It took seven games, but the New York Jets finally got their first interception of the season on Sunday, and it came from an unlikely source: defensive end Shaq Lawson, who had never recorded a pick in his career – at any level – before intercepting Joe Burrow late in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game.
“I saw the tackle block down so I knew it was a screen, and (Burrow) had been throwing the ball low on early downs all day,” Lawson said of the play. “I had a chance to get my hands on some balls early but couldn’t get to them. This one, I thought that if I didn’t tip the ball, it was coming out of the gate. I was in the right place at the right time.”
The play came at a huge time, as the Jets had just driven for a touchdown that made it 31-26, and gave the ball back to Cincinnati with 4:36 to play needing to hold the Bengals to no more than three points to have a shot.
“Any time you get an interception to give our offense a chance on a short field, it’s a huge play,” head coach Robert Saleh said. “For the offense to go finish it and score was huge, it was the deciding factor.”
“Our defensive line coach kept telling us we needed to make a big play, so we had to find a way,” Lawson said. “When you run to the ball and you’re around the ball, good things happen.”
It was indeed a tone-setting play, much like the Jets made four of on their second defensive series, in a very similar situation to what their turnover gave the Jets’ offense. The Gang Green D held Cincinnati to a three-and-out on the first series, but they started their second at the Jets’ one yard line after a pick and a long return – and ended up holding, dropping the Bengals into a fourth-and-goal at the three before sacking Joe Burrow on fourth down.
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“Our D always takes pride in knocking people back at the goal line,” Saleh said. “It’s a great momentum builder, but it’s something we expect.”
The goal-line stand was a huge series as well in that the Jets won by three, so had the Bengals taken points there, the fourth quarter and Lawson’s interception could have had different ramifications.
“The play happened so slowly; I tipped it, and it looked like I blacked out, but I was thinking I had to catch it,” Lawson said of his tide-turner. “That’s my first interception ever, I didn’t even know how to act!”
Two plays later, Mike White hit Tyler Kroft for a go-ahead touchdown, and because the Jets led 32-31 instead of perhaps trailing 34-32, they were able to try the trick play two-point conversion that saw Jamison Crowder hit White with a pass to push the score to its final iteration.
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And so, while 31 points allowed might not scream a great defensive effort, the Gang Green defenders came up big when they needed to.
“Brick (defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich) was awesome again, and the whole plan was awesome. We turned the ball over three times and gave them some short fields, but the D showed up,” Saleh said. “In the second half we finally got the interception bug off our back at the perfect time. They battled and didn’t flinch and we were able to finish it in the four-minute.”
And as Saleh said and Lawson reiterated, a great way to bounce back after a crushing loss to New England last week.
“We took that loss personally, and as a d-line it starts with us. We knew we had to do better, and we’d get the Bengals’ best shot, but we had to find a way to help the offense out,” Lawson said. “Everyone did their jobs, and when everyone does their jobs, we have a great defense.”
Added Saleh: “Last week was not indicative of who we are as a defense, and it was important for them to get back to Sunday and play a playoff caliber team. We proved this wasn’t a fluke, and Tennessee wasn’t a fluke; our youth has to find its consistency, and with a short week against a good Indianapolis team, we’ll see if we can stack up and do it again.”
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
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