Jets, Week 3 — What Repeats: More Rushers, Fifteen for Fifteen

The steadiest figure on the Jets' sheet broke on Sunday. New York sent five or more pass rushers on 17 of Jared Goff's 36 dropbacks. That is 47 percent, the fifth-highest rate of the 32 defenses this week. In the first two games it was 28 percent both times, and 28 percent across all of last season, three readings at the same number and the first thing this show had filed as repeating. Goff did not blink. He threw 15 passes against five or more rushers and completed all 15, for a hundred 59 yards and both of his touchdowns. Against four or fewer rushers he went 10 of 17 for a hundred 10. Every throw Goff made against the bigger rush was completed.

The rest of the pass defense charting reads the same way. 27 of Goff's 32 throws were charted catchable, 84 percent, the sixth-highest rate any defense allowed this week. Last season opponents' throws against this defense were catchable 74 percent of the time. Five of the 32 were contested, a receiver and a defender arriving together, 16 percent and thirteenth this week. Last week it was 34 percent, second in the league, so the crowd at the catch point went away. Goff threw no interception-worthy balls, none in 32, and neither of the two sacks was charted as his fault. And the fake finally showed up. Detroit ran play-action on 15 of 36 dropbacks, 42 percent, the second-highest share any defense faced this week. Green Bay had faked once in 32 the week before. Goff's 15 play-action throws went 12 for a hundred 50 yards.

The light box, last week's new entry, did not survive contact with it. This defense showed six or fewer in the box on eight of Detroit's 26 designed runs, 31 percent, 20-fifth this week. Against Green Bay it was 78 percent, second in the league. The average box went from 6.2 defenders to 6.8. Heavier box, more yards through it: those 26 runs gained a hundred 25, 4.8 a carry, the ninth-most any defense allowed this week. Last week it was three and a half a carry, last season about 4.4. Jahmyr Gibbs ran 14 of his 20 designed carries into seven or more defenders and gained 59 yards on them, and 40 on the six that found a light box.

On the other side of the ball, Detroit did the crowding. The Lions put seven or more in the box on 15 of the Jets' 17 designed runs. Six of those runs saw eight or more, and the six gained two yards between them. A light box came twice in 17, 12 percent, 30-first of 32 offenses this week, with only Tampa Bay seeing fewer. Last season this offense ran into a light box 49 percent of the time. The average box was seven and a half defenders. The 17 designed runs gained 46 yards, 2.7 a carry, 20-ninth this week. After 4.3 a carry in Week 1, the run game has been at 2.2 and 2.7 since.

The passing offense threw over the crowd, and the charting says it did so cleanly. 32 of Geno Smith's 37 charted throws were catchable. 86 percent, tied with Cincinnati for second this week. It was first in the league in Week 1 and eighth in Week 2, and above last season's rate, just under 70 percent, every time. Three weeks in the top eight is the offensive figure that has repeated. So has traffic: 11 of the 37 were contested, 30 percent, the fourth-highest share of any offense this week and the second straight week in the top five, where last season it was 17. Charters credited the receivers with four created receptions, catches made rather than delivered. One drop on 32 catchable balls. And no interception-worthy throws, which makes one in more than a hundred across three games. Garrett Wilson caught 10 of 13 targets for a hundred seven, and Kenyon Sadiq seven of eight for a hundred five.

What is falling is the fake. Play-action came on five of 44 dropbacks, 11 percent, the lowest rate in the league this week. It was 35 percent and fourth in Week 1, 21 in Week 2, 11 now. And the five were the best throws of the day. Smith's play-action throws went five for a hundred 13 yards, among them the 43-yarder to Sadiq: first and 10 at the Jets 44, 13 59 left in the game, down 24 to 10, a deep ball left to the Detroit 13. His other 32 throws went 26 for 208. Motion has dropped every week too, from 45 percent of charted plays to 32, 20-ninth this week and under last season's rate in all three games. The five sacks did not come from extra rushers. Detroit sent five or more on nine of 44 dropbacks, 20 percent, and four of the five sacks came against four rushers. None was charted as Smith's fault. He left the pocket on three of 44 dropbacks, two of them scrambles, the lowest rate of any starting quarterback this week.

The stat lines have settled, so here they are, scored half-PPR. Smith led the Jets with 26: 31 of 37 for 321 yards and three touchdowns, +2 carries for 12. Wilson, 21.7 on 10 catches for a hundred seven and a score. Sadiq, 20 on seven catches for a hundred five and a score. Jeremy Ruckert caught all five of his targets for 39 and a touchdown, 12.4. Hall finished with seven: 32 rushing, three catches for 23. For Detroit, Gibbs scored 37.9, the most of anyone in the game, on 20 carries for 99 two touchdowns +7 catches for 65 and a third. Goff, 19.4 on 25 of 32 for 269 two scores.

One last time on the yardstick. Every "last season" above is the 2025 Jets, a different roster with a different quarterback. This is the final week that comparison runs; from here the measure is this team's own season.

For anyone new: the Jets went three and 14 last season with the pass defense last in the league. This season they beat Tennessee 23 to 10, lost to Green Bay 20 to 17 in overtime, and lost at Detroit 31 to 24, so they are one and two. Last week's notebook had three repeats and one new entry. The catchable rate held, three games above last season. The care with the ball held, one interception-worthy throw in more than a hundred. The pass rush at 28 percent broke, up to 47, and Goff completed every throw against it. The light box, the new entry, went from 78 percent to 31, and Detroit ran for more through the heavier one. Play-action fell for a second straight week, this time to the bottom of the league, while producing the day's best throws, and that is the question for Chicago next: whether the fake comes back.

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_Data via nflverse. Charting: FTN Data via nflverse._