Jets easily welcome back Sheldon Richardson

The defense of the New York Jets was dominant in Week 1. They followed that up with another marvelous performance on Thursday Night Football.

The New York Jets have an embarrassment of riches along the defensive line, but it isn’t always easy to manage. But the Jets found a way, especially adding defensive end Sheldon Richardson back to the fold this week.

While the numbers weren’t as gaudy this week, there was a big difference in the final result. Ultimately the Jets didn’t get seven sacks this week, actually, they had zero.

But they did get their first win of the season and they employed a different kind of defense against quarterback Tyrod Taylor. They took a lot of notes from the Bills’ first game against the Baltimore Ravens and it worked.

The Jets kept Taylor in the pocket for most of the night and forced him to beat them through the air. While he did have a few stellar moments, overall the Jets’ front seven did a great job.

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But getting back to Richardson who made his season debut in Week 2, his presence was sorely missed.

He arguably made the biggest play of the game on fourth and short deep in the fourth quarter.

The Bills only converted 3 of 10 third-down opportunities and were 1 for 2 on fourth down.

The problem that sticks out on defense for the Jets, is the propensity for giving up big plays.

They didn’t survive in Week 1, they did in Week 2, the moral of this story is that you can’t win games by giving up big plays. The Ravens for example only got behind the Bills once on offense, but that one time was enough to win the game.

must read: Surreal depth at wide receiver shines in Week 2 for Jets

Next up for the Jets is a conservative offense against the Kansas City Chiefs, despite that they shouldn’t underestimate the talent on that team. From wide receiver Jeremy Maclin to tight end Travis Kelce, the Jets are going to have their hands full.

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