You knew it was bad. No different than Aaron Rodgers a year ago. Jermaine Johnson, towel over helmet, carted off Nissan Stadium. Later tests only confirmed what the Jets knew at the moment: Their Pro Bowl defensive end injured his Achilles. His season was over.
No team avoids adversity during a season, although the Jets are likely due a smooth sail considering what they’ve been through since Joe Namath raised his finger to the sky. That clearly won’t be this year. This is a massive blow to their defense.
The Jets must figure out a patch to prevent a spiral. That won’t be easy. It has to be done.
Johnson’s importance to the Jets defensive front was unparalleled. Quinnen Williams was and is their most dominant player there, but Johnson has been his most steady counterpart. He rushes the passer. He sets the edge. He’s not T.J. Watt or Nick Bosa, but a player you need to be aware of or he can take over a game. A complete defender without a glaring weakness.
That’s what makes his absence so troublesome.
The Jets defense has not looked like itself the first two weeks of the season. The 49ers scored 32 points and totaled 401 yards including 180 on the ground in the opener. A Rodgers game-winning touchdown drive saved the Jets against Tennessee, but if the Titans had even baseline competence under center (Will Levis is not good), this team is likely sitting 0-2 before Thursday night’s battle with the Patriots. The Titans, in spite of Levis’ egregious turnovers, totaled 300 yards of offense and 130 on the ground (4.6 average).
The Jets were already dealing with issues up front. Linebacker C.J. Mosley is their most intelligent player, but looked a step slower before going down with an injury on Sunday. Teams are doubling and focusing all their attention on the Williams brothers (Quinnen and Quincy), then pushing Javon Kinlaw and Micheal Clemons out of the way to create running room. Solomon Thomas and Takk McKinley are nice rotational pieces, but run defense is not their strength. They have cumulative run defense grades (ProFootballFocus) of 57.4 and 50.2 these last two weeks.
There’s promise with undrafted rookies Braiden McGregor, Leonard Taylor, and Eric Watts, but they’re still that: Undrafted rookies.
The Jets should be able to rush the passer. Especially if Will McDonald’s breakout three-sack performance on Sunday is a sign of what’s to come. The question is how many pass-rushing opportunities they’ll have if they can’t slow a team’s rushing attack on first and second down. They couldn’t in the opener and lost. They couldn’t in Nashville, either, but Levis bailed them out.
The latter will likely repeat itself when the Jets play the inferior opponents on their schedule. Against the Bills, though? The Vikings? Texans? Dolphins? Those they’d face in the playoffs?
There is a phone call GM Joe Douglas can make. Haason Reddick, whom he traded a conditional third-round pick for in the offseason and remains a holdout awaiting a new deal, is there. There’s been no indication the Jets are willing to blink in their standoff, though. That remains true. They won’t negotiate until Reddick shows up. Reddick won’t show up until he gets a new deal.
Until then, the Jets must figure it out with what they have.
Their first true test of the year.
