Jets’ inability to pressure quarterbacks continues to be nagging issue

Jermaine Johnson II did not mince words on Wednesday when asked to assess the Jets pass rush this season. 

“In my opinion, [crappy],” Johnson said. “I don’t think it’s the standard by any means.”

There are plenty of problem areas to dissect in this 3-10 Jets season, but one of the most disappointing areas has been their pass rush or lack of one.

The Jets have two first-round picks at edge rushers in Johnson and Will McDonald IV. They began the year with Quinnen Williams, who had 12 sacks in 2022, at defensive tackle. 

Those three, along with a more blitz-happy defense under coach Aaron Glenn, were expected to give the Jets a fierce rush against opposing quarterbacks.

Instead, it has been absent for most of the season. 

The Jets have 22 sacks, the fifth-fewest in the NFL. Some people will argue that sacks are less important than pressures, but the Jets are bad there, too.

They have 72 pressures, according to Pro Football Reference. Only the 49ers and Panthers have fewer.

The Jets are 23rd in ESPN’s pass-rush win rate statistic at 34 percent. 

“The pass rush, I feel like we can always improve in that area,” Glenn said. “I mean, obviously, [Johnson] is coming back from the Achilles, so he’s getting himself right back going. That’s not an excuse, but that’s just reality. I think [McDonald] has been up and down for the most part and he knows that. We need him to get going, he knows it. And any of our blitzes need to get home and there were a number of times we were one-on-one; we got to win those one-on-ones. So I think during the season, you’ll see sometimes we’ll have six sacks, other times we won’t have any, so it’s been very inconsistent for the most part and everybody knows that. That’s an area that we got to get better at.”

Glenn may feel they have been inconsistent but that is not really the case. They have consistently been weak in the sack department. The Jets had six sacks against the Browns last month, four from McDonald. But they only had one other game with more than two sacks — the opener against the Steelers. 

The shock has been how ineffective Johnson and McDonald have been.

“It’s a number of things,” Johnson said of why the pass rush has struggled. “There’s no excuse. We’ve just got to get the job done.”

Johnson has three sacks this season. His career high was 7.5 in 2023. Johnson ranks 61st in pass rush on PFF out of 112 edge rushers.

Johnson is recovering from a torn Achilles that he suffered in Week 2 of the 2024 season and which cost him that year.

He said it has taken longer to get back to 100 percent than he thought he would. He also suffered an ankle injury that cost him three games. 

“I would say I didn’t truly feel like myself until the Ravens game [on Nov. 23],” Johnson said. “That was probably when I felt like I did in 2023 or the beginning of ’24. It definitely is a lot coming back, especially because I had that little setback at the beginning of the season.”

McDonald entered the season with high expectations after notching 10.5 sacks last year. He leads the team with seven sacks, but they have all come in just three games. He had four sacks against the Browns and two sacks against the Steelers.

There are 10 games when he had zero sacks.

Last week against the Dolphins, McDonald had zero pressures in 16 pass-rush snaps.

There have been two other games this season when he’s had one pressure. PFF ranks McDonald 93rd out of 112 edge rushers and 38th in pass rush. 

There are many factors why the Jets are having the season they are having. One of the main ones has been their inability to pressure the quarterback. 

“Disappointing to me and collectively as a team,” Johnson said when asked to assess the season. “There’s no reason why it couldn’t have been better. I think just everybody in the building, every teammate, every coach has to look in the mirror and see what we can fix and put our best foot forward when it matters most, which is the next game.”