Jets Defense Has a Long Way to Go Before Shutting Down Top QBs Again

There are few defensive masterminds in the NFL quite like Rex Ryan. There are probably fewer who face the Jets' current issues in the secondary. The Jets have a rare level of talent on the defensive line, and when that group is playing at their best, the defense can get by.

They got away with it against the Oakland Raiders and rookie quarterback Derek Carr. They won't get away with it against the likes of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the NFL's other top passers, of whom the Jets will be facing many in the coming weeks.

Their shortcomings were masked amidst a hot start that saw the Jets defense allow only nine points on their first five drives while allowing 10 first downs and 98 net passing yards through the air.

Once the Jets' offense took its foot off the gas, though, the defense couldn't keep up the act. They gave up 22 points, 14 first downs and 212 net yards passing on the next seven drives.

The front seven are the Jets' meal ticket on defense. When that group is working at a high level, the defense can flourish. 

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Quinton Coples' first-quarter sack of Rodgers was a prime example. Coples was able to handily defeat right tackle Derek Sherrod. The Jets only sent four defenders after Rodgers on this play, dropping the other seven into coverage. 

The initial coverage was good, but if Rodgers had settled down, he would have seen an open running back in the flat for a checkdown. 

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Rodgers frantically searched for open receivers, but it took Coples less than three seconds to get past Sherrod, and with defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson collapsing the pocket from the middle, Rodgers had nowhere to run and was ultimately flushed out of the pocket and into Coples' arms. 

When that pass rush stopped, though, so did the Jets' ability to get stops on defense.

"It is deflating," Jets cornerback Antonio Allen said after the game, via Howie Kussoy of the New York Post. "We had the momentum, we were making third-down stops and doing everything right. [Rodgers] got a couple short throws, got in rhythm and we weren't able to get him out of the rhythm."

Allen is doing the best anyone could expect of him at cornerback. Perhaps it would help if cornerback were even his natural position.

Allen was flagged for a 27-yard pass interference penalty, missed three tackles and allowed five receptions on nine targets into his coverage, according to stats website Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Allen has done well in man coverage at times, but as it goes with any player changing position, it's all about standing the test of time. Although they are both in the defensive backfield, switching from safety to cornerback is no different. The Jets had to know that this would be a project. Colleague Ryan Alfieri put it best:

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While not superstars, Antonio Allen and Darrin Walls have shown enough ability to play at a level expected of a starting NFL cornerback, able to succeed in the right situation. Problem is, for long-term NFL players, the 'right situation' is never sustainable. At some point, other players are going to get injured (or, in Wilkerson's case, ejected). Coaches and teammates will make mistakes, and referees are going to botch calls. The only constant in pro football is the constant uncertainty and change. 

"

The Jets could probably have gotten away with it against the Packers if their actual cornerbacks were playing at a serviceable level. Unfortunately, Dee Milliner, Kyle Wilson and Darrin Walls didn't fare much better than Allen.

Player	Targeted	Rec. allowed	Yds	Yds/Tgt	TD	PD
Antonio Allen	9	5	75	8.3	0	1
Dee Milliner	8	5	136	17	1	0
Darrin Walls	7	4	45	6.4	0	1
Kyle Wilson	4	4	40	10	1	0

The four corners combined to be targeted 28 times, allowing 18 completions for 296 yards (10.6 yards per pass attempt) and two touchdowns, with two pass breakups. That kind of performance is not a huge shock against an All-Pro like Rodgers, who can capitalize on an opponent's weakness as well as any quarterback in the NFL. 

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

One of the basic tenets of the Jets defense is its focus on man coverage in the secondary. With exotic blitz packages in the front seven, the defensive backs are often required to play aggressive to tighten the windows for a quarterback to complete a pass. The Packers took advantage of this aggressive style of play to complete an 80-yard touchdown that put the Packers ahead for good.

Milliner followed Nelson off the line of scrimmage, turning his hips away from the line of scrimmage and running the route along with the receiver. With Milliner's hips turned away, he was already in no-man's land. 

When Nelson ran toward the sideline, Milliner had two choices: either concede the reception, continue running upfield and try to tackle Nelson in pursuit or try to get in front of the out route and make one last-ditch effort to make a play on the ball. Either of those two choices would have been the wrong one, though, as Nelson made a second move to work his way up the sideline. 

Milliner ended up rotating a full 360 degrees before he finally found himself running in the right direction again, and it was too late by that point.

Nelson's 209 receiving yards were the most allowed to a single receiver by the Jets under Rex Ryan.

Player	Games	Comp	Att	%	Yds	YPA	TD	INT	Rate
Jay Cutler	11	224	355	63.1	2621	7.4	19	12	89.2
Matthew Stafford	16	371	634	58.5	4650	7.3	29	19	84.2
Philip Rivers	16	378	544	69.5 *	4478	8.2	32	11	105.5
Peyton Manning	16	450 *	659 *	68.3	5477 *	8.3	55 *	10	115.1
Tom Brady	16	380	628	60.5	4343	6.9	25	11	87.3

Make no mistake; the Jets will not face quarterbacks as good as Rodgers or receivers as good as Nelson on a weekly basis—at least, not for the duration of the season. They will, however, be facing some top-flight pass attacks in the coming weeks.

With a gauntlet of a schedule that features Jay Cutler, Matthew Stafford, Philip Rivers, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, the Jets defense faces several huge tests in the coming weeks.

The pass rush remains a force, but if the Jets are going to make it out of this tough stretch with their playoff hopes intact, they will have to find a way to improve the play on the back end.

Advanced statistics provided by Pro Football Focus (subscription required).