Jets loss makes one undeniable truth about their defense impossible to ignore

I'm not going to sit here and tell you that there is one singular weakness the New York Jets need to improve. The 2025 Jets need a complete overhaul. Outside of maybe the offensive line, every unit stands to see massive change over the course of the next nine and a half months.

Against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 12, however, one specific weakness stood out. The defense as a whole was bad, which is nothing new this season. The pass rush, specifically, was nonexistent. The Jets can improve every facet of the defense this offseason, but if they can't generate pressure on the quarterback, it would all be for naught.

Again, Darren Mougey and Aaron Glenn have plenty of decisions to make and retooling to do. But if the pass rush isn't at the top of their list, they're making a big mistake.

The Jets defense cannot function without an improved pass rush

Of course, you cannot neglect any piece of the defense. But pressuring the quarterback is what makes the entire engine go. It's the initial spark that ignites the rest of the unit. It's been a brutal campaign for the pass rush this year, so unsurprisingly, the defense as a whole has been horrible.

Jermaine Johnson missed a few weeks, which doesn't bode well for the overall output. Will McDonald has been battling a quad injury of late, which is also an obvious hindrance. But they were both on the field on Sunday, and the Jets put up one of their worst pass-rushing performances of the season.

McDonald was a non-factor, finishing with zero QB hits, zero tackles, and just two hurries. Johnson wasn't much more productive either, with just one tackle and not a single quarterback hit or sack.

No one else pitched in either. Jowon Briggs had the lone sack for the squad. And believe it or not, it was the only quarterback hit the entire team registered all day.

That's not to say Lamar Jackson is an easy quarterback to track down, and I understand that McDonald's injury hurts, but if Johnson is the only guy outside of McDonald who can be trusted to pressure the passer, the defense is dead on arrival to begin with.

The team left the field with a 58.1 Pro Football Focus pass rush grade. This was the fourth-worst grade they've generated this season, which is tough to do considering they're 26th in the league overall with a 63.8 grade. The defense holds the 19th overall defensive grade at 63.0, which is carried almost entirely by its run defense.

The Jets actually rank 11th in the league with a 70.5 run defense grade. The leg work here was primarily done by Quinnen Williams, but don't discount Harrison Phillips, who holds a healthy 74.8 grade. Jamien Sherwood has also been excellent against the run all year. The ground game is clearly not what's holding the defense back.

The real killer has been Michael Clemons. He has been a disaster rushing the passer, with zero sacks and a 57.3 grade on 223 pass rush snaps. It doesn't get much worse than that.

Jowon Briggs actually holds the highest grade of anyone on 160 pass rush snaps. While that's a positive metric for Briggs, you can't rely on an interior lineman as the main source of pressure. And his 75.7 grade isn't high enough to lead a high-end unit.

Amongst a ton of moves to make, upgrading the pass rush has to be a priority. Darren Mougey certainly has the draft picks and roster flexibility to pull off such an upgrade. It will be a matter of execution during free agency and the draft.