Sunday’s matchup between the Jets and Saints is so delicious even the players and coaches involved are intrigued to see whether great defense will beat great offense.
The 3-0 Jets will take their physical, blitzing, smothering defense to New Orleans to face the 3-0 Saints and their explosive, multi-faceted offense that’s ranked No. 1 in the NFL.
“That’s going to be the buzz of the week. It’s going to be an anticipated matchup that everyone wants to see — Drew Brees against Rex Ryan. It should be exciting,” right tackle Damien Woody said yesterday.
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“People always want to see a good defense versus a great offense,” linebacker Bart Scott said. “We’ll see how it turns out. I mean, I’ll be excited about it. We’ve got two undefeated teams. This is a great opportunity to see what kind of team the Jets are and to see if New Orleans is as billed. It’ll be fun.”
Nose tackle Kris Jenkins said, “If I wasn’t playing, this would definitely be a game I would want to see on TV. It’s always great when you get to see two teams that are doing very well, whatever part of the season it is.”
The Saints’ offensive numbers through three games are prolific, led by their quarterback, Brees, who has completed 69.l percent of his passes for 841 yards, nine touchdowns, two interceptions and a lofty 118.1 rating.
Beyond Brees is a strong rushing attack with Pierre Thomas (122 yards, 2 TDs) the dangerous Reggie Bush (111 yards and a TD) and Mike Bell (229 rushing yards), who missed the Bills game with a sprained knee and may be sidelined again Sunday. The Saints, known more for their passing, own the No. 2 ranked rushing offense in the league with 512 yards, a 5 yards per carry average and five TDs.
“They’re putting points up on everybody,” linebacker David Harris said. “The defense knows we’ve definitely got to step it up. You know something’s got to give. You’ve got the No. 1 offense against the No. 1 defense (actually No. 3). Somebody’s got to lose. Hopefully it’s not us.”
The Jets’ defense gave up a touchdown for the first time Sunday, ending a streak of 24 consecutive offensive series without allowing a TD through the first two-plus games.
“Now we know what it feels like to be scored on,” defensive end Shaun Ellis said.
When Ryan was asked if there’s a part of him that’s relishing going up against the NFL’s best offense, he said, “I’ll be honest with you, there is some of that. I always think I’m the best in calling a game on defense and you know this is a chess match.
“When I was a coordinator I used to love these opportunities. Now when you step back and you’re the head (coach), you’re like, ‘Oooh.’ ”
Ryan joked that he’d rather play Brees at Giants Stadium or even in Buffalo, where the windy weather prevented him from going off on the Bills.
“You run a traditional coverage against this guy and he’ll carve you up,” Ryan said. “He’s a crafty guy. We’re going to have our work cut out for him. This is not going to be a traditional defense. He knows that. I have a lot of confidence in our defense. It’s going to be a great challenge.”
Asked, if he were not involved in the game, how intrigued he’d be about seeing his Jets defense taking on the Saints offense, Ryan said, “I would want to watch it. Both teams are 3-0 for a reason. I would definitely watch that game.”