The New York Jets have held their own defensively against tough competition through the first part of the season, and head coach Robert Saleh is clearly quite proud of the way his team has played.
Following the Jets’ big 20-14 upset win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Saleh made a bold statement about New York’s defense. The coach said his team has “played a gauntlet of quarterbacks” and “embarrassed all of them.”
"Through these first six weeks, we've playe a gauntlet of quarterbacks. I know we haven't gotten all wins, but we've embarrassed all of them."
– Robert Saleh pic.twitter.com/Bjfx8HmPKR
— Jets Videos (@snyjets) October 15, 2023
Saleh is right that the Jets have faced some good quarterbacks. They have already gone against arguably the three best quarterbacks in the NFL in Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen. They faced Russell Wilson, Mac Jones and Dak Prescott in their other three games. Here is a breakdown of how each quarterback fared against New York’s defense:
Allen: 29/41, 236 yards, 1 touchdowns, 3 interceptions
Prescott: 31/38, 255 yards, 2 TD, 0 interceptions
Jones: 15/29, 201 yards, 1 TD, 0 interceptions
Mahomes: 18/30, 203 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions
Wilson: 20/31, 196 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions
Hurts: 28/45, 280 yards, 1 touchdown, 3 interceptions
Even if the Jets did not “embarrass” all six, they have certainly played well overall. The fact that they are 3-3 after losing Aaron Rodgers on their first drive of the season is impressive enough in itself.
There was talk recently that the Jets’ locker room was ready to implode, but a win over the defending NFC champion Eagles should help keep that narrative in check. The Jets have done extremely well through six weeks given the circumstances.
