In the first game of the season, the Jets sacked Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton seven times.
They lost that game 23-22 on a late Mike Nugent field goal, but their effectiveness in dropping the quarterback seemed to bode well for the defense as well as the Jets’ chances of securing better results in the weeks to come. The results for the 3-9 team haven’t come and the Bengals game represented a high water mark for the pass rush.
They have 13 sacks in their other 11 games as opposing offenses have fared better than the Bengals. There have been a variety of reasons for their lack of sacks, including opposing teams getting rid of the ball quickly to negate the team’s defensive linemen. Muhammad Wilkerson, one of those defensive linemen said the secondary plays a role in that.
“Maybe a little tighter coverage and we get those sacks,” Wilkerson said, via NJ.com. “It works hand-in-hand. We can get to the quarterback, but like I said, if [the secondary] isn’t holding them for that one second, the ball’s out.”
Wilkerson said he wasn’t trying to push all the blame on the defensive backs and that the other defenders still need to get to the quarterback, but it’s been impossible to miss the drop in the quality of the play in the back end of the defense for the Jets this year. Restoring it will be on the long offseason to-do list for the Jets.