Week five feels like the hinge point for the 2026 New York Jets. After four weeks, the picture is messy enough to fuel every kind of debate: they looked dominant in the trenches in Week 1, showed they could hang with a traditional NFL power in Week 2, had a quarterback in Week 3 who could move the ball, and then Week 4 dragged the old doubts right back to the surface.
That’s why this weekend matters so much. It’s not just about the result.
It’s about what kind of team the Jets are when the questions pile up around their mentality, discipline, talent, play-calling, head coach, physicality, and the long-term future of several key members. The sense here is that they are not as bad as they looked in Week 4, but there’s no room for a flat performance.
No cushion. None.
The national power rankings have not been kind. ESPN slid the Jets down one spot to No. 25, noting that they “already look stronger than last season (3-14), but they’re still struggling to play complementary football and put together a complete game.
Their point differential (minus-8) isn’t terrible, but their three-game losing streak is testing the patience of the fanbase. They improved the roster with some hits in the 2026 draft and free agency, but the results have yet to show up in the win column.
Coach Aaron Glenn, who is 4-17 since taking the job, needs to spark a turnaround, pronto”
The Athletic dropped them to No. 27, also down one place, and pointed to how quickly the early optimism has faded. “The Week 1 win over the Titans raised expectations and offered hope of what could come from this season.
But on Sunday, the Jets weren’t even competitive against the Tyson Bagent-led Bears. Geno Smith completed just eight passes, but, hey, as the Jets noted on social media, they did net 26 yards in four straight plays.”
Sports Illustrated has the Jets at No. 27 as well, two spots lower than last week, and its take went straight at Aaron Glenn’s standing. “Aaron Glenn sits right behind Todd Bowles in my initial hot seat rankings of 2026.
It was always a long shot to imagine Glenn taking such command of the job that the team would entrust him to make up to three first-round picks next year. Now, it seems like a near impossibility.”
USA Today placed New York at No. 28, down one spot, and offered a sharp snapshot of the offense’s struggles while still acknowledging one small defensive milestone. “Well, the haters are gonna be writing Geno Smith again after a day in which he gained seven total first downs while producing negative net yards on third down (zero conversions in seven tries).
But New York finally got an interception under Aaron Glenn. It only needed to face Chicago’s backup quarterback to get there.
Progress!”
Fox Sports pushed the Jets to No. 29, also down one, and didn’t mince words about what Sunday looked like. The Bears may be a Super Bowl contender, but the Jets were still outgained 492-157 by a team starting its backup quarterback.
Even with Breece Hall out, Geno Smith went just 8 of 15 for 119 yards. Fox called it a step back for a team that had been surprisingly competitive and said it looked like the “same old Jets.”
Yahoo Sports had New York at No. 28, down one, and raised the possibility that things are starting to come apart. “We might be seeing the Jets start to unravel.
They’ve lost three in a row since beating the Titans in Week 1, and Sunday’s performance was miserable for them. They ran just 32 plays compared to 89 for the Bears, a massive discrepancy.
The last time there was a gap that large was when the 1999 Browns, an expansion team, ran 28 plays to 90 for the Steelers”
CBS Sports was the odd one out, moving the Jets from No. 30 to No. 29.
Its view was simple enough: “The offense didn’t get a lot of snaps against the Bears, but didn’t do much with what they got. The defense was mauled in the run game.
That’s not a good look for either side.”
There was also a bit of roster movement behind the scenes after Braiden McGregor’s season-ending injury. The Jets worked out two defensive ends: Vincent Anthony Jr. and Nathan Voorhis.
Anthony is an undrafted free agent out of Duke, listed at 6-foot-5 and 259 pounds. He isn’t described as especially fast or explosive, but he was productive in college, finishing with 29 tackles for loss and 15 sacks.
His senior season included 12 tackles for loss, 32 pressures and 7.5 sacks. After the draft, he signed with the Chiefs, then landed with San Francisco after being cut, and was released at the end of September.
Voorhis is a familiar name for the Jets because they already signed him as a UDFA out of Ball State this offseason. He didn’t do much in the preseason before being cut with an injury settlement, and he later worked out with the Miami Dolphins. His final year at Ball State, after transferring from Connecticut, was a strong one: 17 tackles for loss, 46 pressures and 12 sacks in 2025.
And then there’s Darren Mougey, whose name has been floating around online over the last 48 hours. The central question is whether he’s getting off too easily while the Jets stumble.
The answer from this view is no. The basic test is straightforward: are the Jets better today than when Darren Mougey was hired for the role?
The answer is yes.
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 🡒]