Jets vow Week 2 defensive disaster ‘won’t ever happen again’

Sunday was painful for the Jets defense and the film session that followed was just as agonizing. 

Gang Green didn’t burn the tape. It had to relive the mistake-filled performance of allowing 224 rushing yards to the Bills in the lopsided loss, the most the Jets have given up since Nov. 5, 2021 against the Colts. 

There were positives to come out of it, though.

Consider that effort a wake-up call for a group that believes it can be one of the better defenses in the NFL, but has performed like one of the worst through two weeks. 

“We really honed in and focused on the step back we took from Week 1 to Week 2. We all made a pact as a defense, player-to-player, that it won’t ever happen again,” star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams said on Thursday, referring to the Jets allowing 200 yards on the ground. “We all took constructive criticism from each other, owned up to what we needed to do right, not just talking about it. But really taking the time yesterday and today to get better at what we need to get better at. … It won’t ever happen again.” 

Earlier on Thursday, defensive coordinator Steve Wilks addressed the Jets’ defensive problems, faulting the players’ lack of execution and not the scheme.

On James Cook’s 44-yard touchdown run, in which he broke several tackles, Wilks felt it was made possible by over-pursuit. The Jets, more often than not, are beating themselves, the longtime coordinator said. 

Williams and inside linebacker Jamien Sherwood agreed with that sentiment.

Too many penalties, poor fundamentals and the unit lacking cohesion has led to poor results.

They aren’t getting off the field, allowing the opposition to convert 37.5 percent of their third-down opportunities.

---

---

The defense has committed seven penalties, four of which have produced first downs for the opposition. 

“The coaching staff has done an unbelievable job when it comes down to putting us in the right positions,” Williams, a three-time Pro Bowler, said. “We got to make the tackles, we got to not make the penalties on third down, we got to get the ball out of the quarterback’s hands, we have to win our one-on-ones up front. We have to do the things that the coaches can’t control on the field and the things that we can control. 

“Once we start doing those things, when we stop making stupid penalties on third down, when we stop making mental errors when it comes to fundamentals and execution, we’re going to be a great defense.” 

Williams is certain it isn’t a talent issue, that the Jets have more than enough to be elite defensively.

They were third in the league in total yards a year ago, and several key parts of that defense are still here, notably Sherwood, Quinnen, Quincy Williams, Sauce Gardner and Will McDonald.

It is a new system, and there are new players, but the drop-off so far has been stark.

The Jets have allowed 30 points in each of their first two games for the first time since the 2002 campaign. 

“I 100 percent believe the talent is there, 100 percent believe the coaching scheme is there,” Quinnen Williams said. “I just think the fundamentals and the details and the DNA has to come to life and the standard has to come to life that Coach [Aaron Glenn] has been preaching and coaching for us to be the defense we know we can be. We have the guys in the room to make it come to life.”