The New York Jets came away with five interceptions against the Lions. How did this happen? The defense said they knew the Lions play calls.
No, it’s not time to sound off the alarms for Spygate part two. Despite the inclusion of former New England Patriots coach Matt Patricia in this story.
The New York Jets started the game in typical fashion, a quarterback in green and white tossing a touchdown — to the other team. Sam “The Savior” Darnold rolled out to his right, dodged a few live bullets, and pulled the trigger while performing a cardinal sin in football — throwing against the grain. That mistake cost the Jets six points with Matt Prater making it an official seven just a few seconds later.
But this game wasn’t defined by how the Jets started, but rather how they finished.
The team finished with five interceptions, it could’ve been six with Parry Nickerson’s near interception in the back right corner of the end zone at the end of the first half, but I digress.
That was the most interceptions the defense had collected in a game this century and more specifically since 1999. So what was the secret sauce? Film study.
“We were calling out their plays as he was getting up to the line,” linebacker Darron Lee said of Stafford, via ESPN’s Rich Cimini.
Lee had two interceptions, including a pick-six.
“We knew his signals,” Lee said. “We knew everything. That’s just preparation as a defense. … It seemed like we were in his head as a defense.”
No controversy, no insert-gate scandal, just serious film study by the green and white. The Jets had been preparing for this game for months — since the schedule had been announced back in April. It appears that was not time wasted.
