Even on a quiet and sack-free day, New York Jets edge David Bailey managed to make an impact on the game against the New England Patriots.
Bailey was double-teamed on almost every play, “chipped” as they say by a skill player on their route to help out the offensive line, as the Patriots strived to prevent him from wreaking the havoc he laid on the Cleveland Browns.
That was his game with three sacks and 9 pressures, which won him the AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Yet the same Jets defense that put up 8 sacks overall in the Browns game was held without a take-down in the Patriots game, as quarterback Drake Maye danced and dumped off before being tackled. This while dealing with a New England offensive line that lost three players to injury in the course of the game and had left tackle Will Campbell nursing a knee injury.
But even a sackless Bailey is a dangerous Bailey. The rookie forced a fumble by New England running back TreVeyon Henderson midway through the third quarter, with linebacker Jamien Sherwood recovering at the Pats 36 yard line.
“That’s something we felt he would be able to do for us, not only being able to attack the quarterback but being able to get the ball back,” head coach Aaron Glenn said of Bailey during his regular Monday media availability. “We just hope we continue to get those things. The one thing we’re doing quite a bit is being able to punch the ball out. … I thought it was a hell of a job by him.”
The official line on Bailey’s game against the Patriots shows a quarterback hit and five tackles. On the season, he now has five sacks, 26 quarterback pressures, and three forced fumbles. Those lead all NFL rookies in the categories.
He now has a 2026 total of 30 tackles, six for loss, and 8 quarterback hits. He also drew a holding penalty on TE Hunter Henry. It’s the fourth time this season an opponent was flagged for holding Bailey, tied for the league lead in the category.
The Jets hope that Bailey and fellow edge Will McDonald IV will be able to penetrate the Miami Dolphins’ poor pass protection in this weekend’s game. If they get Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis moving, there’s a chance Bailey can add to his impressive totals. But whether his work shows up in the box score, Bailey is likely making a big impact on the game as a player that needs to be accounted for. That can only work to free others into favorable matchups.
