C.J. Mosley does it all in stellar performance vs. Patriots

The real C.J. Mosley finally stands up

It’s been over two years since he captured the hearts of New York Jets fans with his dominant season-opening outburst against the Bills, but the wait is over – C.J. Mosley has finally treated Jets fans to another elite linebacker performance.

Mosley executed his responsibilities at a highly consistent level against the Patriots. Playing all 58 defensive snaps, he filled his gaps against the run, blew up screens, and shut down route concepts in his area.

For the second time in his four appearances as a Jet, Mosley was the best player on the field between the Jets defense and the offense on the other side of the field.

C.J. Mosley’s consistent tackling

Mosley led the Jets with 10 total tackles, which is nice, but a high number of tackles is only impressive if it is accompanied by efficiency.

If a player makes 10 tackles and misses three tackles, his tackling did the team more harm than good. Based on the 2020 league average tackle-to-missed tackle ratio of 8.9-to-1 for linebackers, a linebacker should only miss 1.1 tackles if he makes 10 tackles.

Mosley was on his game as a tackler against New England. He was not credited with missing a single missed tackle against the Patriots, going a perfect 10-for-10 on his tackle opportunities.

That level of efficiency as a tackler makes a huge positive impact. Over the same number of opportunities as Mosley got, the average linebacker would have missed at least one tackle, which could have resulted in any number of extra yards for the ball carrier beyond what was blocked for him. Mosley went an entire game without providing bonus yardage to the opposition – a substantial net-positive for the defense.

C.J. Mosley’s run defense

Mosley was active and effective against the run. He recorded five tackles in the run game, four of them limiting the ball-carrier to a gain of no more than three yards.

C.J. Mosley’s coverage

It was in coverage where Mosley really shined. The three passes completed in his direction resulted in only 17 yards (5.7 per reception) and zero first downs.

Late in the game, Mosley deflected a pass intended for wide receiver Jakobi Meyers on a slant that would have resulted in a big gain – possibly a long touchdown based on Meyers’ momentum and the positioning of the Jets’ defenders.

Mosley recorded six tackles in the passing game that held the receiver short of the first down marker. Four of those held the receiver to a gain of three yards or less. He was a wrecking ball against screens, navigating his way through blockers to meet screen receivers near the line of scrimmage.

An active, fundamentally sound performance from C.J. Mosley

Altogether, Mosley made six tackles that held the ball carrier short of the first down marker and to a gain of no more than three yards. That tied for second-most among all players in Week 2 (prior to Monday Night Football).

This is the type of performance that the Jets defense needs from its $85 million man – especially as they deal with the expected growing pains of the numerous young linebackers playing beside him. Against New England, Quincy Williams started alongside Mosley and played 54 snaps while rookie Hamsah Nasirildeen played 18 snaps.

The Jets will need more of the same from Mosley next week as they take on a Denver Broncos offense that currently stands as the second-most efficient in the NFL according to the EPA metric (estimated points added).

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