The Jets have carried over a damaging trend from last season into this one: beating themselves. They led the league in penalties a year ago, averaging 8.06 per game and totaling 137 infractions for 1,134 yards — all three the worst marks in the NFL.
They compounded their excessive penalties by ranking 29th in the 32-team NFL in turnover margin at -1.3. On Monday, in a 27-21 road loss to the Miami Dolphins, the Jets committed three turnovers and were flagged 13 times for 101 yards. The result: an 0-4 start, while generously helping the Dolphins secure their first win of the 2025 regular season.
“Very disappointing, very disappointing,” bemoaned the Jets’ first-year head coach Aaron Glenn after the defeat. There is no way you can win any game with 13 penalties and three turnovers. Giveaways in the form of a fumble by running back Braelon Allen at the Dolphins 1-yard line with 3:06 left in the first quarter with Miami up 3-0 was followed by a fumble by quarterback Justin Fields on 3rd and 5 from the Dolphins 36 yards line with 4:23 remaining in the second quarter trailing 10-0.
Down 10-3 to start the second half, kick returner Isaiah Williams coughed up the rock on the first play of the third quarter and Miami possessed the ball on the Jets 36-yard line. The consequence was a six-play touchdown drive by the Dolphins to take a 17-3 advantage.
The Jets go into Week 5 this Sunday at home at MetLife Stadium versus the Dallas Cowboys (1 p.m.) tied for second in the league with the Minnesota Vikings with seven turnovers (four teams have eight) and at -7 are at the bottom in turnover differential.
The 1-3 Giants’ first win of the season came on Sunday at MetLife versus the previously undefeated Los Angeles Chargers in the highly anticipated starting debut of rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart. But the 21-18 victory was marred by star second-year wide receiver Malik Nabers tearing the ACL in his right knee in the second quarter on a deep pass down the right sideline from Dart. Nabers will be out for the remainder of this season.
“He’s one of our better players. I think one of the better players at his position in the league,” said Giants head coach Brian Daboll regarding Nabers on Monday. “We’ll have a tremendous amount of support for him and his family. That’s obviously a tough loss for our football team, but we’ll regroup, and we’ll get the guys ready to play that are here and be as good as we can be.”
The Giants will play the 0-4 New Orleans Saints on the road this Sunday at 1 p.m.