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New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh vowed to get the defense back on track following a 32-19 season-opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night.
When asked about the Jets’ defensive breakdowns, Saleh told ESPN’s Rich Cimini: “We’ll get that s–t fixed.”
Despite the 49ers being without superstar running back Christian McCaffrey due to injury, San Francisco’s offense had its way with a Jets defense that was expected to be among the best in the NFL this season.
The Niners racked up 401 total yards compared to just 266 for the Jets. They also didn’t turn the ball over and possessed the ball for 38 minutes and 40 seconds.
Most of the 49ers’ offensive success came on the ground, as they rushed for 180 yards as a team, led by running back Jordan Mason’s 147 yards and one touchdown on 28 carries.
Quarterback Brock Purdy didn’t throw any touchdown passes, but he was efficient, completing 19 of his 29 passes for 231 yards with no interceptions, while getting sacked twice.
The Jets defense allowed eight consecutive scoring drives in the game at one point, which is something the team hadn’t done in at least the past 45 years, per Elias Sports (h/t Cimini).
Offense and quarterback play have been the main issues for the Jets in recent years, and under the guidance of Saleh, it has largely been their defense that has kept them in games.
The hope within the Jets organization when they acquired future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers prior to the 2023 season was that the defense would remain elite and get bolstered by competent quarterback play.
However, Rodgers suffered a season-ending Achilles tear during the Jets first offensive drive of the 2023 campaign, and he didn’t look to be fully back to his old self on Monday.
Playing in his first full game since the end of the 2022 season, Rodgers went 13-of-21 for 167 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
The Jets can afford for the 40-year-old Rodgers to come along slowly and find his footing if they get strong play from their defense, but they can ill afford more efforts like the one they saw Monday.
Saleh will look to get a much better showing out of his defense Sunday when New York goes on the road to face the Tennessee Titans.