It was the lone piece of bad news the Jets were dealt with after such a positive Week 1 victory in Nashville.
Despite walking off the field with a dominant 23-10 victory over the Titans, the win came at a cost. All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick suffered a groin injury that will reportedly keep him out for the next few weeks.
In a corresponding roster move, the Jets signed practice squad cornerback Jordan Clark to the active roster (h/t NFL Network 's Mike Garafolo). They did not place Fitzpatrick on short-term injured reserve, which could lead one to assume he will be back before the required four games are up.
Still, losing an All-Pro safety is never good for any defense. Fitzpatrick's versatility, coupled with his IQ and ball skills, makes him a very hard player to duplicate on most units. Luckily for the Jets, their plan in Week 1 was good enough without him.
And the players already on the roster should give New York hope they can stay afloat without their defensive captain.
The "next man up" mentality is sometimes overused in the NFL. Most teams just aren't able to replicate the excellence of some of their starters. In the case of Fitzpatrick, though, the Jets have an ace in the hole.
Safety Dane Belton .
Going into Week 1, Belton was already a starter on New York's defense . But his ability to win in coverage, as well as play close to the line of scrimmage, meant he was an easy choice to move into Fitzpatrick's role for the remainder of the game from the second quarter on.
"Once Minkah was down, man, I give a lot of credit to Dane (Belton) on the way that he came inand he operated because he's started picking up those roles that Minkah usually has," Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said. "He's playing at the nickel position; he's playing safety; he moved all over the field."
It hasn't taken Dane Belton long to win over Jets HC Aaron Glenn. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Belton was always an ace in the hole for the Jets. After signing a one-year deal in free agency, New York saw up close what the New York Giants did not: a player of Belton's versatility is someone who can play in different roles. Last season, the Giants played Belton close to the line of scrimmage. and he responded with 120 total tackles.
In Week 1 with the Jets, Gang Green needed to use him all over the field. He responded with a Pro Football Focus grade of 70.7- eighth-best among all safeties who played on Sunday .
New York does not just have a plan to replace Fitzpatrick. They have a younger version of him who can do the job well. It's a big reason why this particular injury won't sink the Jets against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
Belton is the key to the Jets not missing Fitzpatrick for the next two weeks. There is another component to the plan, though.
And it comes down to the play-calling of their head coach.
Glenn passed his debut as defensive play-caller and head coach with flying colors on Sunday. The Jets ranked in the top 10 in almost every statistical category on defense, based on their performance compared to the rest of the league.
What didn't change when Fitzpatrick went down were the play calls and play style that the Jets have built under their head coach. New York finished as a top-five blitzing team on Sunday. Gang Green still defended the run well. More importantly, the pass defense was still stout.
It's Glenn's philosophy that helped out just as much.
"No matter who's in the game, injuries are going to happen in this league; you can't get away from it. What overcomes injuries, though, and to me it's a playstyle. I think our guys understand that, and they did a good job of that.
There will be a significant difference between the Titans' offense and the one that the Packers will run in Week 2. They are a perennial playoff team with the experience to exploit teams that are missing key players.
But with Belton on the field and Glenn's overall play-calling philosophy, the Jets will be able to stay afloat until Fitzpatrick returns.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/jets/onsi as Breaking Down Why Jets Will Be Just Fine Without Minkah Fitzpatrick .
