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It became pretty obvious on Sunday that C.J. Mosley is the Jets’ most important player. Without the integral linebacker, the previously solid defense fell apart coming off the bye week.
The Jets’ defense was noncompetitive against the Patriots, shredded at every turn in a bloodbath of a 54-13 loss.
“C.J., obviously, he’s an all-pro player. Did it hurt? Obviously, yeah,” head coach Robert Saleh said. “Should it have hurt this bad? No. Missing his presence, not having C.J. out there, obviously it hurt. It shouldn’t have hurt this bad.”
The team’s leading tackler, Mosley missed the game with a hamstring injury. The four-time Pro Bowler is the quarterback of the defense, a veteran who calls the defensive signals and provides leadership for a young linebacking corps.
The Jets were frequently out of position, burned on screen passes and change-of-direction plays. Their run defense, so solid over the season’s first five games, was dreadful. Simple passes to running backs coming out of the backfield produced chunk plays. Mac Jones completed eight passes behind the line of scrimmage that went for a whopping 98 yards.
Altogether, the Jets allowed 551 yards and 54 points. They didn’t force a punt until the end of the third quarter. The Patriots reached the red zone six times and scored a touchdown each time.
“You never expect to give up that many points, especially as a defense,” safety Marcus Maye said.
The first time the Jets played the Patriots this season, Sept. 19 at MetLife Stadium, they held New England to 337 yards, two touchdowns and 18 first downs. The Patriots had 32 first downs Sunday and averaged 7.8 yards per play, compared to 4.9 in the first encounter.
Mosley’s absence certainly seemed to be a huge difference. With him, the Jets didn’t allow more than 27 points in a single game before the bye week.
“C.J. is one of the top linebackers in this league. Him not being out there and [not] having his presence was tough,” Maye said. “We’re young at that position. It’s not an excuse, but we got to continue and learn.”
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