EA: The Jets are figuring out how to win. During their 0-7 start, the Jets lost five one-score games including three contests — 34-32 to Pittsburgh, 29-27 at Tampa Bay and 13-11 to Denver in London — that were decided by 2 points. But they came storming back in the fourth quarter in Cincinnati to cage the Bengals, 39-38, broke open a tie game against the Browns with a 10-point fourth quarter run in a 27-20 win, and then scored 10 points in the final two minutes against the Falcons to claim a thrilling 27-24 triumph. Aaron Glenn’s outfit was also game in consecutive road losses at Baltimore and New England that were closer than the 13-point margins would indicate. The special teams units continue to be elite, the defense is playing a better brand of football despite the departures of two extremely talented players in blockbuster deals and the offense is showing more balance of late with pop in the pass game. DTs Harrison Phillips and Jowon Briggs plus WRs John Metchie III, Adonai Mitchell and Isaiah Williams were all acquired after training camp and they’ve become impactful players for a team that is taking on the personality of its coach. Glenn is tough, disciplined and resourceful and his team — which is getting quality production from the 2025 draft class — is starting to see the fruits of its labor. The next step? Win some division games and that starts Sunday with the Dolphins.
RL: As Aaron Glenn has said, and perhaps I’m paraphrasing, it starts in the trenches. On the defensive side of the line, it was tough to see Quinnen Williams depart via trade, but the players that AG and GM Darren Mougey have brought in look to be strong responses. Harrison Phillips is a rock in the interior, Jowon Briggs could be the steal of the in-season maneuvering, and we haven’t even seen Mazi Smith‘s contributions yet. The edge rushers with Will McDonald IV, Jermaine Johnson, Micheal Clemons, et. al. has great pass-rush promise. Offensively, it was painful to have Alijah Vera-Tuckersidelined right before the season began, but the feisty five that have populated the line — Olu Fashanu, John Simpson, Josh Myers, Joe Tippmann and Armand Membou — are the Jets’ first 5-man OL unit to start together in the first 12 games in the last decade and the only NFL unit to start every game together this season. So the most encouraging twin storylines here are to see the units on both sides of the LOS continue their improvement and maturation on down the stretch and then to get ready to really rumble into 2026.