In the Jets’ loss to Buffalo, their run defense on the first series was so poor that ESPN’s Joe Buck said late in the drive, “Just running it right down their throats.”
This drive had to make Jets head coach Jeff Ulbrich sick. It was a video tutorial on how not to play the run.
And this wasn’t the only series in this game where the Jets struggled stopping the run.
Ulbrich has vowed to fix the Jets run defense, no matter what it takes.
While he’s attempting to do that in-season, one factor that can assist the Jets’ inconsistent run defense this week is the state of the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line, which is a MASH unit. Starting left tackle Troy Fautanu and right guard James Daniels are on injured reserve. Starting center Zach Frazier will miss the Jets’ game with an ankle injury. Keep in mind that the rookie was starting at center because former Jet Nate Herbig is on injured reserve.
It’s unclear whether some of the Jets’ run defense issues can be fixed from Monday night to Sunday night, but the state of the Steelers’ offensive line should help.
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