Quinnen Williams says Jets made a bold 'pact' as a defense

The New York Jets found themselves on the wrong end of a beatdown at the hands of the Buffalo Bills in Week 2 of the 2025 NFL season.

The 0-2 Jets lost 30-10 to Josh Allen and Co. and New York's defense — supposedly a focus for new head coach Aaron Glenn — gave up 403 total yards of offense.

That included 224 yards given up on the ground. 132 of those yards and two touchdowns went to running back James Cook. Allen, the 6-foot-5, 237-pound enigma of a quarterback, rushed six times for 59 yards, averaging 9.8 yards per scamper.

On Thursday, star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, who the Jets selected with pick No. 3 in the 2019 NFL Draft out of Alabama, basically said that "enough is enough".

"We all made a pact as a defense, player to player: That will never happen again," Williams said, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.

It was the worst defensive performance the Jets have seen on the ground since 2021. In that season, they were the very worst team in the NFL's defensive rankings.

That has to be jarring, because tough defense has been a staple of Jets football over the past few seasons. They certainly have enough star power on that side of the ball.

Jets need to find their 'defensive DNA'

Again, it's also concerning because Glenn had become a star defensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions. That, and his connection to the team, is why he was hired this past offseason, but Sunday's loss was anything but worthy of a star defensive mind.

It sounds like Glenn is preaching the right things, of course.

"The DNA has to come to life," Williams continued. "The standard has to come to life that coach AG has been preaching."

It also sounds like the Jets' defense is taking it upon itself to turn this thing around. This "pact" was made during a defensive meeting, and Williams, at least, seems motivated to hold up his end of the bargain.

"It won't ever happen again," he said.