Jaiquawn Jarrett steals ball, attention in rare start

Jaiquawn Jarrett couldn’t remember after Sunday’s 20-13 win the exact number of starts he’s had with New York — even if he can count them on one hand.

But it was the unheralded Jarrett, a former second-round pick of the Eagles in 2011, who keyed a feisty Jets defense to the win.

He had seven tackles, one sack, a fumble recovery and interceptions in the first and third quarter after finding out Friday he would be making the start for rookie first-round pick Calvin Pryor.

“When the tables are rolling for you, you just got to continue to capitalize,” Jarrett said. “The ball fell in our favor and we were able to get the offense the ball and they were able to go down there and get some points for us.”

Pryor is still far more comfortable playing the run. In a game against a quarterback like Ben Roethlisberger, the Jets feared Pryor could get burned.

And so Jarrett got his first start of the season against a quarterback who had an NFL-record 12 touchdowns the last two weeks.The Jets defense as a whole responded with four quarterback sacks and numerous hurries of Roethlisberger in the pocket.

“I think as a unit, as a team, we came together. We dialed in, we stayed focused on doing just our job,” Jarrett said. “We were able to go out there and execute and get the job done.”

Follow Jets beat writer Kristian Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer.