Fans tuning into the New York Jets' Week 6 matchup versus the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football may have seen Bill Belichick absolutely cooking the Jets' defense or star safety Chuck Clark leave the game with an ankle injury in the first quarter. This injury is a major setback to the team's defense, especially after the Jets fired Robert Saleh in Week 5. Still, the team has made the game close, heading into the fourth quarter deadlocked at 20.

“Jets S Chuck Clark (ankle) ruled out for the rest of the night,” as reported by NFL insider Mike Garafolo on X, formerly Twitter. “I'm told X-rays negative. Ankle sprain. Ashtyn Davis, who was in coverage on the Bills' last TD, will have to fill in the rest of the way.”

Week 6: Jets vs. Bills

New York Jets safety Chuck Clark (36) against the Minnesota Vikings in the second half at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Jets traded for Chuck Clark last season, but he tore his ACL during organized team activities, forcing him to sit out the rest of the season, though he made his injury return this season. Entering Week 6, the former Ravens safety had 16 tackles, a forced fumble, and a pass defended.

His presence added stability to a backline rocked by the sudden firing of their coach, one of the best defensive coaches in football. Even Belichick agreed, as he made his feelings known during an appearance on the Let's Go! podcast.

“It's certainly tough…. You know, [the Jets are] one of the best defensive teams in the league. Robert made them that way. They were 32nd his first year, and they've been consistently in the top five, top three in most categories. So he's done a great job on that side of the ball…. Just seemed like a little early to pull the trigger on that one to me,” the eight-time Super Bowl-winning coach said, via Tom Dierberger for FOX.

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Meanwhile, the Jets added the eight-year veteran after he logged a career-high 101 tackles for the Ravens in his final year there in 2022. Moreover, his durability was also a major factor, since he played every game with the Ravens and developed into one of the NFL's best safeties.

What now?

Despite these setbacks, the Jets still enjoyed some consistency in their game-planning. After Saleh's exit, the team promoted defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich to head coach, while also handling defensive play-calling duties.

On the other side of the ball, the Jets demoted Nathaniel Hackett and promoted Todd Downing as offensive coordinator.

While the Jets had come out of the gate sluggish, limping to a 2-3 record, fans might have also felt it was a little too early in the season to drop their coach.

Still, their new star quarterback Aaron Rodgers is not getting any younger, and owner Woody Johnson may have concluded that their window as contenders isn't that open after all.