During the first half of Sunday’s Week 12 eventual defeat, the New York Jets appeared capable of upsetting the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens took control of the game through two Derrick Henry touchdowns in the third quarter. A recurring problem this season that hurt the Jets in this game was losing the turnover battle.
Starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor was intercepted once. Breece Hall lost a critical fumble at the goal line just as the Jets appeared capable of mounting a comeback. Meanwhile the Ravens did not commit a single turnover, winning the battle 2-0.
Through 12 weeks, Aaron Glenn’s defense has forced just one turnover. That sounds borderline impossible. The Jets don’t have a single interception in 2025, and they’ve recovered just one fumble. Every other team in the NFL has a minimum of six turnovers. For comparative purposes, the Chicago Bears have forced 22 turnovers this season.
Unsurprisingly, the Jets are dead-last in the NFL in turnover differential at -13. They’re tied for the league-high in fumbles lost with nine. They’ve only thrown five interceptions, which makes sense considering their 303 passing attempts is third-fewest in the league.
The lack of turnovers is almost unfathomable. Coach Glenn is a defensive-minded coach who played defensive back. Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks is an experienced leader who has coordinated some pretty stellar defenses in his past. The problem likely boils down to a lack of impact players on defense.
The Jets need to sort through this issue in the offseason by acquiring some talented defenders who are capable of creating turnovers.
This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: Jets turnover differential is a huge problem that requires solving
Reporting by Justin Melo, Jets Wire / Jets Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
