At 0-5, the Jets are the NFL’s last winless team in 2025, and Aaron Glenn’s nightmare start to life as head coach does not appear to be getting much easier.
Gang Green has crossed the pond to London, where they will take on the Denver Broncos, fresh off a comeback win over the defending-champion Philadelphia Eagles, on Sunday morning at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. (9:30 a.m. ET).
Just how much worse can it get? This is the second time in franchise history that the Jets are the last winless team in the NFL after starting 0-13 in the 2020 campaign under Adam Gase. They finished 2-14 that season.
Let’s get you ready for Week 6:
Can London exorcise some demons?
Remember the last time the Jets were in London?
Following a loss to the Minnesota Vikings last year to drop to 2-3, owner Woody Johnson fired head coach Robert Saleh in hopes of sparking a roster that he believed was his best in his 25 years of ownership.
The opposite happened, as New York is 3-14 since then. Perhaps a return to jolly old England can shift something in the universe their way, because the on-field product certainly hasn’t done that.
Glenn is using the trip as an opportunity to build some team bonding, at least.
“AG challenged us to talk to guys that we’re not used to talking to,” quarterback Justin Fields said. “This is definitely an opportunity to get closer as a team, build that camaraderie. It’s been good.”
Can Fields show up before the 4th?
Fields’ stats on paper seem fine enough through his first four games as the Jets’ starting quarterback until you look into the splits. More than 30% of his passing yards have come in the fourth quarter. So have three of his four passing touchdowns.
Normally, that suggests that this is an effective quarterback raising his game in the final stanza. Instead, this is nothing more than stat padding.
Consider Fields’ first four starts and where the Jets were heading into the fourth quarter of those games: They led the Pittsburgh Steelers by 10 in Week 1 and collapsed, then trailed the Buffalo Bills by 17 in Week 2. Returning from a concussion that held him out in Week 3, Fields and the Jets were down by 14 in Week 4 to the Miami Dolphins and by 24 last week in an embarrassing loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
If Fields truly is the quarterback of the future, he needs to start producing in the other 75% of games.
The defense… yikes
For a defensive-minded coach, Glenn’s defense is one of the worst in the league. Their 157 points allowed is second-worst behind the Baltimore Ravens, an average of 31.4 points per game that ranks fourth-worst in franchise history.
It’s clear that the personnel on the field is struggling to adapt to defensive coordinator Steve Wiks’ new system, with blown coverages galore. They were ripped apart by the Cowboys last week, with quarterback Dak Prescott throwing for four touchdowns.
Even more staggering is that they are the first team in NFL history to have not forced a turnover in their first five games. The Broncos don’t have a show-stopping offense, which suggests there might be some relief on the horizon, but the Jets need to create some pressure and make sure the basic X’s and O’s are sound to start showing some progress.
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