Across his 15 seasons in the NFL, Jets LB Demario Davis has plied his trade on good teams and not-so-good teams. On Monday, he was emphatic in his belief that even though these might be "dark times right now," every player in green and white must keep going.

"Something that I've learned over my career, which I probably didn't have early on, I certainly didn't have, is making sure as a leader and a visionary that you don't blend worlds, and that's why I say I'm not discouraged because I've seen enough in this organization in the short time of being back," Davis said.

The Jets fell to 2-7 Sunday after a 35-12 loss to the Chiefs in Kansas City. After a back-and-forth first half, the Chiefs took control in the second half with 3 TDs.

"There's evidence from the top to the bottom of things that are going in the right direction, and over my career, I've been a leader on teams that have won a lot of games and teams that haven't done so well," Davis said. "What has sort of become a superpower for me is to be able to be a steadier of the ship in the middle of darkness. And what you have to do is you have to be able to find that candlelight in the darkness."

Davis, now in his third stint with the Green & White, is third on the team with 62 total tackles through 9 games and is well on his way to his 10th straight season with 100-plus total tackles. He's also got 2 sacks, 4 PD, 3 TFL and a fumble recovery.

"Setbacks are a part of the process," he said as the Jets (2-7) strive to erase a 4-game losing streak in their game on Sunday against AFC East rival Buffalo at MetLife Stadium. "You don't want them, but they are part [of it] and that's where we are right now. We've had some bright moments, but we're in the middle of a setback, and you have to be able to keep going."  
After the divisional clash against the Bills, the Jets will face the Chargers (0-8) and Dolphins (1-7) on the road before the bye.

"The talent on this roster is great," Davis said. "You have an offense that's put up multiple 30-point games, a defense who has held teams under 200 yards, special teams that have been number one in the league, creating explosive plays and pinning guys deep, and so those are all bright spots."

Young Dudes Making an Impact
While the Jets have augmented a young roster with veterans like LB Demario Davis, S Minkah Fitzpatrick, QB Geno Smith and S Dane Belton, the team's present -- and future -- will belong to the 22 players who are 25 years old or younger.

"The team is doing a good job of retaining homegrown talent," Demario Davis said on Monday. "The team is doing a good job of retaining homegrown talent. In my short time being back I'm saying: 'Man, this team is moving in the right direction.' Even though it's adverse in dark times right now, there are some things that you can build upon, and that's one of them."

Plus, the Jets are currently in possession of three first-round selections in the 2027 NFL Draft in April.

Edge David Bailey, 23, the No. 2 overall pick in last April's NFL Draft, returned from a groin injury that kept him out of one game and was one of the bright spots in the loss to the Chiefs. In the game, Bailey had 9 total tackles, 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 3 TFL and 3 QB hits. Bailey became the first Jet and the first of the team's rookies to record a pair of strip sacks in a game since S Jamal Adams in 2019.

In the absence of WR Garrett Wilson (concussion protocol), WR Omar Cooper Jr., 22, (8 receptions in 11 targets for 58 yards) and TE Kenyon Sadiq, 21 (4 receptions in 4 targets for 49 yards) led the aerial attack.

"He was somebody that we really tried to hone in on and try to see how we can get him in position to be able to have a mismatch, and I think those things showed up," HC Aaron Glenn said, referring to Sadiq. "I think [OC] Frank [Reich] did a really good job when it came to that. One part of his game that he really does get a lot of credit for is his blocking, and I think he did a really good job with that."

Overall, the Jets lead the league in snaps by players aged 26 and younger (9,845), ranking top six in offensive snaps (3,916), defensive snaps (4,055) and special teams snaps (1,874). They also lead the league in scrimmage yards (2,889) and defensive tackles (397) by players aged 26 and under, and rank fourth in sacks (17).

S Dane Belton: 'Room for Improvement'
After signing with the Jets in free agency in the offseason, S Dane Belton has quietly and steadily emerged as one of the stalwarts on defense. His 76 total tackles, one short of LB Jamien Sherwood's team lead, include a team-leading 40 solo takedowns. His 8 tackles against the Chiefs were second on the defense.

"When you watch the film, especially on your own right after the game ... kind of feelings can get involved or emotions and things like that," Belton said. "So it's going to be important for us to watch it as a unit, be able to understand as a unit where we can be better, where we can take the next step and finish games and do that together. So I think it would be important after we get together as a unit. But yeah, I definitely think, obviously, there's a lot of room for improvement."