Where to begin?
Almost every player on the Patriots’ offense is a threat. From Tom Brady to all of New England’s wide receivers and running backs, it will be tough to shut down just one aspect of the Patriots’ No. 1 scoring offense. The closest the Patriots came to dropping a game came against the Bills in Week 4. Buffalo locked down Tom Brady and held the Patriots to a season-low 16 points. While that game isn’t completely replicable, it is a good template for Gregg Williams to build his defensive gameplan around if he wants a shot at handing the Patriots their first loss of the season.
The Jets’ defense has actually been pretty solid this year despite the team’s 1-4 record. If C.J. Mosley returns like he says he will, the unit will be almost fully healthy for the first time since Week 1. It will take an A+ effort from the entire defense, but a few teams have been able to make the Patriots bleed through six weeks.
Here are the four keys to the Jets defense in Week 6.
Blitz Brady
The Jets are one of the most blitz-heavy teams in the NFL and should continue to do so against Tom Brady and the Patriots.
Brady has only been blitzed on 28.3 percent of his passing attempts but turned mortal when teams went after him. When the Bills blitzed Brady with a barrage of linebackers and safeties, he finished with his worst offensive performance of the year – 150 scoreless passing yards, one interception and a 45.9 quarterback rating.
Pressuring Brady typically leads to Patriots losses – New England is 1-6 when Brady has a quarterback rating of 48 or lower. The Jets should follow the blueprint of the Bills and attack Brady from all levels of the defense.
Stop Julian Edelman
If there’s an offensive weapon the Jets should focus on stopping, it’s Julian Edelman.
The receiver has a 25 percent target share among Patriots pass-catchers and is fifth in total targets in the league with 56. Edelman plays all over the field, but he does a lot of damage in the slot. Luckily, the Jets have one of the better slot cornerbacks in the league in Brian Poole. The first-year Jet allows only 4.1 yards per reception – second in the league – and should see plenty of Edelman throughout the game.
Against the Jets in Week 3, Edelman hung seven receptions for 62 yards and a touchdown before exiting with a chest injury at halftime. The Jets need to contain Edelman if they want a shot of holding off the Patriots’ offense.
Force third down
For an offense that leads the NFL in multiple offensive categories, the Patriots are actually pretty mediocre on third-down.
New England has converted 40.7 percent of its third-down attempts so far this season, which is only 13th in the league. In their closest win against the Bills in Week 4 they were 5-for-18 on third-down, which was their lowest conversion rate this season.
The Jets’ defense is equally unimpressive on third down. They’ve allowed 44.1 percent of conversions, including 10 this past week. Linebacker C.J. Mosley says he’ll return, which will be huge in the middle of the defense, but the team as a whole will need to hold on third down to force the Patriots off the field.
Don’t give up big plays
Big plays have killed the Jets’ defense this season and played major roles in the team’s four losses. Before Week 6, the Jets averaged about five plays of 20 or more yards per game, which is actually how many they gave up against the Patriots in their Week 3 loss. But in their win against the Cowboys, the Jets only gave up two such plays and were able to keep the Dallas offense from breaking open the game.
That lockdown defense will need to continue against the Patriots, who are ranked second in the league with 29 plays of at least 20 yards. The Jets can’t afford to let the Patriots pick up chunk plays to demoralize and tire out the defense.
