Now this is how the Jets expected their defense to look.
Stifling against the run.
Ferocious against the pass.
Not just limiting the opposition, but shutting it down.
For the first time this season, the defense performed up to expectations, holding the Patriots to a paltry 139 yards of offense while registering seven sacks and forcing a turnover in a 24-3 rout Thursday night at MetLife Stadium.
The unit was overwhelmed by the 49ers in Week 1.
Six days later, it bent but didn’t break against the Titans.
The one-sided victory over the Patriots was much more reminiscent of last year’s defense that was only held back by an anemic offense that couldn’t stay on the field.
“Great complementary football, obviously the offense possessing it, getting the two-score lead that we talked about during the week,” coach Robert Saleh said Friday. “Then from there the D-line and the linebackers could tee off.”
It should be noted, however, they weren’t facing some kind of offensive juggernaut in the Patriots.
New England was down two starters (left tackle Vederian Lowe and left guard Sidy Sow) on the offensive line, and its lack of playmakers at receiver enabled the Jets to blitz.
Still, the Patriots did score 36 points the first two weeks of the season against the Bengals and Seahawks, averaging 477.5 rushing yards and 4.7 yards per carry in those two contests.
Rhamondre Stevenson was a force in those games.
Against the Jets, he was a non-factor, held to 23 yards on six carries.
The Jets’ ability to completely shut down the Patriots’ running game was the biggest positive on the defensive side of the ball.
Remember, the 49ers ran all over the Jets and the Titans had success, too.
“Not to say that it’s totally fixed because there’s going to be games where things pop open, but at the same time, I know our guys can stop the run,” Saleh said. “It was helpful for the offense to get us that two-score lead, to get them to balance out where they had to throw the football, but overall our guys are relentless. … I thought we did really well against the run against Tennessee also, but it was good to see it against a team we knew was going to try to come in here and run the ball 30 times.”
In addition, the Jets were without star middle linebacker C.J. Mosley and this was the first game they played without standout defensive end Jermaine Johnson.
Mosley could return next Sunday against the Broncos as he works his way back from a bruised right big toe injury, while Johnson is out for the season with a torn Achilles tendon.
Will McDonald continued his early-season emergence, notching two sacks and four quarterback hits, while Jamien Sherwood performed well in place of Mosley, producing four solo tackles.
One major factor in this performance, as Saleh noted, was the Jets playing with a lead.
The defense was frequently on the field for extended periods last year.
It rarely had leads.
Not only were the Jets 29th in scoring at 15.8 points per game a year ago, they were also 25th in average time of possession at 25:02.
In the win over the Patriots, the Jets controlled the ball for an astounding 40:04.
The defense was fresh, and it showed.
“[Having the lead] gave us a totally different mentality and made it a different ball game,” said safety Chuck Clark, extremely active all night with seven tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery. “When the offense is keeping their drives alive, the opponent feels like they have to force it. It gives us confidence that we can just go out there and attack and be aggressive.”
