What lies ahead for the Jets and the future of their second-year head coach Aaron Glenn?
It’s logical to assert that Glenn must start stacking wins to justify a third year at the helm. The Jets’ failings on their own are glaring. But they have become heightened by the promising season the Giants — with whom they share a home stadium — are authoring.
The Jets are 2-5 and descending after a deleterious and inexcusable 28-25 loss to the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium on Sunday that falls squarely on Glenn. Full stop!
Conversely, the Giants, showing mental toughness and resolve a week after they were thoroughly outplayed for three quarters at MetLife by the now 2-5 New Orleans Saints (falling to the Saints 27-34 after being down 10-34), are 4-2-1 and in first place in the NFC East.
They went into Houston this past Sunday and heeded the message of accountability conveyed by their head coach John Harbaugh, playing disciplined and physical, pounding the Texans for 188 yards rushing (including 124 by running back Cam Skattebo), to win 27-21 in overtime. It was redemption for Skattebo, who for all intents and purposes was benched by Harbaugh against the Saints a week following a crushing turnover in overtime at the Washington Commanders’ 24-yard line in the Oct. 11 matchup that ended in a 27-27 tie.
(Note: On Tuesday, the Giants placed running back Tyrone Tracy, who has scored three touchdowns in the last two games, on injured reserve due to a hamstring injury. For now, Skattebo and veteran David Montgomery, who rushed 41 yards on five carries, punctuated by his 30-yard walkoff touchdown in overtime, will do most of the heavy lifting.)
Another top performer on the offensive side of the ball for the Giants was quarterback J.J. McCarthy. The 23-year-old signal caller, making his first start for the Giants with QB1 Jaxson Dart out for the season and QB2 Jameis Winston being sidelined as a result of his volatility, looked the part of a former first-round pick.
The 2024 draft’s No. 10 overall selection by the Minnesota Vikings was traded to the Giants by the Vikings on Sept. 28 for a 2027 fifth-round pick. So far he looks like a steal for the Giants. After passing for 243 yards in the fourth quarter alone versus the Saints after Harbaugh sat Winston in the fourth, McCarthy operated efficiently against the Texans, going 20-28 for 252 yards and most importantly no turnovers.
“It’s just a matter of keep growing and keep building our execution and our ability to do things the right way at a high level. It takes that, it’s a race. It’s a marathon, but a marathon is, I’ve been told, a series of sprints, one after another. That’s really what we’re doing, a series of sprints,” said Harbaugh to the media on Tuesday. The Giants have their bye week and will return on Nov. 8 in Week 9 to play the Eagles in Philadelphia.
As for the Jets, they are at a tipping point. Glenn’s crew already stands four games below the AFC East division-leading 5-1 Buffalo Bills in the loss column and have just a 7% probability to make the playoffs by some predictive models — and an infinitesimal 0.5% probability to win the division. A loss to the 3-4 Las Vegas Raiders this Sunday, who will come into New Jersey having dropped four straight, will set off alarm bells that may compel Jets Owner Robert “Woody” Johnson to silence them by making changes to the coaching staff.
Glenn did not deflect blame for being defeated by a Dolphins squad that was arguably the worst team in the league statistically and empirically entering the game.
“When it comes to this game, highly disappointed, disappointed in myself first and foremost,” Glenn acknowledged. “Coaching, playing, everything that we’re doing, we have to get better. But, the thing is, this is seven games. We still have a number of games left, and that’s how we look at it. We know what’s going to happen from the outside in, we accept that. It is what it is.”
