D.J. Reed and the Jets pass defense are coming off one of their crispest games in his three seasons as the team's right cornerback. Their reward: Do it again on an international stage in London against one of the NFL's best wideouts, the league's top-rated passer and one of its best passing offenses.
"I would say this is definitely the best team that we're playing from an offensive standpoint," Reed said before the Jets' Wednesday practice to play the Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday. "[Head coach Kevin] O'Connell, in my opinion, is the top guy calling plays right now, say him, [the 49ers'] Kyle Shanahan and the OC from Detroit [Ben Johnson].
"But as far as just what they're doing, how they're protecting Sam, the receivers they have, they do a great job overall. They're very well polished."
Sam is Sam Darnold, the former Jets first-round choice in the 2018 draft who has found a home that is very much to his liking. He's got a 4-0 record and a 118.9 rating built on 69% accuracy, 11 touchdown passes and three interceptions as the Vikings' starting QB.
"I think he's one of the best," Reed said. "If he just doesn't have anything in his face and he's just making throws, he could throw great without pressure and he's making smart decisions and he's making explosive plays as well."
Which brings us to Justin Joshua Jefferson, one of the NFL's top receivers with 20 receptions, four TDs, a 97-yard TD hookup with Darnold and a 17.9 yards/catch average that's the best among the league's 22 receivers with at least 20 catches. DJR has raves for JJJ as well.
"He's a very special receiver, probably the best. I would say it's either Justin or Tyreek [Hill of the Dolphins]," Reed said. "It's not just a 'me' thing. Everybody on the field has to know where he's at because obviously they're going to utilize him."
It sounds somewhat ominous, except everybody in the Jets pass defense has been on their game this season as well. The past two weeks they held New England to 61 net passing yards and Denver to 60 — the first time in franchise history that back-to-back opponents didn't crack 75 net passing yards. As a result, the Jets are second in the NFL with 128 passing yards allowed/game and first with 4.74 yards allowed/pass play.
And Reed has been a big part of the rise in coverage, coming off a strong personal game against the Broncos. He made the defense's first third-down stop of the day with his tackle for a 4-yard loss on the Bo Nix-to-Troy Franklin wideout screen and added a pair of pass defenses, including a late fourth-quarter throw to Josh Reynolds that he turned from a first-down completion into a third-down stop to force a punt with 2½ minutes to play.
Like many plays on both sides of the ball for the Jets, they couldn't overcome missteps that they made early and late in the 10-9 loss. And now they go on the road and across the pond to play one of the NFL's top teams in the early going. But the irrepressible Reed is not going to flinch at the Vikings nor downplay his team's offense and defense and its 2-2 start.
"The vibe is great," he said of the Jets' locker room atmosphere. "We're ready to move on, honestly ready to play fast. So we're looking forward to it. I look at it as a great opportunity for us. You know, we're playing against the undefeated team that's hot right now. So I'm looking forward to the challenge."
