It was a bitter pill for the Jets and their fans in the drizzle over MetLife Stadium on Sunday. They went from 10 points ahead with 11 minutes to play to a 3-point overtime defeat against the Packers. But was all the work and focus and talent they put into their plan to go to 2-0 with a glorious home-opening win over Green Bay all for naught.
Not at all. As LB Demario Davis said: “That’s a good football team, but we’re on our way, and we have to go right back to work, dust ourselves off and back to work.”
It may not have been visible in those 13 late points the Pack put on the board. But a number of metrics and rankings over the first two weeks suggest that the Jets defense is still on its way.
Top-Ranked Unit
The Jets on Monday are No. 1 in the NFL. That’s first as in total defense. With Green Bay netting 199 yards, the Jets’ D has allowed 197 yards/game and Tuesday morning may claim the top spot as the league’s No. 1 defense after two weeks. (The Giants’ No. 3 defense may have something to say about that against the Rams on Monday Night Football.
This is the first time in franchise history that the Green & White have held each of their first two opponents to fewer than 200 yards. It’s also their first time being top-ranked in total D after two weeks since the 2009 team, which also finished the season as No. 1 in the league. Since then, they spent time at the top for only a week in 2014 and again in ’15.
The Jets are also a top-10 team in three other major defensive categories as well, only the fourth time they can say that after Week 2 in the last 33 seasons, or since 1994. The four Jets teams so ranked (*before MNF):