The Jets defense looked impressive for the first three quarters of their Week 1 loss to the Bills. However, an injury to C.J. Mosley, poor cornerback play and some horrendous penalties opened the door to a 17-point Bills comeback win to ruin the Jets’ home opener. The Jets’ Week 2 opponent – the Cleveland Browns – are also on the heels of a devastating home loss, though theirs featured a 30-point blowout.
Though they gave up 43 points, the Browns feature a star-studded roster full of offensive talent the Jets will need to contain. Baker Mayfield runs the show, Nick Chubb is a bruising back with great speed, and lest we forget the formidable wide receiving duo of Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry. The Jets will have their hands full on Monday night, and it will take more than just an impressive gameplan from Gregg Williams to bring New York’s record to 1-1.
Here are four keys for the Jets defense in Week 2 vs. the Browns.
Attack the offensive line
One of the few weaknesses on the Browns offense is their porous line. They allowed the second-most sacks in Week 1 with five and Mayfield was also hit seven other times and threw three interceptions thanks to pressure from the Titans defense.
The Jets will need to rush the passer as much as possible to disrupt the line and keep Mayfield from having a clean pocket. That shouldn’t be too hard for a Jets team that hit Bills quarterback Josh Allen nine times in Week 1 and was one of the best defenses against the pass, according to ESPN. Henry Anderson will be key to the attack since he’ll likely be matched up with Browns right tackle Chris Hubbard, who gave up 2.5 sacks and a safety to Cameron Wake in Week 1.
Limit penalties
Penalties absolutely killed the Jets against the Bills. Despite forcing four turnovers and a safety, the defense also committed two crucial penalties. A defensive holding penalty by Darryl Roberts negated a Marcus Maye interception that would have set up the Jets offense at the Bills’ 33-yard line, and a roughing the passer penalty by Henry Anderson gave the Bills a first down on 3rd & 10 to set up a field goal that ignited the comeback.
The Jets defense looks like it could surprise this season, but penalties can ruin momentum. That’s something the Jets just can’t afford against the Browns.
Shut down Cleveland’s receivers (Good luck)
Stopping Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. is easier said than done, especially when the Jets’ starting cornerbacks are Trumaine Johnson and Darryl Roberts. But nevertheless, containing Landry and OBJ will be the key to stopping the Browns’ offense.
The Titans did a pretty good job stopping that duo in Week 1. On 18 combined targets, Landry and Beckham only totaled 11 receptions, 138 yards and zero touchdowns. Tight end David Njoku caught the lone receiving touchdown, and that was in the red zone.
Johnson and Roberts won’t be able to hold Landry and Beckham alone. They could barely stop the Bills’ duo of Cole Beasley and John Brown. It will take defensive ingenuity from Gregg Williams – either in the form of exotic blitz schemes or zone coverage – to keep Mayfield from finding his top targets.
Avoid giving up big plays
The Jets must not allow the Browns to roll down the field on big plays like they did with the Bills. In Week 1, the Jets gave up four plays of at least 20 yards, including the 38-yard game-winning touchdown pass to John Brown.
Cleveland’s offensive weapons thrive on speed and tackle-breaking moves, meaning the Jets will need to be careful when trying to bring down their playmakers. Big plays have broken Jets defenses the past few seasons, and that can’t continue this early in the season. Besides rushing the passer, tackling should be one of the big points of emphasis this week in practice.
