The Jets left Ford Field with another loss, but this one came with plenty to like and just as much to worry about. New York fell 31-24 to the Lions on Sunday, and Geno Smith had the offense in position to tie the game late before Chuck Clark’s sack-fumble ended the comeback bid for Detroit.
Even with the final score sting, Aaron Glenn’s team showed some fight in a game where the injury list kept growing. Two starters on offense were already unavailable, and the Jets still put together a performance that had real bright spots. The most obvious came from a rookie who finally looked every bit the part.
Kenyon Sadiq delivered the kind of breakout game New York needed. With Adonai Mitchell and Mason Taylor both out, the Jets had to find production elsewhere in the passing game, and Sadiq answered with seven catches for 105 yards and a circus-catch touchdown on the team’s first score. The first-round pick from Oregon looked like the athletic difference-maker the Jets expected when they drafted him.
Garrett Wilson also got the kind of usage that had been missing early in the season. Through the first two weeks, he had only 14 targets, but Sunday was a different story.
New York kept feeding him, and he responded with 10 receptions for 107 yards and the game-tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter. He was a constant problem for Detroit’s defense before leaving on the second-to-last play of the Jets’ final drive.
Geno Smith kept the offense moving too. Against a depleted Lions secondary, he completed 31 of 37 passes for 321 yards and three touchdowns.
The late fumble ended the game, but it came after a strong afternoon of steady, efficient quarterback play. Smith has been productive against Detroit throughout his career, and he backed that up again here.
The concern on the other side of the ball is harder to ignore. The Jets entered Week 3 with the league’s best defense in yards allowed per game, but that number looks a lot less impressive after Detroit rolled up 381 yards of total offense.
Jared Goff passed for 269 yards, and Jahmyr Gibbs finished with 164 scrimmage yards. The Lions have firepower, but New York needed more resistance than it got.
Special teams has also become a problem. That unit had been one of the team’s strengths in 2025, but over the last two weeks, Chris Banjo’s group has given New York trouble. The Jets have allowed multiple long returns, and their kick return blocking has stood out for the wrong reasons.
And then there’s the injury mess. New York came into the game already short-handed, missing Minkah Fitzpatrick and Adonai Mitchell.
It only got worse from there, with left guard Dylan Parham leaving in the second half with a knee injury and quickly being ruled out. Breece Hall also exited early with a thigh injury.
So while the Jets showed enough offense to keep things close, Sunday also exposed the parts of this team that are slipping. The final score was tight. The margin for error was not.
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Jets Suddenly Have A Bigger Breece Hall Problem
The Jets were already scrambling in Week 3 against the Lions without several key starters, and the injury list only grew from there. One of the biggest concerns came when Breece Hall went out with a thigh injury, forcing New York to adjust on the fly in a game where depth was already being tested.
Hall sounded unsure afterward about just how serious the issue might be, which is where the real concern starts for the Jets. Braelon Allen handled the lead-back role once Hall exited, but for a team trying to piece together its offense through injuries, any uncertainty around Hall carries obvious weight going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Dan Campbell Just Gave Jets Fans A Reason To Reconsider Aaron Glenn
Aaron Glenns first season has come with plenty of scrutiny, especially when late-game decisions and clock management have left Jets fans grumbling. But after a tight loss to the Lions, Dan Campbell offered a different perspective on the coachs work, praising Glenn publicly and crediting him for how hard the Jets made the game. For a team that has spent much of the year fighting through injuries and a difficult schedule, it was another sign that the performance level has been trending in a better direction even when the results have not always followed.
Campbells endorsement carries some weight because of his history with Glenn, and it arrives at a time when the Jets are still sorting out what their present and future should look like under him. There has been visible progress from a roster that leaned on contributions from Geno Smith, Kenyon Sadiq and Garrett Wilson to stay competitive against a strong opponent, even if the final score again left room for frustration. The broader question now is whether the improvement around Glenn is enough to quiet the criticism, or whether the conversation around him will keep coming back to the same lingering issues. [Read more 🡒]
Aaron Glenn Just Gave Jets Fans Their Most Encouraging Sign Yet
The Jets left Detroit with a loss, but there were clear signs of a team starting to look more organized under Aaron Glenn. Against a Lions squad that can overwhelm opponents, New York stayed competitive throughout a 31-24 defeat in Week 3, and the little details were better too. Situational awareness and clock management, both areas that have hurt this group before, were noticeably sharper even as the roster dealt with injuries and a talent gap.
Geno Smiths afternoon also offered a real reason for optimism. He completed 31 of 37 passes for 320 yards and three touchdowns, giving the Jets the kind of efficient, productive quarterback play that can keep them in games if the rest of the operation continues to clean itself up. For a team still trying to establish Glenns standard, the result was disappointing, but the process looked more like progress than setback. [Read more 🡒]