The New York Jets’ infamous interception drought is over, thanks to Minkah Fitzpatrick picking off Tyson Bagent in Week 4.

However, interceptions continue to evade the Jets otherwise. That remains their lone pick through the first five weeks of 2026, leaving them tied for the league’s fewest.

Despite their sustained struggles in the interception column, the Jets actually rank 17th in the NFL with six takeaways. That’s already two more than they had in 2025, when they ranked last in the league with four takeaways, the NFL’s new record low.

Of course, this is because the Jets are thriving in the other aspect of the takeaway department: fumbles.

New York has five takeaways off of fumble recoveries, tied for the second-most in the NFL. It’s a pleasing sight for Jets fans, who have long suffered from watching their team struggle to recover opposing fumbles.

The good news is that the Jets are not only recovering plenty of fumbles, but they are also forcing them at an extremely high rate. They are creating so many fumble opportunities that they have recovered a large quantity of them despite actually not recovering live balls at a very high rate.

New York’s opponents have fumbled 12 times this season, ranking second in the league behind the Las Vegas Raiders (14). The Jets recovered five of those, putting their recovery rate on opponent fumbles at 41.7%, which ranks just 18th in the league.

Still, because the Jets are forcing fumbles so frequently, they have made themselves fumble-luck-proof so far. They have been able to rack up the second-most recoveries despite recovering less than half of opponent fumbles.

It is worth noting that part of this success is due to luck. Of the 12 fumbles by New York’s opponents, only seven were forced by a Jets defender, meaning that the Jets have benefited from five unforced fumbles. One of these was the most critical turning point of their Week 5 victory over the Cleveland Browns, when the Browns launched a bad snap on a fourth-quarter punt, which the Jets recovered to set up a go-ahead touchdown.

Nonetheless, the Jets’ seven forced fumbles are still a great total, tying them for the league’s fourth-most. It seems clear that punch-outs have been prioritized by the Jets’ coaching staff, as those seven forced fumbles were recorded by seven different players:

  • David Bailey
  • Jamien Sherwood
  • Kingsley Enagbare
  • Andre Cisco
  • Jowon Briggs
  • Will McDonald
  • Marcelino McCrary-Ball

This week, New York will take on a New England Patriots team that has already lost four fumbles this season, tied for the seventh-most.

Perhaps, for once, the fumble battle will benefit the green side in a New York-New England game.