New York Jets Finding Creative Ways to Improve Pass-Rush

The New York Jets' pass-rush continues to improve.

Sep 19, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh throws a challenge flag during the second quarter against the New England Patriots at MetLife Stadium. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The New York Jets were able to defeat the New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football to move to 2-1 on the season. 

It was a big game for the Jets on Thursday, as the Patriots have long been a thorn in their side. Coming into the game, New England had won eight straight games at MetLife Stadium, and the victory for New York surely meant a lot to snap that streak. 

The win was one of the most dominant performances by the franchise in a long time, as both the offense and defense looked great. While the Patriots are not considered to be a playoff contender this season, coming into the game they beat the Cincinnati Bengals and played a tight game against the Seattle Seahawks. 

However, the Jets dominated them in all aspects of the game, as they controlled the time of possession, and this one never really felt close. 

One of the concerns for New York after their Week 1 loss to the San Francisco 49ers was their lack of a pass-rush. Due to losing Bryce Huff in free agency and Haason Reddick still holding out, the Jets’ defense was a bit short on pass-rushers. 

In Week 1, the 49ers really didn’t feel much pressure from New York’s defense, as Brock Purdy was only sacked three times in the game, but there wasn’t much sustained pressure. However, the Jets’ pass-rush bounced back nicely in Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans, as they totaled four sacks and six quarterback hits in the win. 

Unfortunately for New York, they lost arguably their best edge rusher in Jermaine Johnson to an Achillies injury in that game. 

Coming into the game against New England, the pass-rush was once again going to be a concern for the Jets. A lot of credit has to go to Robert Saleh and the coaching staff, as a defensive scheme that isn’t known for blitzing really dialed it up on Thursday. 

The different blitz packages, which included safeties coming after Jacoby Brissett, often looked a lot like New York's defense under Rex Ryan. In the victory, the Jets totaled a season-high with seven sacks and a whopping 15 hits on the quarterback. 

While blitzing does put a lot of pressure on the secondary, the Jets have arguably the best cornerback trio in the league with Sauce Gardner, D.J. Reed, and Michael Carter III. 

The adjustment to blitz more paid big dividends for the defense as the unit had an exceptional performance in Week 3.