The New York Jets defense has taken some hits of late, none worse that giving up 37 points to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night.
The Jets (2-5) will try and correct some of that when they travel to face the New England Patriots (1-6), a game that starts at 1 p.m. eastern on Sunday and will be broadcast on CBS.
This New York defense should be among the best in the league, based on talent. The unit even got better this week when holdout pass rusher Haason Reddick finally reported, though it’s not clear how much he’ll play on Sunday.
But the past few weeks the Jets have proven vulnerable against the run. Steelers back Najee Harris hit 102 yards against Pittsburgh. The secondary is beat up and there’s hope that the Jets could get a couple of cornerbacks returning on Sunday.
The Patriots have lost six straight games and it’s increasing clear this team doesn’t have the talent to keep up with the rest of the league. Everyone knew New England was rebuilding when it turned over from Bill Belichick to Jerod Mayo. But many also believed the team’s level of defensive excellence would remain intact.
That hasn’t been the case.
Here are the defensive players to watch for both teams entering the game.
New York Jets
DT Quinnen Williams
New York has to do a better job of stopping the run. It’s that simple. Well, actually it’s not that simple, but if the Jets want to get moving in that direction it needs more from Williams. He has 11 tackles and two sacks in five games, and one of those sacks came against the Patriots. But, along with the other interior tackle, Javon Kinlaw, Williams needs to do more to help spearhead the run stops.
LB Quincy Williams
He’s the second-leading tackler on the team with 48 in seven games, including 34 solo stops. He has four tackles for loss and has forced a fumble. He’s on the injury report this week but New York needs him on the field. In the first meeting with New England he had eight stops, including five solo tackles.
CB Sauce Gardner
Great players like Gardner are measured by interceptions and he doesn’t have one this season. That’s just a fact and as banged up as the secondary is he needs to change that. Otherwise, he’s having a productive season, with 20 tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss and three pass breakups. He’s doing when he can, considering the ball isn’t thrown his direction most of the time.
New England Patriots
DE Keion White
As in the first meeting, White continues to lead the Patriots in sacks with four. But the devil is in this detail — all of those sacks came before they faced the Jets on Sept. 19. He hasn’t had a sack in the past five games. Have teams figured out a way to block him? It sure looks that way. He does have 30 tackles, including four tackles for loss.
CB Marcus Jones
The savvy third-year pro had three tackles in the first meeting with New York. He has 22 tackles in seven games. He’s one of only three Patriots with an interception his season and has also defended three passes. This isn’t a secondary creating a lot of mistakes for opponents. Jones is one of the few that has proven capable.
LB Jahlani Tavai
He’s been their most productive linebacker with 42 tackles (20 solo) along with four tackles for loss and a pass defended. He had one of his best games of the season against the Jets, with 10 tackles (six solo). New England would love to see the sixth-year pro create a turnover.
