Sunday was a chance for the Jets to prove that things were going to be different under new coach Aaron Glenn. It was a chance for them to build on all the good vibes they spent the last week basking in after they looked like a competent football team their debut under Glenn.
And it was a chance to do it against one of the best teams in the league: the division-rival Bills.
Well, the Jets showed what they were all about on Sunday against the Bills, losing 30-10 in a game that at no point did it feel as if they were capable of winning.
And if that wasn’t bad enough, they also lost several key players to injury, including starting quarterback Justin Fields, who left in the second half with a concussion after banging his head on the turf on a sack. Starting defenders Jermaine Johnson (ankle) and Michael Carter II (shoulder) were also unable to finish the game.
There was a temptation to let what happened in Week 1 slide, even though it looked awfully familiar as the Jets squandered a slew of opportunities and lost a game to the Steelers that they should have won.
Yes, they lost in excruciating fashion. But they showed off a new offensive identity with one of their best days moving the ball and scoring in years. They didn’t fold when late-game adversity hit, and looked fully bought in to the culture Glenn spent the last eight months building.
But good teams don’t lose games they should have won. And if they do, they respond the next week with a performance that leaves no doubt about what they’re capable of.
The Bills fans giving the visiting team a standing ovation as they left the field on Sunday afternoon told the story of the day for the Jets.
They responded to their close call with a Week 2 performance that was revealing, but for all the wrong reasons. And suddenly the game they blew looks more like a red flag than a reason for hope.
Truly offensive
The Jets were praised league-wide for their impressive, unexpected Week 1 performance. But they were so bad against the Bills, who didn’t exactly lock down the Ravens in a 42-40 Week 1 win, that it’s almost hard to believe it was the same group of players on the field.
Fiels set the tone by missing a wide-open Garrett Wilson on third-and-11, as the Jets went three-and-out to start (after not punting in the first half last week). And it only got worse from there, as Fields fumbled on the first play of the Jets’ second drive.
By the time Fields left the game in the fourth quarter because of injury, it had only gotten worse. He was just 3-of-11 for 27 yards with another five carries for 49 rushing yards. Midway through the fourth quarter, with both starting quarterback s out of the game, the Jets had just 100 total yards on 37 plays. And Buffalo had held the ball for nearly twice as long as the Jets.
Even their lone score before garbage time was hard to feel good about– their only meaningful points came on a 51-yard Nick Folk field goal in the second quarter, narrowing the gap to 20-3. But as the Jets got ready to kick the ball back off to the Bills, it was hard to understand how the Jets benefitted from not going for it on fourth-and-three and instead settled for a long field goal to keep a three-score game a three-score game.
Defense gets worse
The Jets defense was bad in the loss to the Steelers, but at least they kept Pittsburgh in check on the ground. In this game there was nothing good to say about the Jets defense, other than they kept it closer than it should have been in the first half.
The Jets were terrible against the run, allowing their most rushing yards since 2021 when they were blown out by the Colts on Thursday Night Football.
They killed themselves with huge penalties – including a Micheal Clemons roughing the passer on third down early in the game that helped the Bills get into the end zone and take an early lead. And they showed poor discipline on another third down earlier in the game when Allen picked up 45 yards on a third and long when the Jets blitzers ran past the mobile quarterback.
It was embarrassing and there’s now a whole lot more evidence that this Jets’ defense is now a whole lot closer to being one of the worst in the league than the top-three defense it has been the last three years.
Not getting any easier
The quest for the Jets’ first win of the Aaron Glenn era isn’t exactly getting easier with back-to-back trips to Florida up next. The Jets play at the Bucs on Sunday, which won’t be easy. But at least Tampa Bay will be at a bit of a disadvantage on short rest – their Week 2 game is against the Texans in Houston on Monday night.
Then the Jets play Monday night at Miami, which should be a good chance to get a win after the Dolphins have looked terrible through the first two games. But then again, the Jets will be trying to win their first game in Miami in more than a decade.
If they don’t pick up a win then, they’ll face the Cowboys in their next game at MetLife Stadium on Oct. 5.
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