When you narrow everything down, it’s clear that the New York Jets‘ cornerback trio of Sauce Gardner, D.J. Reed, and Michael Carter II was the heart and soul of the team in 2022.
New York’s fourth-ranked scoring defense carried the team to a 7-4 start, bailing out its 29th-ranked scoring offense. That fourth-ranked defense featured better play against the pass (second-fewest net yards per pass attempt allowed) than against the run (10th-fewest yards per rush attempt allowed). The pass defense was the primary reason New York won games.
And the cornerback trio was the primary reason New York’s pass defense was so fantastic.