The Jets’ defense was hopeless in Seattle last week.
But the unit returned on Sunday with a major statement against the Rams.
Safety Marcus Maye put the finishing touches on the brisk defensive effort, breaking a fourth-place pass at the end of the fourth quarter to return the ball to the attack and a 23-20 win over the Rams at SoFi Stadium to obtain.
“I cannot say enough about Marcus Maye, what he did in this match,” said coach Adam Gase. “He almost tried to end it himself with an interception, but he made a great play at the end of the game. I’m just glad he was out there. “
Maye had got his hands on a Jared Goff pass earlier in the fourth quarter and nearly made the acrobatic interception – which would have been his second in as many weeks after taking a win in a 40-3 defeat to the Seahawks last Sunday . Instead, the ball tapped off his hand and into the hands of tight end Gerald Everett for a 13-yard gain.
On the next run, after the Rams closed within 23-20, they faced a fourth-and-4 from the Jets’ 37-yard line. Goff went deep to Everett, but Maye was there to get his hands on it and turn the ball over on downs with 3:54 to go.
“We stayed together in defense when they started to come back, swing back, and we just stuck it out,” Maye said. “As a team, as a group, we have brought all three phases together. I just made a play in fourth place, but it was definitely a group effort, a team effort. “
The Jets’ first game under interim defense coordinator Frank Bush, after Gregg Williams was sacked the day after a heartbreaking loss to the Raiders, had not gone so smoothly. They gave up 410 yards in Seattle last Sunday, including 174 on the ground, and 40 points on the Seahawks.
But Bush’s unit came back on Sunday to give up 303 yards, the second-lowest total of the season. The defense flew around from the start, forcing a pair of three-and-out to start the game, keeping the Rams nearly scoreless in the first half.
The Jets kept the Rams 2-for-11 on third downs and kept their dangerous wide receivers relatively in check, limiting Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp to a combined 11 catches for 95 yards.
“We’ll keep it simple, put our feet in the sand and play,” said Maye. ‘We did. We have communicated. They played well in the front. It was a group effort. The guys come out every week and show up during the week and come on Sundays to try and win. The fact that we got it this week, I’m absolutely thrilled for the guys. “