Aaron Glenn didn’t exactly get a friendly opening stretch, but the Jets still walked into Week 4 with a chance to stack something real. Instead, they came out of it with the same problem they’ve had too often already: too many mistakes, too little offense, and a 1-3 record that keeps the noise around their first-year coach growing louder.
What makes Sunday’s loss to the Chicago Bears sting is that the defense actually showed up. The Jets fought, stayed active, and forced five turnovers if you ignore penalties. For a defensive-minded head coach, that’s the kind of performance you can point to and defend.
The offense, though, did not match it. New York averaged 4.2 yards per carry, 5.4 yards per pass attempt, and managed only twelve points. That gap between a defense that battled and an offense that never found enough rhythm is where this game started to slip away.
There’s also the issue of time of possession, and that one is hard to separate from the overall mess. The Jets’ defense was on the field for 89 plays.
Chicago’s plan without its star quarterback was clear: lean on the run and control the ball. That approach made sense for a team that leads the league in rushing, and the Bears stuck with it.
Still, the Jets did enough against the run to keep Chicago below its season average in yards per carry. The problem was that New York’s own offense gave the defense very little relief when it had the ball. If the offense isn’t sustaining drives, the defense keeps getting dragged back out there.
Then came the penalties. The Jets were flagged 12 times, and that split matters.
Six were discipline penalties - the kind that come from losing focus, and the kind a coaching staff gets judged on. Three of those six were delay-of-game penalties on Geno Smith, who has been battling the play clock all season, which gives Glenn some room for lenience.
The other six were effort penalties, the sort that happen while players are trying to make something happen.
That’s where the bigger question around Glenn starts to take shape. There appears to be some kind of disconnect between the head coach and the offense.
It’s not hard to understand how that could happen, either. Glenn is calling the defense, which is a major load for any head coach.
If he has been focused on cleaning up that side of the ball and trusting Frank Reich and Smith to handle the offense, that’s a reasonable place to start.
But reasonable only goes so far. If the disconnect is real, it’s still Glenn’s job to fix it.
The broader picture is why this all feels so tense. The Jets didn’t lose Sunday because of Glenn alone, but head coaches carry the blame anyway.
At 1-3, the record says one thing while the details say something a little more complicated. There are real improvements here, but there’s also a fanbase that has been through enough disappointment to be suspicious of anything that looks shaky.
And the schedule isn’t getting softer. The Jets still have to deal with multiple unbeaten teams, last year’s AFC Championship runner-up, and two games against the team that played in the Super Bowl just eight months ago. That’s a brutal path for a coach trying to calm things down.
The pressure is not going anywhere. The outrage around the Jets has a way of taking over, and patience is already wearing thin.
In Other News...
Jets May Finally Get WR Help But One Question Still Looms
The Jets receiver room may be getting a little healthier soon, which comes as welcome news for an offense that has had to navigate injuries to key pass-catchers. Tim Patrick has now completed the required four-game absence and is eligible to return to practice, giving the team at least a chance to add some experienced help back into the mix after a stretch of uncertainty.
Omar Cooper Jr. is still a longer wait, since he remains on injured reserve and has to sit out at least one more game before his practice window can open. So while the roster picture is beginning to brighten at receiver, the bigger question for the Jets is how quickly that help can actually show up on the field, and whether Patrick will be ready to contribute right away once he ramps up. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Opponent Suddenly Has A Quarterback Issue To Sort Out
The Browns have opened the clock on a pair of injured-reserve returns, designating quarterback Dillon Gabriel and defensive tackle Kalia Davis to come back to practice. Cleveland now has 21 days to decide whether either player gets activated to the active roster, a timeline that adds another layer to a quarterback room already worth watching from afar.
Gabriels return is the more interesting subplot for Jets watchers because it forces Cleveland to sort out where he fits behind Deshaun Watson and backup Shedeur Sanders. Even before the Browns make a decision, the move hints at more quarterback evaluation work ahead, and any shuffle there is the kind of thing opponents keep an eye on as they prepare for a game plan. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Fans Just Got An Uncomfortable New QB Option
The Jets quarterback picture already has a few moving parts, and now another one has been dropped into the mix. NFL analyst Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report recently floated New York as a possible trade destination for San Francisco backup Mac Jones, putting a concrete price on the idea with a conditional 2027 second-round pick.
Jones has already bounced from the Patriots to the Jaguars to the 49ers, and he is currently sitting behind Brock Purdy in San Francisco. For the Jets, it is another reminder that the search for insulation behind Geno Smith is not necessarily finished, even with rookie Cade Klubnik in the building after being drafted in 2026 and getting preseason reps. [Read more 🡒]