The New York Jets’ latest loss came with the kind of second-half collapse that leaves no room for spin. After hanging around early against the Kansas City Chiefs, New York got buried in the back half of a 35-12 defeat, and Aaron Glenn’s postgame message was as plain as the result.
“Aaron Glenn said the Jets hit their keys to victory in the first half then in the second half “we just didn’t play up to par,” The Athletic posted.
That was the story Sunday. The Jets actually controlled plenty of the opening stretch, running 39 offensive plays in the first half compared with 24 for Kansas City and holding the ball for 20:26 to 9:34.
Twenty-five of those 39 plays came on the Chiefs’ side of the field, according to the New York Post. For a while, it looked like New York might have enough to make things interesting.
Then the game flipped hard. The Jets were outscored 21-0 in the second half, and the offense never found a way to answer. The broadcast also showed quarterback Geno Smith looking visibly frustrated, a reaction that fit a unit that has struggled to get going all season.
The bigger picture around the team is even uglier. The Athletic posted on X, formerly Twitter: “The Jets are 2-7.
Aaron Glenn is 5-21. The Jets have one interception in his 26 games.
The defense is terrible. The season is dead,”
That frustration is spilling over everywhere. Jets fans have been calling for Glenn to be fired on social media, and plenty of analysts now view him as a coach on a very hot seat. If the losses keep piling up, it’s hard to imagine the pressure easing anytime soon.
And the schedule doesn’t offer much relief. New York’s next game is against the Buffalo Bills, with the Jets still searching for answers and still waiting for a season that hasn’t given them much of anything. The team hasn’t made the NFL Playoffs in close to 20 years, and it hasn’t had a winning season in more than a decade.
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Geno Smiths Sideline Frustration Says Everything About These Jets
Geno Smith spent much of Sunday under siege, and the Jets spent much of the afternoon trying to keep pace with Kansas City before the offense went quiet after halftime. New York went into the break down 14-12, still within striking distance, but the second half brought no points and little margin for error as the Chiefs pulled away from a game that had been hanging in the balance.
The bigger concern for the Jets is how familiar this looked. Smith was sacked five times, pushing his season total to 28, second-most in the NFL, and the protection issues have become impossible to ignore as the losses pile up. At 2-7, New York now turns to Buffalo with more questions than answers, and the frustration on the sideline felt like a snapshot of where this season stands. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Face A Will McDonald Decision That Could Spark Debate
Will McDonald IVs role has shrunk this season in the Jets defensive scheme, and that alone has added a little intrigue to a position group that has already dealt with injuries. Even with the pass-rush depth chart thinned out, the team has not treated McDonald like an untouchable piece, and The Athletics Zack Rosenblatt reported that the possibility of a trade is at least on the table as the season moves toward the deadline.
Still, the Jets do not appear eager to make a move unless the return is substantial, especially with draft capital already in decent supply and depth concerns lingering on the edge. For now, the more realistic path seems to be standing pat on defense and looking elsewhere if the front office decides to get aggressive, which leaves McDonalds status as one of the more interesting roster questions hanging over the next few weeks. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Face A Geno Smith Decision That Could Derail The Offense
With the NFL trade deadline approaching, there is growing chatter around whether the Jets would even consider moving Geno Smith, a possibility that would ripple well beyond the quarterback room. The speculation has centered on the idea that another team could come calling with draft capital, but for a Jets offense still trying to find its footing, the timing would be hard to justify.
Smith has given the group a steadier presence, and his influence has been especially important for a young crop of pass catchers still learning on the fly. For a team trying to build something sustainable on offense, dealing away the quarterback now would risk slowing the development of players such as Omar Cooper Jr., Kenyon Sadiq, Mason Taylor and Adonai Mitchell, which is why the debate feels less like a simple transaction and more like a decision with long-term consequences. [Read more 🡒]