Jermaine Johnson has a historical connection with his upcoming quarterback quarry, the Ravens' Lamar Jackson, that makes preparing for the Jets' trip to Baltimore for their next road game this weekend "super cool" in his book.

"He's actually my first NFL career sack," Johnson recalled after Thursday's practice. "So it's super cool, and I'm looking forward to getting one or two more Sunday against him."

For any Jets fan who recalls Johnson's first season in green and white, his sack of Jackson is even cooler than that. It was Johnson's rookie debut as the first-rounder out of Florida State in the Jets' 2202 season opener against the Purple Birds. One play after Quincy Williams dropped the ultra-elusive Jackson for a zero-yard sack, Johnson and DL Jacob Martin teamed for a 2-yard Jackson takedown that forced a punt in a still competitive game that the Ravens led 3-0 before going on to win, 24-9.

A bit more than than a year after a torn Achilles tendon ended his 2024 season, Johnson is doing everything he can to be ready for this test, including participating in a midseason soda sabbatical.

"I've been doing extra running, staying off sugary drinks and stuff like that, getting ready for him," JJ said. "That's more of a personal thing. I'm chasing after a lot of guys as the season's going on. I just want to shed any kind of weight that's slowing me down so that I can turn those hurries or hits or pressures into sacks. Especially a guy like we've been talking about this week. It's very important."

So important that Johnson took some video pointers from one legendary NFL defender who only last week pursued the legendary QB in question, who was the league's MVP in '23 and the runner-up for the prestigious award last season.

"Myles [Garrett] is very generational," he said of Cleveland's pass rusher supreme, who has sandwiched a 5-sack game of New England's Drake Maye and last week's 4-sacker of Jackson around a 1-sack showing vs. the Jets. "He does things at an elite level. Just being able to watch that and see how he approaches those guys, yeah, you always want to take what you can from a performance like that and apply it to you."

Recent trendlines indicate Johnson is building momentum and has a slight edge in this matchup. He opened the season quietly with no tackles for loss of any kind in the first five games. But in the last five games, Johnson has racked up 3 sacks, five QB hits, and 1 more tackle for loss.

Jackson, meanwhile, has piloted a four-game Ravens win streak since their bye but has done so while working through physical issues. He missed three games with a hamstring injury and eight practices in all this season, including the last two Wednesdays with lower leg tweaks. He was back at practice Thursday from an ankle injury to prep for Johnson and the Jets, but the QB has been vulnerable to pressure this season with an average of 3.2 sacks/game, the most of his eight-year career.

Yet No. 11 knows not to take anything for granted with No. 8.

"When you get back there with a mobile quarterback, especially like Lamar, it's all about changing your stride, coming under control," Johnson said. "A lot of times when he's shaking those guys, they're a little out of control, not great pad level. It's really just fundamental things like that that are on my mind.

"I know a lot of guys, they like to do something they call 'Cage,' just staying in front of him as a defensive line. To me, I think you've just got to throw your stuff and you've still got to go get him. But he's very dynamic in the backfield, very dynamic at extending plays with his legs."

So Johnson just as dynamically is preparing for this game, against a team that the Jets have never beaten in six road games in their history and a QB who in two meetings has thrown 8 touchdown passes to 1 interception against them. And to succeed individually against Jackson, Johnson knows he needs to bring his unit with him.

"I know everybody's focused on the 1-of-11, focusing on bringing this defense to where we believe it can be," Johnson said, no doubt looking for that water bottle rather than some bubbly concoction to keep him focused on Jackson and the other generational QBs ahead on the Jets' schedule. "He's a very special player, but I have all the confidence for the guys in this locker room to get the job done."