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Jets really missed David Onymemata today in their 31-24 loss at Detroit.
Their run defense up the middle wasn’t very good. They got pushed around too much up the gut.
You could argue the biggest reason the Jets lost today was their run defense.
Because of their substandard run defense, Goff could execute a lot of effective play-action passes, which is squarely in his comfort zone.
Remember, when he shined with Ben Johnson as his OC, from 2022-24, they pounded the rock with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, setting up tons of easy play-action passes.
That is what happened today at Ford Field.
Granted, the Onyemata injury last week, which landed him on short-term IR this week, didn’t help the Jets run defense up the middle, but it wasn’t that great last week against the Green Bay Packers either.
Many thought that the trade for a 6-4, 366-pound nose tackle would help the Jets shore up their interior rush defense, which was a problem the last couple of seasons.
In Week 1, it wasn’t bad, but in the last two weeks, there were too many big runs up the middle.
You could argue they need a little more from Sweat, impose his will a little more on run plays up the middle – get off more blocks.
At the beginning of the second quarter, you saw a perfect example of the scenario where the run set up a couple of easy play-action passes.
On first down, Gibbs ran for nine yards. Then on 2nd-and-1, Gibbs ran right up the gut for six yards. Then on 1st-and-10, Goff hit Gibbs for a 12-yard gain on the short left side. Next play, Sione Vaki, their third-string tailback, with Isiah Pacheco out, ran for seven yards, and then Goff hit Gibbs for another easy 13-yard pass. The drive ended with a Lions field goal.
But if you are not going to stop the run against this Lions offense, good luck stopping it.
The defensive linemen during this stretch were Sweat, Harrison Phillips and Jowon Briggs.
Phillips might not be an ideal starter at this stage of his career, after a lot of years of wear and tear over eight NFL seasons. He’s a warrior. Probably best suited as a backup rotational player. Briggs is a good interior pass rusher, but struggled against the run last year and today as well. He has short arms, which made it hard for him to stack and shed.
When rookie defensive tackle Darrell Jackson rotated in, his high pad level was a problem in a few runs.
You look at the play-by-play this game, and my goodness, so many chunk runs: five, six, seven, eight yards. Hard to win that way.
Obviously, Jets QB Geno Smith was terrific today, going 31 of 37 for 321 yards and three touchdowns with a 129.8 QB rating.
So many great throws by Smith today, with none better than the two-point conversion to newly signed Sterling Shephard – a laser into tight coverage – to tie the game at 24.
Tight end Kenyon Sadiq was a revelation with his explosive athleticism (4.39 speed and 43-inch vertical) on full display.
And actually, the Jets pass defense was not that bad today. There were several good plays in pass coverage by Jets defenders.
The one touchdown pass to a receiver today was a tough cover for AZ Thomas, a perfectly thrown fade to Amon-Ra St. Brown, one of the best receivers in the league.
So much of the damage in the pass game today done by the Lions was off play-action.
And helping this be so effective was Detroit rushing for 133 yards.
With too much of this coming up the middle.
Jets D-Line coach Karl Dunbar is one of the best in the business. He has some work to do this week.
The Jets’ interior run defense needs some repairs.
September 27, 2026
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