Stefon Diggs had just three official targets and no catches in the second half of the Jets’ win over the Bills, his only actual grab on Buffalo’s final drive called back by a Bills penalty.
Diggs’ first two targets came about midway through the fourth quarter, but Jets defensive backs D.J. Reed and Jordan Whitehead made back-to-back good defensive plays on deep balls on what were 2nd-and-14 and 3rd-and-14 plays in Jets territory, leading Buffalo to punt and setting the Jets up for their game-winning drive.
“It’s not just me, it’s the whole defense. The play I made a play on, he ran a great route and Josh Allen bough a lot of time, so just fortunate to make that play,” Reed said. “Shout out to the coaches, and we did a great job adjusting the game plan.”
Reed’s play would likely have been a touchdown if not for his efforts – and while it was Sauce Gardner (interception, team-high seven tackles) and Whitehead (a pick of his own) who got the love for the secondary, Reed’s effort was just another in what head coach Robert Saleh called an “All-Pro season.”
Related
“I know Sauce gets all the fanfare for his draft spot and catchy nickname, and he’s doing a great job, but D.J. is playing Pro Bowl football,” Saleh said. “If you watch the tape and dissect what he’s doing, he’s playing at an All-Pro level, and is every bit as deserving of the praise as Ahmad gets.”
Reed will credit the whole defense, but Gardner, the No. 4 overall pick in this year’s draft, credits his cornerback cohort for helping him come so far so fast.
“I’ve learned a lot from him, man; the way he carries himself, the way he watches film…I pay attention to all that stuff,” Gardner said after the win. “The veterans around me make it so easy for me to adapt.”
Sauce had been beaten by Diggs on the Bills’ first play of the game, saying that what he saw on film wasn’t quite what Diggs did on the actual play – “I felt like that wasn’t supposed to be his route, but that’s how their offense is,” he said – but he took
“After that play, I told everyone to chill out, and we got the interception,” Gardner smiled.
Related
And later, he explained a little bit of Reed’s on-field leadership when asked about how the defense killed time during a 10-minute third quarter delay after a cable on the skycam snapped.
“D.J. said something like we have to stay warm, because they might come out there and just take a shot,” Gardner said. “We got up and had to make sure the thing didn’t fall on our head, but we started stretching and got loose.”
Gardner thinks he and Reed are the top corner tandem in the league, and as it turns out, the veteran is getting a lot from the rookie, too.
“He says he’s learned lot from me too – when you hear the veteran guy in your room tell you that, as a rookie, you’re the guy who gets him started and gets him amped up, that’s a blessing for sure,” Sauce said.
Whatever anyone is getting from anyone else, it seems as if Reed is the fuel that has the Jets’ young secondary’s engine turning, even if no one seems to be noticing and Reed isn’t making it obvious.
“He’s kind of one of our quiet leaders in terms of what he does on and off the field, gathering all those young guys and teaching him the game as he sees it,” Saleh said. “He hasn’t been getting enough love in my opinion, but we love him in there.”
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
Listen live to WFAN via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker
Follow WFAN on Social Media:
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch