In the moment, when the ball bounced on the MetLife Stadium turf, it was a sequence that could’ve sparked something — the needed turnover, the needed field-position edge, anything — until the Jets’ offense stalled again.
Will McDonald IV had beaten his man and tore toward Justin Herbert as the Chargers’ quarterback tried to escape the pocket, knocking the ball out while also dropping Herbert.
It bounced once before Herbert fell on it.
The Chargers (4-4) added another field goal 12 plays later, which continued adding to the lead that turned into a 27-6 victory against the Jets (4-4) on Monday night.
McDonald’s sack and forced fumble marked the latest glimpse of the Jets’ effective pass rush against Herbert and the Chargers’ offensive line.
The Jets’ first-round pick in 2023 — fighting for snaps within a unit defined by depth — had his first career sack.
Gang Green ended the night with five sacks and 13 quarterback hits.
The Chargers managed just one offensive touchdown and a trio of field goals, but it didn’t matter when the Jets’ offense couldn’t generate any type of rhythm.
Still, the Jets managed to contain an elite passing attack featuring Herbert (16 of 30, 136 yards), running back Austin Ekeler and wideout Keenan Allen and compiled their most sacks since Week 1 against the Bills.
Everything started early in the first quarter, when Michael Carter II and Quinnen Williams blitzed and reached Herbert untouched to force an errant throw and end a drive.
Then, in the second quarter, Williams and Jermaine Johnson capitalized on an empty backfield and sacked Herbert.
Bryce Huff finished with 1.5 sacks, while John Franklin-Myers recorded one and Solomon Thomas was also credited with a half-sack.
Huff also recorded four quarterback hits, while Franklin-Myers added another three en route to the Jets’ season-best for that category — topping their nine from games against the Bills and Chiefs.
For so long, and really since Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles on the fourth offensive snap of the season, the defense became the unit tasked with carrying the Jets.
Sure, the secondary, with Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed, was strong.
But the defensive line was stocked with depth.
Their pressure, especially against elite quarterbacks, would dictate how everything else flowed.
The most important element was that they couldn’t let opponents find a flow.
Herbert’s 136 passing yards marked his fewest of the season.
The defense had nothing to do with the Chargers’ 87-yard touchdown on a punt return.
They, really, couldn’t do anything about Zach Wilson’s fumble that was returned to the 2-yard line.
Outside of that, the pass rush managed to hold its own.
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