New York Jets' Defensive Troubles Worsen in Key Area Since Coaching Change

The Jets' 2024 season collapse stems from a defense plagued by big plays and deep coverage breakdowns that have only worsened.

Nov 10, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; New York Jets head coach Jeff Ulbrich looks on against the Arizona Cardinals during the first half at State Farm Stadium. / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

This season was supposed to be a year of triumph for the New York Jets — year defined by an all-in approach, headlined by high-profile additions and expectations of a deep playoff push.

Instead, the 2024 campaign has become a lost season, riddled with disappointment and failures. The team’s 3-8 record, paired with a meager 1% chance of making the playoffs, exemplifies the magnitude of their collapse.

The blame, as it so often does, has disproportionately fallen on the shoulders of Aaron Rodgers and the offense, but this scapegoating is misguided.

Giving up Explosive passes were a weakness during former coach Robert Saleh’s tenure, but they have become the team’s kryptonite under interim coach and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.

Deep coverage lapses have cost the Jets dearly, and repeatedly, allowing opponents to change the momentum with single plays.

Under Saleh, these plays happened but they were limited, with the defense under Saleh giving up a 92.5 passer rating on throws over 10 yards. While 92.5 is far from ideal, this statistic has ballooned to an unmanageable 127.5 passer rating under Ulbrich, a recipe for losing football.

Opponents passer rating (Saleh) / Eli Henderson

Opponents Passer Rating (Ulbrich) / Eli Henderson

Ulbrich attempted to right the ship with what could best be described as a band-aid solution, a tackling seminar aimed at addressing one of the most visible symptoms of the Jets' struggles. The seminar, framed as a reset to reinforce fundamental tackling technique, was met with skepticism from players. They understood the real issue wasn’t as simple as form or commitment when wrapping up a ball carrier.

Cornerback Sauce Gardner, perhaps unintentionally, captured the sentiment with his frank assessment: "We know how to tackle. We know how to tackle. We gotta make the tackles. That’s really it. We've been doing it. We really don’t need no presentation. I know where he’s coming from when he did it, but as professional athletes, we gotta be able to make tackles, me included for sure."

Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson’s performance against the Jets was a painful reminder of the defense’s struggles with giving up explosive plays.

With a young career marked with inconsistency, Richardson entered the game with much to prove but left MetLife Stadium looking like a star. The Jets’ defense, which has made a habit of allowing big plays, was once again exposed, giving Richardson ample opportunities to shine, with him completing 20 of 30 passes for a career-high 272 yards.

On throws over 10 yards, Richardson exposed the Jets' greatest defensive weakness, completing just eight passes for a staggering 208 yards and a touchdown, finishing with a 120.8 passer rating on such attempts.

It was a glaring reminder of how the Jets’ inability to contain explosive plays has become their undoing. Time and again, Richardson found and exploited openings deep downfield, epitomized by a 39-yard strike to receiver Alec Pierce, which set the Indianapolis Colts up for victory.

While a career game for Richardson, this type of performance is typical under Ulbrich, with the Jets allowing a passer rating of over 120 on throws of over 10 yards in four of six games under his leadership.

The Jets' 2024 season, once filled with ambition and high hopes, now stands as a cautionary tale of squandered potential and misguided direction. Despite high-profile additions and bold decisions, the team finds itself with no clear identity, oscillating between a faltering offense and a defense unable to overcome its most significant flaws.

The struggles with explosive plays, compounded by ineffective leadership and poorly timed adjustments, have shattered any semblance of cohesion. The Jets' inability to address deep-rooted defensive issues, coupled with a lack of clear focus, has left them adrift in a lost season.

For a team that staked its future on immediate success, the harsh reality of their collapse is a bitter pill to swallow, one that demands a reckoning far beyond superficial fixes.