New York Jets Star Defender Speaks About How Unit Can Improve

What can the New York Jets do to improve on defense?

Florham Park, NJ July 19, 2023 -- Defensive lineman, Quinnen Williams being interviewed as players arrived today to participate in the NY Jets 2023 Training Camp at their practice facility in Florham Park, NJ. / Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

The New York Jets will be on the road once again in Week 2, hoping for a different outcome compared to Monday night. 

It was a tough opener for the Jets against the San Francisco 49ers, as they lost by a score of 32-19. While the final score indicates the game was fairly close, it really wasn’t, as New York was able to score a touchdown with backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor late in the contest.

The 49ers are going to be one of the best teams in the league this season barring major injuries, and the Jets can learn a lot from the game. 

One of the major takeaways from the loss to San Francisco was the performance of the defense.

Coming into the season, New York was projected to be one of the best in the league, and while that still might be the case, they didn’t have a strong performance in Week 1. 

Against the 49ers, the Jets really had a problem stopping the run, and that spiraled into other issues. Without Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco’s backup running back, Jordan Mason was able to run all over New York’s defense for 147 yards. 

Since the Jets struggled to stop the run, it also impacted their ability to rush the passer, as the 49ers didn’t face many third-downs and longs.

After getting a lot of criticism throughout the week, defensive tackle Quinnen Williams spoke about what New York needs to do differently against the Tennessee Titans.

“I think we got to stop the run first, man. You have to earn [the right] to rush the passer,” Williams said to Zach Braziller of the New York Post . “You got to stop the run first, and we didn’t stop the run first, so we didn’t earn the opportunity to rush the passer. First thing foremost is to stop the run.”

After seeing the blueprint from San Francisco of how to attack the Jets’ defense, the Titans will certainly be trying to do the same.

Tennessee is a run-first team right now, as their young quarterback, Will Levis, continues to develop. 

In Week 1, the Titans ran the ball well against the Chicago Bears, as Tony Pollard totaled 82 yards on the ground, and the team overall had 140 rushing yards. 

For New York, they must prioritize stopping the run first this week.

If they can do that, they will be able to let their pass-rushers loose and potentially force Levis into making mistakes. However, as Williams said, it all starts with controlling the ground game first.