Robert Saleh might want to consider tempering his remarks.
The Jets pulled off an unexpected upset against the Eagles on Sunday, handing the NFL’s last undefeated team their first loss of the season. New York’s defense stole the spotlight by forcing four turnovers, including intercepting Jalen Hurts, the Eagles’ quarterback, three times. In the second half of the game, the Jets held the Eagles’ offense scoreless.
RELATED: Jets Rolled The Dice on Insuring Aaron Rodgers Before The Season and It Cost Them a Lot of Money
In his post-game media session, Jets head coach Robert Saleh used strong language to laud his defense’s recent performance, saying, “Thought defense, per the usual, outstanding,” Saleh said. “Through these first six weeks we’ve played a gauntlet of quarterbacks and I know we haven’t gotten all wins, but we’ve embarrassed all of them. Just really, really proud of the defense and its resolve.”
Saleh’s pride in the defense is well-founded, considering their impressive performance this year. They faced a formidable array of quarterbacks in the early part of the season, including Josh Allen, Dak Prescott, Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson, and most recently, Jalen Hurts. The Jets limited Allen and the Bills to just 16 points in a Week 1 victory, and they gave Mahomes and the Chiefs a tough challenge two weeks ago, holding them to 23 points. After losing their quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, just four plays into the season, few would have predicted the Jets’ 3-3 start to the year, but they have leaned on their defense to achieve just that.
As Saleh concluded his press conference, he couldn’t resist taking a parting shot, exclaiming, “They’re not 12-0 anymore!” This comment was in reference to the fact that the Eagles had a perfect 12-0 record against the Jets before Sunday’s game.
If the Jets’ defense continues to perform at this high level, New York may be poised for more victories in the upcoming weeks, especially with matchups against the Giants and Raiders on the horizon. However, it wouldn’t be surprising if Saleh’s words come back to haunt him in the future.
