Defense is ready for the regular season opener

The defense of the New York Jets finally stepped up when it mattered most. Which set the stage nicely for the regular season opener.

The New York Jets twice now have allowed double-digit play drives to open the game earlier in the preseason. That all stopped in preseason Week 3 against the New York Giants on Saturday night. It wasn’t just the opening drive for the Jets’ defense, all game long they dominated. The Jets only allowed 163 yards in the game and only eight yards in the first quarter.

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It was a relief to see the Jets’ defense finally get off the field thanks to stopping the opposition. Head coach Todd Bowles spoke with the media following the game, here is what he said via the Media Relations Department of the Jets:

On the Jets defensive performance in the first half…

We got better in the first half. Those guys learned how to play together a little bit. We got some continuity and chemistry. It was a big improvement from the last two weeks.

The first half was highlighted by big plays from the biggest stars on defense. Cornerback Darrelle Revis notched his second interception of the preseason.

He talked with the media following the Jets second loss of the preseason. Revis talked about the interception and how ready the Jets are for the season. Here’s what he said via the Media Relations Department of the Jets:

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On how ready the New York Jets are for the regular season…

I think this third game, which is where the starters played a lot more, I think Coach (Todd Bowles) is satisfied with where we are and how we started fast today. We really came out ready to go. Guys were getting to Eli and the secondary was playing tight coverage. Those two go hand in hand with the rush and defensive coverage. It was great today.

The Jets know they’re going to have to rely on their defense this season to win games. Or at the very least keep the score down and give the Jets’ offense short fields to work with. Defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson and the rest of the Jets’ defensive line looks in mid-season form. What is perhaps most noteworthy is the health of Jets’ captain David Harris following his injury. He’s scheduled for testing on Monday to determine the status of his shoulder.

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Consequently, we could be seeing more of linebacker Darron Lee rather earlier in the season than we anticipated. We’ll keep a close eye on that as we get closer to the regular season opener as this defense is ready to make some serious noise.