Sauce Gardner’s blunt response on Jets D speaks volumes

Despite all of their losing seasons over the years, the one calling card that the New York Jets usually took pride in was a strong defense.

Things are certainly different to start the 2025 season.

For the second straight week, New York’s defensive unit gave up 30-plus points, the latest being an embarrassing 30-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills. From their poor tackling, concerning effort, and bad penalties, the entire unit did not rise to the challenge for the Jets.

It has the entire defense looking for answers, including its two-time All-Pro.

Sauce Gardner and others address defensive collapse

New York’s defense wasn’t the sole reason why the Jets lost on Sunday. Their offense completed just two passes through three quarters of action and did not convert a single third down.

For as bad as the offense was, though, the defense may have been worse.

Buffalo ran the ball for over 220 yards. The Bills were aided by poor Jets penalties throughout the contest.

From the secondary, to the linebacking core, to their defensive line, the Jets did not rise to the occasion against the reigning MVP from an execution standpoint.

Two-time All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner was fairly straightforward when discussing the unit’s woes, saying New York did not play up to its potential “at all.”

“It’s definitely frustrating because even though we lost last week, it was like one of those things where we know what type of team we’re going to be and today we didn’t display how we played last week,” Gardner said. “We didn’t display that today at all.”

Arguably, the most alarming part of the Jets’ defensive issues was the lack of discipline displayed by some on the field. Micheal Clemons was called for a bad roughing the passer penalty on a third-and-19 that gave Buffalo a free first down. He was on the field at the start of the very next drive.

Cornerback Brandon Stephens, after a down game in Week 1, seemingly pulled up on James Cook’s 44-yard touchdown run. Had Stephens run at full speed, he could have potentially caught up to Cook.

Instead, Buffalo built a 20-0 lead that turned the game into a laugher with eight minutes still to go in the first half.

Stephens wasn’t the only performer who did not play well. Linebacker Jamien Sherwood struggled as much as any player on the unit, and as a captain, he knows there’s still a lot to work on for the group.

“Self-inflicted wounds. We have to stay in our gaps,” Sherwood said. “We need to get downhill faster. We need to use our hands techniques. We have to rely on all of our preparation. We have to see formations. We have to adjust on the sidelines.

“We all have to be on one quarter, but we’ll get there. Believe and trust in the process.”

The first two weeks of the season have been nothing short of a disaster for the Jets’ defense. They have faced two accomplished quarterbacks and have been beaten to a pulp in both contests.

Now at 0-2, the perception of New York holding an elite defense is over. The big question facing the unit now is whether this will end up being a bad defense or if they can circle the wagons and bounce back moving forward.