The Jets defense had no hope in Seattle last week.
But the unit returned with a big statement Sunday against the Rams.
Security Marcus Maye put an end to the strong defensive effort, breaking a pass in the quarter at the end of the fourth quarter to return the ball to the attack and end with a 23-20 victory over the Rams at SoFi Stadium.
“I can’t say enough about Marcus Maye, what he did in that game,” coach Adam Gase said. “He almost tried to end it himself with an interception, but at the end of the game he made a great play. I’m glad I was out there. “
Maye had gotten a pass from Jared Goff early in the fourth quarter and nearly made the acrobatic interception, which would have been his second in as many weeks after defeating him 40-3 against the Seahawks last Sunday. Instead, the ball fell out of his hand and fell into the hands of closed Gerald Everett for a 13-yard gain.
In the next unit, after the Rams closed between 23 and 20, they faced a quarter and 4 from the Jets ’37-yard line. Goff headed in to Everett, but Maye was there to get his hands on it and turn the ball around with 3:54 left.
“We hooked up as a defense when they started coming back, turning back, and we just stayed,” Maye said. “We joined the three phases as a team, as a group. I just played in fourth place, but it was definitely a group effort, a team ”.
The Jets ’first game led by interim defensive coordinator Frank Bush, after Gregg Williams was fired the day after a heartbreaking defeat against the Raiders, hadn’t been so swimming. They conceded 410 yards, including 174 on the ground, and 40 points to the Seahawks last Sunday in Seattle.
But Bush’s drive returned Sunday to yield 303 yards, his second-lowest total of the season. The defense flew from the start, forcing a couple of triples and outs to start the game and almost kept the Rams goalless in the first half.
The Jets kept the Rams at 2 vs. 11 on third downs and kept their dangerous wide receivers relatively under control, limiting Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp to 11 catches combined for 95 yards.
“We keep it simple, we put our feet on the ground and we’re going to play,” Maye said. “It simply came to our notice then. We communicated. They played well up front. It was a group effort. The boys go out every week and show up on weekdays and go out on Sundays to try to win. The fact that I got it this week, I’m definitely happy for the boys.