The Jets defense is in absolute shambles

The Jets fall to 2-7 after getting whacked, 45-17, by the Buffalo Bills. The Mike White sensation died around 4 p.m. after he tossed four interceptions and the offense failed to score when the game was competitive. Their two touchdowns came in garbage time. But the struggles of an upstart backup quarterback are understandable in the grand scheme. The rapid decomposition of the entire defensive unit is another thing entirely.

The defense was putrid and it’s trending downhill. Sunday was fourth-straight game in which the Jets defense has allowed 30 points or more. And in five of the Jets’ last six games, they’ve allowed 400 yards of total offense.

Here are three takeaways.

LONG DISTANCE BREAKDOWNS

White cooked in his first start because he threw to his check downs and they produced for him. He excelled on short yard throws under 10 yards. Against the Bengals, White went 24-for-28 for 263 yards with two touchdowns with one interception on those short-yardage throws, according to Next Gen Stats.

The Bills limited that area of the field as White went 14-for-24 for 121 with one interception and held the playmakers to 74 yards after the catch. They had defenders waiting in the flat for the checkdowns and flooded the middle of the field.

The only way to overcome that was to throw outside the number and down the field. But the offense failed to execute. White went 5-for-17 for 31 yards with one interception on throws outside the numbers.

THE DEFENSE IS IN A FREE FALL

There aren’t enough words to describe the funk the Jets defense is in. They’ve allowed 45 points to the Bills, 45 to the Colts, 31 to the Bengals, and 54 to the Patriots. That adds up to 175 points in their last four games. That’s the second most points allowed in a four-game span by any team since the 1970 merger according to ESPN Stats & Info.

“Every man should be embarrassed. Every man should be angry,” Sheldon Rankins said.

They should. They’re awful right now.

The Jets are the first team to allow at least 45 points three times in a four-game span since the 1966 Giants.

They can’t do anything well right now. The pass rush is non-existent as they only had two sacks against the Bills and only pressured Josh Allen on six of his 28 dropbacks. Allen had a passer rating of 113 when he wasn’t pressured.

The run defense struggled again. The Bills rushed for 139 yards with four touchdowns. This has been a recurring theme with the Jets throughout the year.

There’s only been one week in whih the Jets defense held a team’s rushing attack to under 100, which was the Bengals win.

It’s all bad for the Jets right now, as their defense is dead last in points allowed and yards.

WHY DIDN’T ROBERT USE HALL ON DIGGS

One head-scratching move was the team not putting Bryce Hall, the Jets’ best corner, on Stefon Diggs. Brandin Echols suffered a thigh injury in the second quarter and left the game.

Diggs finished with eight catches for 162 yards and a touchdown. Echols allowed 89 yards, 57 of them coming on a double move go route. But once Echols left the game. Javelin Guidry entered and Allen went right at him and they connected for a touchdown.

The bigger question is, why didn’t Robert Saleh have Hall follow Diggs? Saleh cited the scheme.

“We’re not a team that matches,” Saleh said. “Diggs was lining up in certain spots and to start chasing a player when that is not your style, there are a lot of different things that go into play when you start doing that and trying to travel and figure out from an alignment standpoint. It sounds simple, but we’re not just a man coverage team, so if you’re trying to match only when you’re in man, you’re going to get caught up.”