Jets HC Aaron Glenn
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Amid an 0-2 start to the season, Jets HC Aaron Glenn isn't dancing around his team's poor performance.
After a somewhat promising showing in Week 1, the New York Jets took the biggest of steps back in Week 2. Following a narrow 34-32 loss, Gang Green mustered all of 10 points on Sunday in a blowout defeat by the Buffalo Bills.
There’s no shame in losing to reigning MVP Josh Allen, but there’s plenty of shame in not showing any fight. It goes against the culture head coach Aaron Glenn is attempting to instill.
In the aftermath of the crushing loss, Glenn isn’t hiding from that.
Aaron Glenn Says ‘It’s Not OK’ for Jets to Accept 0-2 Start
Speaking to the media on Sunday, the first-time head coach emphasized reflection. He, as well as his players, must take a look in the mirror and work to correct their wrongs.
“I think I said that earlier, but I’ve been here before as a coach and I have to look at myself, all the players have to look at themselves, and the coaches have to look at themselves also,” Glenn said. “Apparently, I didn’t have the guys ready to play. So, whatever we see on tape, and we have to be honest with ourselves with what we see on tape, we have to fix those things.
“And that’s just the way this league is. And it’s not OK. It’s not OK to lose like that. And I’m not a big fan of sitting here and telling everybody, ‘Guys, it’s OK.’ No, no, you don’t just lose like that and it’s okay. What it is, man, is you go back to work and you still have to fix those problems that you saw on tape, and you move on to next week. And that’s what we’re going to do.”
There were various culprits in Week 2. One of them is a lack of talent. At this stage in their rebuild, the Jets don’t have enough to hang with the proverbial big dogs like the Bills. That was made evident by New York’s 2025-26 win totals, and it’s become even more obvious early in the year.
Attention to detail and thorough execution can mask some of that. Unfortunately for Glenn’s crew, their focus during the week hasn’t translated to game day.
That’s something they’ll have to sort out as the clock continues ticking. On Monday, Glenn said his confidence wasn’t shaken. He’ll keep chopping wood in what others deem an “instant coffee league.”
Which Side of the Ball Should Concern New York More?
The tough reality for the Jets is they aren’t performing up to expectation on either side of the ball. That’s an impossible formula to rely on as the season rolls on.
Offensively, things seemed to click in Week 1. Quarterback Justin Fields enjoyed an efficient outing through the air and scored twice on the ground. Halfback Breece Hall went over 100 yards rushing. Defensively is where the Jets failed. Former New York signal-caller Aaron Rodgers threw for 4 touchdowns. The pass rush succeeded, yet the secondary fell well short.
Sunday saw both the offense and defense struggle. Before exiting the game and entering concussion protocol (where he remains as of the publishing of this story), Fields went just 3-for-11 passing for 27 yards. On the ground, Hall amassed 29 yards on 10 carries. New York didn’t even score until backup Tyrod Taylor entered the game. At that point, it was too little and too late.
The Jets’ defense continues to be a concern. Even with Allen throwing for just 148 yards, it didn’t matter. Buffalo ran for 224 yards and 3 touchdowns, feeding running back James Cook repeatedly. With an offense that couldn’t stay on the field, stars like Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner were repeatedly put in bad situations on D.
Everything is intertwined for the Jets, and plenty of their current issues are fixable. That’s why Glenn is exercising confidence and patience.
But at the same time, he’s been around this league long enough to know a sense of urgency is absolutely necessary.