Gang Green Nation
Heading into Sunday’s Week 18 matchup, the Jets are on the brink of history … just not the kind anyone wanted, or even the most pessimistic fan could have reasonably envisioned.
As things stand, the Jets have recorded zero interceptions this season. They already etched their name into the record books by becoming the first team to go interception-less through 16 games of a season. Now, they have a chance to finish the entire year without a single pick. The previous low-water mark belonged to the 2018 49ers, who managed just two interceptions. Unless the Jets intercept Bills quarterbacks twice on Sunday, they will stand alone in NFL history.
Interceptions, frankly, have been a foreign concept for much of this Jets roster throughout their careers. Among the 11 projected defensive starters this week, the group has combined for just four interceptions total across their entire NFL tenures. Quincy Williams has one, which came in 2023. Jermaine Johnson has one, also in 2023. Brandon Stephens accounts for the other two which again, both occurred in 2023. Even when looking at the backups, Ja’Sir Taylor has a single interception, coincidentally from 2023 as well.
To be fair, this defense is made up largely of young players with very limited starting experience. That said, it’s hard to ignore that the veteran presence on this unit has also struggled to generate turnovers at virtually any point in their careers.
I’ve talked before about the intrinsic nature of turnovers. There’s typically a strong luck component involved, which explains the year-to-year volatility in interception totals across the league for teams. But when you reach an extreme edge case like this, it’s clear bad luck is not the lone culprit. Skill limitations, coaching, or something else entirely are playing a significant role. While it’s almost a lock that the Jets will record more interceptions next season, meaningful improvement is going to require real work from a personnel standpoint.
From a free-agent perspective, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Jets aggressively pursued defensive playmakers. Safeties like Bryan Cook, Jaquan Brisker, and Jalen Thompson all have career interception totals that exceed anyone currently on the Jets’ active roster. One particularly interesting name is Geno Stone, who has piled up 14 interceptions over the past three seasons. Stone is still squarely in his prime, though he’s also shown some real struggles in Cincinnati when he isn’t taking the ball away. If the Jets are chasing turnovers purely because of their randomness, that approach could very easily backfire.
Regardless, it’s obvious something needs to fundamentally change in this area next season. If the Jets want to be a physical, tough team to play, a positive turnover margin is a requirement for winning. Right now, the Jets aren’t even in the same zip code.
