No Sheldon, no problem in Week 1

The New York Jets were without one of their biggest stars in Week 1. Despite that the Jets not only survived, but thrived in his absence.

The New York Jets opened up their 2016 season against the Cincinnati Bengals and despite a loss, there were a lot of positives to take away. Namely seeing the progression of second-year defensive end Leonard Williams.

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The Jets were playing the Bengals without a full deck of cards on defense with the Sheldon Richardson suspension. But with consequence comes opportunity and that’s exactly what Williams had on Sunday and he took full advantage.

Last season, Williams accumulated a measly three sacks and all offseason he talked about bumping that number up in 2016. Well nobody thought he’d nearly eclipse that total in the first game of the season.

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As per the Media Relations Department of the Jets, Williams put up a clinic against the Bengals.

Willaims totaled 2.5 sacks, a career single-game high, for a total loss of 19.5 yards.

His 11-yard sack in the third quarter is the most yards lost on a sack in his career.

Williams finished with six total tackles (three solo), two tackles for a loss, and five quarterback hurries (team-high).

He wasn’t the only one who played well for the Jets, the entire defense really stepped it up. The Jets recorded 7.0 total sacks which tied for the most on an opening day since 1966.

While there were many issues that led to the Jets’ opening loss, the positives should be a sign for optimism. The Jets’ pass rush looked dominant throughout the contest, but particularly in the first half.

Just imagine Thursday night, when Richardson re-enters the fold for this defense. Despite Richardson’s return to the lineup in Week 2, Williams should still be featured prominently.

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Another good sign is that the Jets’ defense did this by a committee and against one of the top offensive lines in the league. This could be one of the most dominant defenses in the NFL this season, something to monitor as we progress through the year.