“Let’s not just be happy just getting the takeaway,’’ Ryan said. “That’s great, but we need to be aggressive with our mentality. We have to score when we get them.’’
The Jets are ranked second in the NFL in overall defense, and haven’t allowed a 100-yard rusher or receiver or a 300-yard passer this season. Despite the impressive numbers, the Jets have no touchdowns on defense.
“We always say that when we get the ball in our hands, we want to score,’’ safety Kerry Rhodes said. “We want to turn from defense to offense. Even if we don’t score, we want to get it down where the offense has a short field and they can put points on the board. When we do that and get teams behind, then teams will have to put the ball down the field and try to make plays.’’
New York has seven interceptions, led by Revis’s two, which puts them in the middle of the pack league-wide.
“For our team, we haven’t had a lot of them,’’ Rhodes said. “That’s due to the fact that teams are being safe with the ball on third-and-long situations. Or there are situations that are normally passing downs and they’re being safe with the ball and not taking chances down the field. We just have to live with it and not go out of character because when you do, that’s when the big plays will come for the offense.’’
When they have gotten interceptions, the Jets haven’t gone far with the ball, gaining only 58 yards on returns.
“We’ve got the players here, we’ve got the talent here,’’ Revis said. “I just think we have to focus on scoring touchdowns on defense.’’
That goes for fumble returns, too. The Jets have forced five fumbles this season, and recovered four of them. They’ve gotten 8 yards on fumble returns.
