Something has to change. The Jets are 0-6, the only winless team in the NFL after a 13-11 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday in London, UK. Many Jets fans probably found it difficult to digest their breakfast watching their team lose another winnable game, which kicked off a little after 9:30 a.m.EST.
The 4-2 Broncos, tied for first place in the AFC West with the Los Angeles Chargers, were ripe for the Jets to snatch their first victory of the season. Denver managed just 246 total yards across 12 drives. Its defense, ranked second in the league at 254.2 yards allowed per game and only six touchdowns surrendered all year, held firm as expected.
But — and don’t wipe the lens of your glasses or rinse your contact lenses thinking you aren’t seeing these numbers clearly —- the Jets offense unfathomably generated 82 total yards on 12 yards and was minus-10 passing. Yes, no passing yards. A negative with quarterback Justin Fields on the controls.
So the heated exchange between Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson and head coach Aaron Glenn on the sideline before halftime was understandable. It occurred after the Jets let the clock run out instead of attempting a play, obvious and inexcusable mismanagement by both players and coaches.
“I just didn’t know exactly what the plan was. Once I figured it out, I was disappointed. I’ll just say that,” said Wilson, who hyperextended his knee on Sunday and will now be out for the next few weeks.
“We were waiting for a Hail Mary or something, and then the clock ran out,” a perplexed Broncos head coach Sean Payton said. ”That was surprising. That was unusual.”
Nearly all of the rightful scrutiny for the Jets’ negligence has been directed at Fields and Glenn. It is common for the QB and head coach, the most prominent figures of virtually every NFL franchise, to be the recipients of most of the credit for success and the bulk of the blame for failure.
Glenn is in his first season as a NFL head coach, hired by team owner Robert “Woody” Johnson, who also brought on first time general manager Darren Mougey, to reconstruct a team that has missed the playoffs 14 straight seasons. Fifteen in a row is a certainty. Heading into this week’s game at home at MetLife Stadium (1 p.m.) versus the 3-3 Carolina Panthers, Glenn’s job security is already being debated in today’s public square that is social media and on traditional media platforms.
It would shortsighted and premature to fire Glenn after this season regardless of the Jets’ record. Yes, it is conceivable they can finish 0-17. But Glenn should be given another year minimum to put his imprint on the program. He needs a capable quarterback, the most consequential position in all of sports, to direct the offense and be a force multiplier instead of the burden Fields stunningly has become.