The NFL is a week-to-week league. There isn’t a focus on the past, just the road ahead. As the Jets follow that road to The Motor City, the special teams unit is ready for a bounce-back performance against the Detroit Lions.
“This is a humbling league,” special teams coordinator Chris Banjo said. “It’s a humbling league and last week definitely humbled us for sure. I think our guys have been doing a great job of putting last week to bed, knowing that this week we have to be at our best against a tough Lions team.”
Isaiah Williams has been very intentional about how he’s practiced moving forward, having muffed a couple of punts against the Green Bay Packers that were both recovered by . Between Wednesday and Thursday, outside of the reps he saw in practice, Williams caught 85 extra punts.
“This week has just been getting back to basics, getting back to the basic fundamental things and just getting extra reps,” Williams said.
The unit hasn’t wavered in believing their group is “special” and as a captain, Williams isn’t going to allow a negative mindset to “creep in.”
“Everybody in life goes through some adversity but it’s like, who’s the one who could get back up?” Williams said. “Who’s the one that can keep working, that could block out all the extra noise?”
Banjo is confident that Williams, the Jets’ 2025 MVP who was one of six players to record multiple punt return touchdowns last season, will rebound well. Even against the Packers, he showed resiliency, making an impact on offense and on his five kick returns, he averaged nearly 25 yards per.