'We knew everything': Jets defenders say they knew Lions' plays leading to huge performance against Matthew Stafford
- The New York Jets stunned the Detroit Lions on Monday night with a 48-17 pummeling.
- The Jets' defense was the star of the show, picking off Matthew Stafford four times before the Lions quarterback was pulled from the game.
- After the game, the Jets defense would say that they had some of the Lions' plays scouted out and studied, making them easy to jump.
The New York Jets pulled off a stunning win in their season-opening matchup against the Lions on Monday night, running up the score with a 48-17 dismantling of Detroit.
While the highlight of the day for Jets fans was likely the debut of rookie quarterback Sam Darnold, who recovered after an opening pick-six to complete 76% of his passes and throw for two touchdowns, much of the credit for the night's victory was rightfully reserved for the Jets' defense.
The New York defensive unit ruined Matthew Stafford's day, picking off the Lions quarterback four times before he was pulled from the game, and generally disrupting the Detroit offense at an alarming rate.
After the game, several Jets defenders said that their success came from extensive time preparing, studying game film, to a point where they were able to jump several of the Lions' plays before they developed.
"We were calling out their plays as he was getting up to the line," said Jets linebacker Darron Lee, according to ESPN's Rich Cimini. "We knew his signals. We knew everything. That's just preparation as a defense. ... It seemed like we were in his head as a defense."
That preparation paid off on one play especially - with Lee jumping an anticipated route to pick off Stafford and score the first touchdown of his NFL career.
"That's called studying. That's called studying," said corner Trumaine Johnson, who also brought down an interception for the Jets. "You know, we had an extra day with Monday night. You know, this game was big on the road to get and I'm happy how this team responded."
While one game doesn't make a trend, it's clear that the Jets are taking extra care to do their homework on defense, and their upcoming opponents might want to be sure to mix up their signals a bit before making any obvious play calls.