The New York Jets’ defense took a big hit and had its pride shaken.
In their opening game, they faced a tough defeat against the San Francisco 49ers’ offense, which was shocking and embarrassing—but it may have been just what they needed.
“As a defense, we just knew that it wasn’t us, collectively,” linebacker Jamien Sherwood said Monday about the Jets’ 32-19 loss on September 9. “There were many plays we left out there, where we could have performed better. And, you know, that’s helped us.
“Sometimes you need to get hit in the mouth to understand what you need to do.”
The 49ers ran through the Jets during that game, with Jordan Mason rushing for a career-high 147 yards while stepping in for the injured Christian McCaffrey.
New York’s defense struggled to stop the 49ers, giving up 401 yards and 24 first downs. This was seen as a big test for the Jets, who have been among the best defensive teams in the league in recent seasons.
That night, they didn’t succeed.
“They played well that day and took advantage of some of our mistakes,” Sherwood said. “Our job moving forward is to avoid making the same mistakes and to fix them as quickly as possible.”
The Jets certainly found their rhythm again in the last two games.
They won against Tennessee 24-17 on the road and allowed only 300 yards in Week 2. Then, just four days later in their home opener, they dominated New England 24-3 last Thursday night.
While neither the Titans nor the Patriots have the same offensive strength as the 49ers, these performances have boosted the Jets’ defense’s confidence once more.
“I definitely do think that showed what we have the potential to do,” safety Chuck Clark said. “But we’ve got to go out there and do that every week, and we’ve got to practice hard.”
The Jets recorded seven sacks against the Patriots, who managed only 139 total yards and 11 first downs in the game. New York also played with the lead throughout the night, thanks to a strong performance by Aaron Rodgers, who was efficient and controlled several long drives, giving the defense some rest.
“It definitely is a different feeling going out there as a defensive player,” Clark said. “When you have a lead, the offense has to adjust to you, and that’s how it was on Thursday night.
We knew they had to take risks when needed, and we had to stay focused and ready for them.”
After playing three games in 11 days to start the season, the Jets had a few days off over the weekend to prepare for another home game on Sunday against Denver.
They’ll be up against rookie quarterback Bo Nix, who hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass in his last three games.
However, the Broncos (1-2) are coming off a 26-7 win over Tampa Bay, where Nix ran nine times for 47 yards and a touchdown, completing 25 of 36 passes for 216 yards with no turnovers.
Sherwood, who played with Nix for two seasons at Auburn before he transferred to Oregon, recognized that a dual-threat player like the No. 12 overall pick can pose a challenge for a defense. But the focus remains the same.
“If he decides to run, we need to work hard to rally to the ball, do our best to get it away from him, and do whatever it takes to stop him,” Sherwood said. “He’s a great athlete, and we can’t overlook that. It’s all about us doing our job.”
