2026
2026 season · Weeks 1 to 8 · 2-6
Jets defense
Every snap the Jets defended, what it cost them and how they got there: the league ranks the player pages quote, where offenses find room, how this defense plays, and who plays in it.
- How good+0.02 EPA a play allowed, 19th of 32, and 0.01 above what the offenses they faced usually manage (17th).
- How they playThey blitz on 38% of dropbacks, the 7th-most in the league, and get pressure on 22%.
- Where offenses find roomThrough the air: +0.16 EPA a dropback, 26th, softest deep left (+1.13 a throw).
- Who hurt themBrock Bowers (LV): 92 yards and +9.2 EPA on 10 touches, the most anyone has managed against them.
- Next upWeek 9 against the Chiefs, whose offense ranks 4th in EPA a play.
How good is itthe defense against the league, and game by game
| Stat | Value | Rank | League | Pctl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EPA per playevery snap | +0.02 | 19th of 32 | 42nd | |
| Pass EPAper dropback | +0.16 | 26th of 32 | 20th | |
| Rush EPAper designed run | -0.14 | 7th of 32 | 80th | |
| Success rateplays that gain enough | 45% | 24th of 32 | 25th | |
| Explosive rate20+ pass, 10+ run | 9% | 11th of 32 | 67th | |
| Yards per play | 5.1 | 9th of 32 | 73rd | |
| Yards per carry | 3.9 | 15th of 32 | 55th | |
| Third downsconverted against them | 41% | 16th of 32 | 52nd |
| Stat | Value | Rank | League | Pctl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sack rateper dropback | 7.2% | 10th of 32 | 70th | |
| Pressure rateper dropback, PFR | 22% | 14th of 32 | 58th | |
| QB hit rateper dropback | 14% | 18th of 32 | 45th | |
| INT rateper dropback | 0.4% | 32nd of 32 | 2nd | |
| Red-zone TD ratetrips ending in a touchdown | 62% | 17th of 32 | 48th | |
| Points per drivetouchdown 7, field goal 3 | 2.26 | 21st of 32 | 36th | |
| Takeawaysper game | 1.0 | 26th of 32 | 27th | |
| EPA against expectationallowed minus the offenses' usual | +0.01 | 17th of 32 | 48th |
Each bar is the league's 32 defenses; the marker is the Jets. Right is better for the defense, so a low EPA allowed sits right. The pressure rate is PFR's pressures (hurries, hits and sacks) per dropback. EPA against expectation compares each game with what that offense averaged in its other games, so a strong schedule is not held against them.
They held 5 of 8 offenses below their usual EPA a play. The biggest stop: Week 2 against the Packers, 0.25 a play under their norm. The offenses they have faced average +0.00 a play elsewhere, the 17th-toughest schedule of offenses.
at TENW 23-10-0.12usual -0.09
vs GBL 17-20-0.22usual +0.03
at DETL 24-31+0.19usual +0.10
at CHIL 12-23+0.06usual +0.06
vs CLEW 17-12-0.30usual -0.05
at NEL 19-26+0.01usual +0.07
vs MIAL 25-28+0.28usual -0.11
vs LVL 33-38+0.21usual 0.00Where offenses find roomthe field, the run lanes, the positions and the situations
The soft spot is deep left: +1.13 EPA a throw against a league +0.35. The lockdown zone is deep right, -0.06 a throw (league +0.33). Completions against them run 0.9 points under expected, 15th-best in the league.
Every pass they faced with a charted air distance and side, sacks excluded. Green is a zone where they allow less than the league, red more. How often shows the share of throws against them there.
Offenses run for 3.9 yards a carry against them, 15th of 32. The leak is outside left: 7.5 a carry and +0.26 EPA (league 5.0, -0.01).
| Position | Targets a game | Yards a game | EPA per target | Fantasy points allowed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wide receivers | 15.95th | 121.45th | +0.3222nd-toughest | 18.913th-fewest23.810th-fewest28.89th-fewest |
| Tight ends | 7.817th | 60.124th | +0.3221st-toughest | 8.315th-most11.115th-most13.914th-most |
| Backs, receiving | 4.88th | 26.911th | +0.1623rd-toughest | 18.412th-most20.112th-most21.815th-most |
| Quarterbacks | – | – | – | 18.015th-most18.015th-most18.015th-most |
Who hurt them most
| Player | Team | Touches | Yards | TD | EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brock Bowers | LV | 10 | 92 | 2 | +9.2 |
| Greg Dulcich | MIA | 5 | 86 | +8.8 | |
| Caleb Douglas | MIA | 3 | 70 | 2 | +7.4 |
| Rome Odunze | CHI | 7 | 94 | +6.7 | |
| Jalen Nailor | LV | 4 | 38 | 1 | +6.3 |
| Isaac TeSlaa | DET | 3 | 66 | +6.3 |
Targets, yards and EPA per target by the receiver's position, ranked 1st for the toughest defense: the same numbers a receiver's This week panel quotes against this defense. Fantasy points allowed follow the scoring switch. Who hurt them ranks every opposing player by EPA on his targets and carries against this defense.
Their biggest third-down edge is third-and-4-to-6: offenses convert 32% against a league 44%. They are stingiest in games they trail by 9+ (-0.31 a play, league +0.03) and weakest in the two-minute drill (+0.18, league +0.00).
| Situation | Plays | Allowed | League | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st down | 214 | -0.09 | +0.01 | -0.11 |
| 2nd down | 172 | +0.18 | +0.01 | +0.17 |
| 3rd down | 99 | +0.05 | -0.04 | +0.09 |
| 3rd and 1 to 3 | 40 | 55% | 61% | −6 pts |
| 3rd and 4 to 6 | 22 | 32% | 44% | −12 pts |
| 3rd and 7+ | 37 | 32% | 27% | +6 pts |
| Red zone | 96 | +0.20 | +0.03 | +0.17 |
| Two-minute drill | 50 | +0.18 | +0.00 | +0.17 |
| When they lead | 182 | +0.02 | +0.01 | +0.01 |
| One-score game | 404 | +0.03 | -0.01 | +0.04 |
| When they trail by 9+ | 41 | -0.31 | +0.03 | -0.34 |
EPA a play allowed, or for third downs the share converted (a first down or a touchdown). Green is better than the league for the defense. Score states are from the defense's side.
How they playpressure, the box, what offenses try, discipline
They send extra rushers on 38% of dropbacks and average 4.5 rushers; 62% of dropbacks see four or fewer. They allow +0.17 EPA when they blitz and +0.07 when they do not.
They put 6.7 defenders in the box on runs, eight or more on 11%. Into a light box (six or fewer) runs gain 4.2 a carry; into eight or more, 3.4.
Offenses lean on the run against them: 4 points under their expected pass rate on early downs in a neutral game. Play action gains +0.01 EPA against them on 24% of throws; screens -0.09.
28 defensive penalties for 264 yards, 22 of them first downs, the 26th-fewest. They miss 7% of tackle attempts by PFR's count, 6th-best.
The defenderswho plays, and what each one has done
David Bailey leads the pass rush with 14 pressures and 5.5 sacks on 70% of the snaps.
| Player | Snaps | Pressures | Sacks | QB hits | TFL | Tackles | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56Demario DavisOLB | 100% | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 52 | |
| 31David BaileyLB | 70% | 14 | 5.5 | 9 | 7 | 34 | 3 |
| 52Kingsley EnagbareLB | 63% | 6 | 2.5 | 5 | 4 | 25 | 1 |
| 97Harrison PhillipsDT | 58% | 4 | 3 | 22 | |||
| 91Jowon BriggsDE | 55% | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 28 | 1 |
| 9Will McDonald IVDE | 47% | 8 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 14 | 1 |
| 95Darrell Jackson Jr.DT | 42% | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 23 | |
| 99T'Vondre SweatDT | 42% | 1 | 2 | 16 | |||
| 46Joseph OssaiDE | 17% | 9 | |||||
| 93David OnyemataDT | 12% | 3 | 1 |
Jamien Sherwood plays 96% of the snaps with 65 tackles.
| Player | Snaps | Tackles | TFL | Sacks | Pressures | Targets | Rating allowed | Missed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44Jamien SherwoodLB | 96% | 65 | 5 | 4 | 30 | 90.3 | 4 | |
| 41Marcelino McCrary-BallLB | 1% | 1 | ||||||
| 50Troy ReederLB | 0% | 4 | ||||||
| 49Trevin WallaceLB | 0% | 4 | ||||||
| 48Jaden KellerLB | 0% | 2 |
Dane Belton is the hardest to complete a pass against: a 72.4 passer rating on 23 targets.
| Player | Snaps | Targets | Catches allowed | Yards | TD | Rating allowed | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6Dane BeltonSAF | 100% | 23 | 12 of 23 | 137 | 72.4 | 4 | ||
| 1Azareye'h ThomasCB | 100% | 40 | 24 of 40 | 214 | 3 | 88.2 | 5 | |
| 21Brandon StephensCB | 98% | 39 | 17 of 39 | 267 | 2 | 80.4 | 5 | |
| 29Minkah FitzpatrickFS | 64% | 12 | 7 of 12 | 172 | 1 | 69.3 | 1 | 3 |
| 2Jarvis Brownlee Jr.DB | 53% | 25 | 15 of 25 | 140 | 2 | 89.2 | ||
| 8Andre CiscoSAF | 40% | 13 | 7 of 13 | 85 | 81.1 | 1 | ||
| 23D'Angelo PondsCB | 11% | 5 | 3 of 5 | 53 | 1 | 112.1 | ||
| 27Malachi MooreSAF | 2% | |||||||
| 37Qwan'tez StiggersDB | 0% |
Tackles, sacks, QB hits, TFL, interceptions, passes defended and forced fumbles are nflverse's weekly stats; pressures, targets, catches and yards allowed, passer rating allowed and missed tackles are PFR's charting. Snap share is the season average of defensive snaps.