The way things are breaking for the Jets, they might soon face a fourth-string quarterback. Or a free agent signed off the street. Or a fan coming out of the stands.
So be it. The defense isn’t going to apologize for feasting on a parade of backups that continued Sunday during a 31-10 victory against the Trevor Siemian-led Bears.
“It doesn’t matter at all,” linebacker C.J. Mosley said. “It might bother [critics], but we’re the ones who have to play.”
Five of the Jets’ seven wins were decided against the Browns’ Jacoby Brissett, the Steelers’ Kenny Pickett in his NFL debut replacing starter Mitch Trubisky after halftime, the Dolphins’ third-stringer Skyler Thompson, the Broncos’ Brett Rypien and now Siemian. Four of those teams were missing an injured starter and the Browns were without the suspended Deshaun Watson. The Bears nearly started third-stringer Nathan Peterman after Siemian injured his oblique during warm-ups.
“You just face who is in front of you,” cornerback D.J. Reed said. “A lot of great quarterbacks, especially this year, are injured. We obviously want to face their starting quarterback, but sadly injuries are a part of the game. Nobody would feel bad for us if that was the situation for us.”
C.J. Mosley (57) makes a tackle during the Jets’ win over the Bears on Sunday. Robert Sabo for the NY POSTThe Jets long ago stamped their legitimacy by giving fits to the Packers’ Aaron Rodgers and Bills’ Josh Allen, too.
“You don’t choose who you play, you just eat it,” defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers said. “They’re not going to talk about the starting quarterbacks we beat. I look at it as, you have to win those games [against backups] — and you should dominate.”
The Jets were slow to dominate Sunday, allowing back-to-back 71-yard scoring drives to open the game. Reed was beat for a 4-yard touchdown by Byron Pringle as the Bears took a 10-7 lead.
“It was a great catch,” Reed said. “A lot to learn for me from that play — just bat the ball down. I tried to pick it and got a little greedy. We regrouped pretty well. We’ve got a lot of growing to do still, even though we are playing well.”
Not counting taking a knee to end the first half, the Bears punted on their next five possessions — none of which lasted more than four plays. Bryce Huff notched a sack, Franklin-Myers and Solomon Thomas combined on a sack, Kwon Alexander forced a fumble and Mosley intercepted a pass near the goal line.
“We put it on us: The team goes as we go,” Franklin-Myers said. “Thirty-one points in a game, you shouldn’t lose as an average defense, but whether they score 31 or three we expect to win the game as a defense.”
Kwon Alexander forces a fumble as he hits Cole Kmet.USA TODAY SportsThere was uncertainty out of Chicago all week about whether Justin Fields would start. The next-best-thing to Lamar Jackson as a dual-threat quarterback would’ve changed game-plan responsibilities from the more pocket-based Siemian. Reed was “leaning on Siemian playing” because he understood it “wouldn’t be smart for their franchise quarterback” to play with a dislocated shoulder, but Mosley said it was “prepare for Fields, be ready for whoever stepped on the field.”
With a 21-point lead in hand, Mosley’s diving interception was about the pride of a red-zone stop.
“When you look back once you are done, you think about those little things,” Mosley said. “Reading the quarterback, making a great play. I saw [replay] and didn’t even know I dove like that. I told the guys, ‘I don’t even jump the route like that in practice.’ To do it in the game, make the catch like that and seal the game for the defense is in good fashion.”
