Defensive Approach vs. the Big Buffalo
The Jets will try to keep Bills QB Josh Allen and the Buffalo offense in check Sunday. The defense did a lot of good things against the Steelers while holding them to 271 yards, limiting Pittsburgh to 2.7 yards per carry and sacking QB Aaron Rodgers 4 times. But Rodgers threw 4 TD passes, coverage and tackling was inconsistent and there were some untimely penalties. Veteran safety Andre Cisco, who had 5 tackles, wants the secondary to be a fundamentally sound group.

“We obviously have a ton of talent, but you want that talent to meet the fundamentals in the proper moments. So like tackling, playing the ball in the air and taking the ball away,” he said.

Veteran LB Quincy Williams, who had 6 tackles and a sack in Week 1, emphasized the need to play a cleaner game. The Jets had 7 penalties for 74 marked off yards against Pittsburgh including Williams’ 15-yard unnecessary roughness call after the Jets stuffed Kaleb Johnson for a 2-yard loss in the third quarter.

“Really building off the consistency of it all,” Williams said. … “So, when two good teams battle against each other, it’s going to be like the small details. We harped on that this week as far as like in practice and having a winning mindset in practice, winning every day and that leads over to the game. Getting turnovers during the week and then that leading over to the game.”

Over 17 games last season, Allen (6-5, 237) was sacked just 14 times. He is lethal on the move and has the strength to discard defenders.

“He’s a bigger body and also he’s one of those guys who you don’t really know if he’s looking to scramble to run or scramble to throw the ball,” said Williams (5-10, 230). “So having that mindset of not leaving the ground when he’s pump-faking or something like that. He’s also a bigger body so taking that extra step when you tackle him.”

In the back end, the Jets are stressing their assignments. With Allen, there is always the initial play and then the improvisation.

“With the longer developing plays, that’s kind of where coverages get exposed if you don’t know your rules,” Cisco said. “You have to be able to not just match the first set of routes but match whatever they become. That’s kind of what happened and if one guy is out of position at that point, a good quarterback like Aaron Rodgers is going to find their guy.”