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There was a strange play in the Jets’ loss to New England last week, where they rushed three, dropped everyone else, and Patriots QB Drake Maye, with all day to throw, hit Romeo Doubs for a long TD pass. Doubs ran away from CB Brandon Stephens on this play, all the way from the left side of the end zone ot the right side, because the QB had an eternity to throw. It’s hard to criticize Stephens on this play – not many corners are going to hold up one-on-one for that long.
DT Harrison Phillips was rushing over the Patriots’ left tackle, Will Campbell, which makes little sense. Phillips has a hard time beating interior linemen as a pass rusher (he’s more of a run-stuffer); he’s going to beat a 1st-round left tackle? The other two rushers were a 360-pound nose tackle, T’Vondre Sweat, and linebacker Jamien Sherwood.
Not exactly the New York Sack Exchange.
Very strange play. Didn’t look right.
David Bailey dropped in coverage on that play.
From what we hear, Bailey might not have handled that play in an ideal fashion.
Maybe I have a different worldview than many, but not a proponent of putting rookies into the starting lineup before they are comfortable in the playbook. Don’t care where they were picked, even high in the first round.
The #1 overall pick in the 2026 is sitting and learning right now.
Now, granted, QB is a little different than defensive end, but until Bailey was totally comfortable with the system, some football programs might just use him as a situational pass rusher.
Because aside from the reported assignment miscue on that Doubs touchdown, Bailey’s run gap discipline has not been great.
Not all organizations put first-round picks right into the lineup as rookies. Some do, some don’t.
Sometimes it’s not fair to teammates if the player isn’t executing his assignments properly. Football is the ultimate team sport, and if one player is out of position, it can have a domino effect and mess up the entire play on one side of the ball.
You might say, “He’s learning.”
That is fine; he can’t he learnin a situational pass-rushing role until he’s totally comfortable with everything else . . .
Jets kick returner Kene Nwangwu is nursing a knee injury. He had a rough game on Sunday, and perhaps this is one of the reasons. He didn’t seem to have his same burst.
With him coming off a back injury early this year, and now dealing with a knee injury, you could argue it might be better to allow somebody else to handle kickoffs this week.
Perhaps call up electrifying return Jamaal Pritchett from the practice squad if they don’t want to make Isaiah Williams do return both kicks and punt…
Obviously sacks aren’t everything, and pressures are important, but when you have no sacks against a Patriots team that lost three linemen during the game, that is problematic.
And let’s not forget, Patriots left tackle Will Campbell was questionable for the game with a knee injury. Many thought he was not going to play (including me). So he clearly wasn’t 100 percent.
Aaron Glenn was as perplexed about the Jets not registering a sack last week as anybody.
“It’s hard to explain, to be honest with you, because I have all the confidence in the world in our front and being able to cause havoc,” Glenn said.
The Jets’ front seven better fix this issue against Miami, or this could contribute to a Dolphins’ upset.
Dolphins QB Malik Willis has a tendency to hold the ball too long.
But when you face a QB who often holds the ball too long, and you give him a lot of time to throw, even he is going to find people eventually.
There is only so long a secondary can hold up in coverage . . .
While the Jets defense wasn’t great on Sunday in New England, linebacker Jamien Sherwood had a solid game.
Patriots radio analyst Scott Zolak felt he was the best defensive player for the Jets in that game.
There is no doubt Sherwood, who had a rough season last year, has definitely improved in 2026…
It’s well documented that the Jets’ run defense, on that late field goal drive by New England, was substandard.
They got gashed repeatedly by a third-string running back – Corey Kiner, behind a line with three backups, due to losing three starts in the game.
What needs to change?
“Be able to use our hands, be able to play with extension, be able to disengage and go finish plays,” Glenn said . . .
The Jets have the more talented team right now with the Dolphins in a major rebuild. Their roster is much better right now.
While Miami is well-coached under Jeff Hafley, the Jets have much more firepower, and if they lose this game, there is something fundamentally wrong with the program.
Big game.
October 23, 2026
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