All in With John Jastremski

Jets Week 1 Defense Dud Hopefully Not A Sign Of Things To Come…

For over a full calendar year, the starving for success Jets franchise awaited the return of quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers redux took the headlines Monday night heading into game 1 against the San Francisco 49ers. After game 1, Rodgers return should be a side bar. Yes, after what happened a year ago, it is fantastic that Aaron Rodgers, coming off a torn Achilles made it through his first game of NFL Football in over a year. He was far from perfect, but showed glimpses of power, including a brilliant third drive of the game that was a friendly reminder that a future Hall Of Fame quarterback is leading the Jets. That’s great, but the idea of Jets success is tied directly to Rodgers and a top notch defense leading the way.The defense was anything but top notch against the 49ers. The defense was abominable. Without star running back Christian McCaffery, the Niners ran for over 180 yards against the Jets Defense. The tackling, scheme and execution was all awful. The Jets defense allowed 8 consecutive scoring drives to San Francisco. Not exactly the mark of a championship caliber defense. The Jets need their defense to be an elite unit to have a monster season. Not every opponent will be as equipped as the 49ers, but the 49ers are a massive early litmus test. A test the Jets Defense failed miserably. The next four weeks will present much more favorable opportunities. The Jets defense must respond quickly Sunday against the Titans. It will take Aaron Rodgers and the offense to find their footing. There shouldn’t be any excuse for a defense that has plenty of talent and players that have been in the same system. Robert Saleh is 18-34 as an NFL Head Coach. His calling card is supposed to be defense. Time to fix your baby and fix it fast. You can listen to my podcast New York, New York every Sunday & Thursday on The Ringer Podcast Network. You can watch me nightly on Honda Sports Nite following Mets postgame on SNY.