Ravens' John Harbaugh Praises Resurgent Jets
The fact that the New York Jets are playing their best football of the season while winning games is not lost on other teams around the NFL and certainly not on Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh.
The Jets (5-8) play the Ravens (11-2) on Thursday night, a nationally televised game that affords the country the chance to look at a Jets team that has turned a corner over the past month. On Sunday, a 22-21 win over the Miami Dolphins at home may have been tight and ugly but for the Jets, it sustained a solid stretch of games.
Since losing on the road to the Dolphins in Week 9, the Jets have won four of five games. Thursday night though will be their biggest test of the year. The Ravens are simply an imposing team and one that is dominant offensively.
Harbaugh was asked on Monday in his press conference at the Ravens facility exactly what he has seen from the Jets during their 4-1 stretch over the past few weeks.
“They’re playing great. They won four of the last five, that’s the bottom line,” Harbaugh said on Monday.
“When you look at it, that’s it. That’s what we talked to the guys about. That’s all you need to know. Watch the tape. They’re playing winning football. We understand that. We know this league. Our guys don’t take anybody for granted. You never can, you never should. But certainly not a team that’s won four of the last five games, has players like Le’Veon Bell and [Robby] Anderson and [Sam] Darnold on offense, and just everybody on defense. It’s just a great defense – [Jamal] Adams, they have players everywhere. And they play really hard, and they’re very physical. So, our guys do understand that. I do appreciate that about our guys.”
The game pits the Jets, the second-best run defense in the league (78.8 yards per game) against the Ravens, atop the NFL in rushing offense (200.9 yards per game).
Harbaugh praised what the Jets do on defense, noting the impact of defensive coordinator Gregg Williams on the unit.
In Sunday’s Jets win over the Dophins, the highest rushing total of the day for the visitors was quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who had 65 yards on seven rushes. Against the Ravens, the Jets will be facing one of the most mobile quarterbacks the NFL has ever seed in Lamar Jackson.
Jackson is currently ninth in the league with 1,017 rushing yards.
Harbaugh, possessing the best weapon in the NFL right now in his young quarterback, praised the Jets defense.
“They really run to the ball. They give you a lot of different scheme things. They get the secondary involved in the run defense, both the corners and the safeties,” Harbaugh said.
“They run different kinds of exotic blitzes, not just for the pass but for the run as well. They usually have a MIKE ’backer flowing over the top. It’s a typical Gregg Williams’ defense. They usually are really good against the run, and this is no exception.”
