The Jets outgained the Packers 285 yards to 199.
They held the ball for 37:40 compared to Green Bay’s 26:57.
And they won the turnover battle.
With all that going for them, not to mention a 10-point lead with 11:04 to go in the fourth quarter, it would seem almost impossible to lose a game.
But that’s just what the Jets did in a 20-17 overtime loss at MetLife Stadium that featured a whopping 13 penalties for 156 yards by the Jets.
None was more costly than Jarvis Brownlee Jr.’s unnecessary roughness personal foul on Chris Brooks after Brooks’ 15-yard reception in overtime.
Jarvis Brownlee Jr. enters the field against the Green Bay Packers during the first half of the game at MetLife Stadium on September 20, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Getty Images
The play — with the help of the penalty — gave Green Bay the ball on the Jets 22-yard line, and after a 15-yard pass from Jordan Love to Matthew Golden, the Packers were in position for Trey Smack’s game-winning 26-yard field goal.
Brownlee didn’t speak to reporters after the game about his miscue, but Aaron Glenn did.
“It just can’t happen,’’ the head coach said. “I don’t think it’s anything he doesn’t know. It can’t happen. We can’t let our emotions get the best of us in a situation like that because we have to make sure we do what’s right to try to go win the game. That was one of the decisions we didn’t make correctly. I’d say that.”
Safety Andre Cisco said of Brownlee’s penalty, “As an aggressive player, there are going to be aggressive penalties at times. Obviously, it was untimely. But we trust him, and I don’t think we’ll harp on him too much.”
Skyy Moore (23) and Marshawn Lloyd (32) celebrate a field goal against the New York Jets during the second half of the game at MetLife Stadium on September 20, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Getty Images
Brownlee may have been singled out, but he wasn’t alone in helping cost the Jets the game.
“It’s unfortunate,’’ said right guard Joe Tippmann, whose false start in the third quarter nearly stopped a drive. “I was one that had one. You know, those are plays that you wish you had back, stuff that you’ve got to lock into the moment, make sure you’re playing in the moment and that you’re fully there. And it’s just something I wish I had back.”
Those mistakes were among the aspects of the Jets game that Aaron Glenn pointed out after the game.
“The penalties, listen, they were on both sides,’’ Glenn said. “I think we had 13 [and Green Bay] had 14, so, obviously, they were calling it like that.”
To Glenn’s point, the Packers did have more penalties than the Jets, but the Jets finished with 23 more penalty yards.
“I know this,’’ Glenn said. “Next week, we have a number of things we have to fix. And those things I just talked about are some of them.”