The New York Jets endured one of their most embarrassing performances in recent memory in Week 2's 30-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills. The defense was gashed, allowing over 220 rushing yards, as the Bills steamrolled the Jets' front seven.
Now, heading into a Week 3 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams has revealed that the defensive unit held serious conversations about what went wrong and made a collective commitment to ensure such a breakdown never happens again.
The details of what transpired in those defensive meetings, at least according to Williams, paint a picture of a group determined to salvage their pride before it's too late. The Jets want to ensure what happened on Sunday isn't repeated at any point this season.
Williams told reporters this week that the Jets' defense "made a pact" to "never let that happen again." It seems Williams and the rest of the Jets' defensive players took Sunday's humiliation personally.
Quinnen Williams is determined never to let the Jets' defense get embarrassed again
Sunday's loss to the Bills was embarrassing on all fronts for the organization. Much of the criticism understandably went to the team's offense, led by quarterback Justin Fields, who put together what was likely the worst performance of his NFL career.
Fields completed just three passes for 27 yards before exiting the game with a concussion in the fourth quarter. Bills backup QB Mitch Trubisky entered the game for just two plays following a brief Josh Allen injury, completed one pass, and finished with more passing yards than Fields.
But for as bad as the offense was, the Jets' defense also deserves its share of blame. Steve Wilks' unit has been one of the worst in the NFL through the first two weeks of the season, at least statistically.
The Jets rank 31st in the NFL in overall defensive EPA, just one spot ahead of the lowly Miami Dolphins. To Williams' point, the Jets currently rank 29th in the league in defensive rushing EPA allowed.
This has been one of the worst run defenses in football over the first two weeks of the year. That isn't necessarily due to the performance of Williams, however. The former All-Pro's 82.2 Pro Football Focus grade ranks fifth among all interior defensive linemen to play at least 40 defensive snaps.
The blame can be largely placed on the Jets' putrid defensive line depth, as well as starting edge rusher Will McDonald, whose 29.2 PFF run defense grade is over 10.0 full points lower than any other qualified edge defender.
The Jets have internally promised to be better moving forward. Sunday will show if this pact means anything or if it's just empty words after another embarrassing performance.