The New York Jets stole defeat from the jaws of victory.
How did they blow a 10-point fourth-quarter lead to the Green Bay Packers? ESPN’s Rich Cimini explained on social media:
“They became the first team on record (since 1941) to lose a game with: Holding [an] opponent to less than 200 yds (199), [an] opponent having 100+ penalty yds (133), [and having a] positive turnover margin (+1). Entering today, teams were 44-0 in that spot,” Cimini revealed.
The Jets Did so Much Right Which Makes This More Painful
Gang Green won the turnover battle (+1), dominated the time of possession (37:40 to 26:57), and had fewer penalties than the Packers. It still didn’t matter.
Head coach Aaron Glenn made boneheaded decisions at the end of the first half, at the end of regulation, and his inexplicable overtime decision.
The offensive play calling from Frank Reich was inept, especially in critical situations like third-and-fourth and short. Last year, the Jets had one of the best special teams units in football. This year, it’s anything but.
The Packers ripped off game-changing returns, and the Jets kept shooting themselves in the foot.
It wasn’t all bad for the green and white.
Gang Green finally got Breece Hall back involved in the passing game. He finished with five targets, catching all five for 63 receiving yards.
The Jets defense finished with three sacks: David Bailey, Jowon Briggs, and Kingsley Enagbare all got involved.
Adonai Mitchell hype was real. All throughout the offseason, the coaching staff and players talked about the summer of Mitchell. Through the first two weeks of the regular season, Mitchell continued to make noise.
In Week 2, he finished with 12 targets, catching six receptions for 63 receiving yards.
Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda
The Jets were minutes away from a 2-0 start. It would have been the first 2-0 start by the Jets since 2015.
“Our 10-year study (2016–2025) says Week 2 is where they either bank the fast start or give it back. Teams that get to 2-0 make the playoffs 66.7% of the time — nearly two-thirds, and well clear of the 45.1% that 1-1 teams manage. They also win their division 39.3% of the time and reach the Super Bowl 11.9% of the time. For a club that’s already 1-0, the math is stark: win in Week 2 and that playoff number sits at 66.7%; lose, and it slips to 51.4%,” Jared Kimble of RotoWire wrote.
Instead, the Jets fell to 1-1.
There is no rest for the weary. The Jets will hit the road for back-to-back road games in Weeks 3 and 4. They will face off against the Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears, respectively.
Both of those squads finished last season with a winning record. Garrett Wilson told the media that the team is looking to earn respect. One way they can do it is by defeating quality competition. Both the Lions and Bears would count towards that particular category.
Head coach Aaron Glenn can earn respect by proving he can coach winning football. That has been wildly inconsistent over a year and a half, to put it mildly.
Jets Make Embarrassing History in Brutal Loss to Packers