they should stick to their core philosophies against the best opponents and see what happens.
I am intrigued to see how Saleh and Ulbrich continue to mold this defense as they adjust to the adversity thrown at them. Their initial response on Thursday night was a phenomenal start.
