New York Jets: 3 Reasons Gang Green will win AFC East in 2018

1. The Jets Defense

There’s an old adage that championships are won on defense, and you can even look to the Patriots. When they were a defense-based team, they were 3-0 in the Super Bowl, and since Tom Brady became the epicenter and they switched to an offense-based team, they’re 2-3 in the Big Game.

Todd Bowles;’ defense is based on blitzing and getting pressure on the quarterback, and many people (that includes me) have mistaken the problem with the Jets in the middle of the defense, primarily the edge rushers. However, the main problem wasn’t just the edge rushers not getting home, but the coverage not doing enough to give them time to do so.

We always talk about rhythm and timing when it comes to offense, but the same goes for defense. The Jets defense is predicated on the coverage holding long enough for the rushers to get home. If the coverage breaks down quickly, then it’ll appear as if the edge rushers/defensive linemen aren’t doing a good enough job at getting pressure.

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The Jets allowed a passer rating of 90.1 in 2017. Even though that was middle of the pack, nine of the top-12 were in the playoffs last year. The additions of Trumaine Johnson (free agency) and Parry Nickerson (slot, draft) will help this tremendously. Johnson’s addition means the Jets can side Morris Claiborne to the No. 2 receiver, and move down the rest of the secondary.

In the end, the improvements in the secondary will lead to an improved pass rush. That means the Jets can get back to terrorizing opponents on defense, just like Bowles wants.