After a Strong 2019, the New York Jets Defense is Trending Down

While the stalled state of the offense is concerning for the New York Jets, the decline of the defense from last season is a major reason for the team’s 0-2 start.

In their first season under defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, the Jets punched above their weight in 2019. Despite injuries and a unit that for the most part lacked playmakers, the Jets finished middle of the table in total defense at No. 16. Williams was hailed for his masterful job in handling the defense despite monumental challenges a season ago.

This year, not so much, as evidenced by this past Sunday’s 31-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. On the 49ers first play from scrimmage, running back Raheem Mostert ran 80 yards untouched.

It was symbolic of a day where the Jets couldn’t stop a nosebleed.

“Not up to par, not what we preach,” safety Marcus Maye said.

“We just got to continue to work with each other, 11 guys doing their job, we can’t try and go out and do individual things. Got to hone into our details, hone into our keys. Do our assignments and everything else will take care of itself.”

Everything about this year’s defense seems dour.

The Jets are allowing 29 points per game this year, albeit an admittedly small sample size. But it is nearly a touchdown more than the 22.4 points per game last year.

Yards per offensive play allowed are up (5.5 yards versus 5.0). The Jets are also allowing 58 more yards per game in 2020.

Overall, they are No. 24 in the NFL in total defense.

Only so much of their struggles can be attributed to the offseason trade of All-Pro safety Jamal Adams. In Adams, the always creative Williams was able to turn a great safety into a truly elite one in 2019, weaponizing the player’s versatility and athleticism.

Adams is missed. But his absence can’t explain blown coverage, missed tackles or a third-and 31 where 49ers running back Jerick McKinnon ran 55 yards for a fresh set of downs.

“Defensively, the one thing that we talked about was making sure we didn’t give up explosive plays in the run game, we didn’t do that,” head coach Adam Gase said on Monday.

“We gave up two huge plays, one being the first play of the game and then third-and-31. We’ve got to make sure we do whatever we can to get that guy down. We had too many guys on the ground on that play, and we’ve got to be ready for them to cut back like the way they did.”

In theory, the Jets have the personnel to turn things around and there is some promise. Quinnen Williams appears to have taken a step forward in his development with seven tackles including two sacks and two tackles for a loss in Week 2. It was clearly the best game of his young career.

And the Jets still have their other Williams, the defensive coordinator regarded as one of the most imaginative and forward-thinking minds in the league.

“The message from Gregg is to continue to trust everybody, we got to trust all 11 guys on the field doing their job,” Maye said.

“Once we do that, we’ll be fine. Just have the integrity of the defense, doing their job. Once everybody is on the same page, we know what kind of defense we can be.”