What Impact Will Haason Reddick Have on the Jets Defense?

During the regular season, NewYorkJets.com reporters Eric Allen, Ethan Greenberg, Randy Lange, Caroline Hendershot and John Pullano will answer a series of questions about this year’s Jets.

Today’s question: What do you hope to see from the Jets pursuing their own exploration?

EA: The Jets lost five games: Denver (by 1 point), Minnesota at London (6), Buffalo (3), at New England (3) and against Indianapolis (1) by 14 points, or 2.8 points average. Finishing starts with better starts than offense. The Jets have scored 13 points in the first half of the last three games and are consistently playing from behind. Defensively I would like to see the team have more passing opportunities. Against the Colts, the tackle was improved and Jonathan Taylor was held to 57 yards on 24 carries (2.4 per pass), while Indy still had 35 rushing attempts. The Jets rank 5th in sacks with 34 and have recorded strip sacks in three straight games. For the outs (8, tied for No. 26) to increase, tackles need to be consistent, the Jets need to continue running backs like the Seahawks’ Kenneth Walker and play up front. I was encouraged by the 2 penalties awarded to the Colts and that was the kind of discipline needed in December. From an injury perspective, I think Allen Lazard’s absence had a significant impact on Davante Adams being forced into a new role. Lazard will be eligible to go off IR following the Jets-Seahawks game on December 1.

Ex: Fighting and complementary football. It’s easy for teams to throw in the towel after a 3-8 start, but there’s no doubt the Jets have a talented roster. Although the team was surprised by its performance, the Jets still have a chance to win the final six games for the remainder of the 2024 season. The only team the Green-Whites will play with a record above .500 is the Bills (9-2). The Seahawks and Rams are both 5-5, while the Dolphins and Jaguars are under .500. The Jets haven’t exactly created a complementary football game. Instead, we saw moves like the second half against the Texans or the Week 3 game against the Patriots. If the Jets can get out to an early lead and allow the defense to tune out from a pass rushing perspective, they will likely be in a position to compete in the final six games.