Steve Wilks’ Jets defense has been a complete trainwreck

HERTFORDSHIRE, England — Steve Wilks has been coaching for 30 years and in the NFL for 20 years.

The Jets defensive coordinator has seen plenty in that time, and he is confident the Jets are going to turn the corner soon. 

“I’ve seen it,” Wilks said Thursday. “I’ve been a part of it, and I know it’s going to turn.” 

Jets fans may collectively roll their eyes at that after what they have seen through five games with Wilks running the defense.

The Jets are 0-5, and their defense is a main reason why.

They are giving up 31.4 points per game, the fourth-worst start through five games in team history, according to ESPN.

Jets opponents are scoring on 53.7 percent of their drives, the third-worst mark in the NFL. 

Then, there is the takeaway issue.

Or the lack-of-takeaways issue.

The Jets have yet to record a turnover on defense, the only team in NFL history to go five games to start a season without one (the NFL began tracking the stat in 1933).

By comparison, the Jaguars already have 14 takeaways. 

The lack of turnovers has been particularly troubling for a Jets team that wants to run the ball on offense and is not explosive in the pass game.

One way to avoid having to score on 12- and 13-play drives all the time is sometimes to get a short field.

But that is not happening. 

Whatever the opposite of complementary football is, the Jets are playing it. 

“No. 1 is consistency,” Wilks said. “We do a lot of great things. It’s just being consistent throughout the game.” 

Figuring out what “great” things the Jets are doing is tough. 

They are not particularly good at pass defense, allowing the fourth-most passing touchdowns in the league (11).

They are 27th in the NFL in rushing yards allowed, and teams are running against the Jets more than anyone else (157 rushing attempts against), mainly because teams always seem to have major leads in the second half. 

The Jets also are not getting to the quarterback.

They have seven sacks this season, and four of those came in the Week 1 loss to the Steelers.

They had one sack last week against the Cowboys, and that was when Dak Prescott gave himself up.

This came against a Cowboys offensive line missing four starters.

They had no sacks against the Dolphins and one sack against the Buccaneers, who were missing three starters on the line.

Broncos star Nik Bonitto, whom the Jets will see Sunday, has seven sacks himself. 

“We are 0-5,” defensive captain Quinnen Williams said. “The defense, to me, has been the problem, the reason why we are 0-5. … It’s one of those things that when you’re 0-5, no matter where you’re at, you’ve got to fix things. When you’re probably the worst defense in the league, no matter where you’re at, you have to fix things if you want to win football games and go in the right direction.” 

Wilks has brought blitzes on 30.2 percent of drop backs in games but the blitzes don’t seem to get home. 

The Jets also have struggled to get off the field on third down in key spots. The Cowboys had a third-and-1 in the second quarter and the score tied at 3-3.

Rookie Tyler Baron hit running back Javonte Williams in the backfield, but Williams broke the tackle and gained 2 yards. A play later, the Cowboys scored a touchdown. 

Missed tackles have been a major issue.

They have 49, according to Pro Football Reference, tied with the Bengals for the most in the NFL.

The missed tackle issue was on display again in the second quarter last week when Williams broke a 66-yard run before halftime after getting hit in the backfield. 

“You’re talking about, obviously, missed tackles,” Wilks said. “But the reason why, standpoint of angles, not lunging when we’re in position. We teach and preach always take one more step, and we’ve just got to do a great job in that situation to get him down. That’s something that I’ve taken ownership of, that’s something that we emphasized, and we talked about this week, putting guys in those positions, so therefore, once again, once we get in the game it’s muscle memory, we can go execute.”