4 things the NY Jets must continue to do to make the playoffs

3. Takeaways

The Jets defense was special last season. They had talent all over the field, including All-Pro rookie Sauce Gardner in the secondary, as well as Pro Bowlers Quinnen Williams and C.J. Mosley.

The one big knock on the defense was their inability to create turnovers. The Jets forced just 16 turnovers last year, 29th in the league, and more than just the Raiders, Saints, and Dolphins. Somehow, they still managed to finish with the 4th best scoring defense, allowing just 18.6 points per game.

No defense can be truly elite without forcing turnovers, especially when the offense is so limited. Turnovers create easy scoring chances for the offense and can swing the momentum of the game. 

This year, the defense has turned into one of the best at creating turnovers. They have forced the second most turnovers in the NFL so far with 13 through six weeks after just 16 total turnovers forced the entire season last year. 

The defense managed to turn over both Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts four times each so far and forced two interceptions (although it should have been three) when playing Patrick Mahomes. Not surprisingly, the Jets won two of those games and were in position to beat the Chiefs as well. 

Playing complementary football is a big reason for success in the NFL, and the fact the Jets have limited their turnovers while also forcing other teams into tons of them has been one of the largest reasons for their 3-3 start this year.

As the schedule lightens up after the bye, they must continue to force turnovers against inferior opponents to help the team win some games.