Jets Suffer Historic Defeat in Air Attack, But Coach Maintains Confidence in Quarterback
In an offensive aerial performance that marked a negative milestone in the history of the New York Jets, quarterback Justin Fields received a vote of confidence from his coach, Aaron Glenn, who questioned a reporter’s question about a possible quarterback change.
“What kind of question is that?” said Glenn after the Jets fell to 0-6 after losing 13-11 against the Denver Broncos at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The coach added: “There are players who have bad games. That doesn’t mean you should bench them. Come on, you know more than that.”
The game was not only bad, but historically bad.
After the game, star receiver Garrett Wilson, who only managed three receptions for 13 yards, questioned the game strategy. To make matters worse, Wilson suffered a knee ligament injury, according to a source. He will undergo an MRI upon returning to New Jersey.
The only winless team in the NFL finished with a net passing yardage record of -10 yards, the worst in almost three decades. The San Diego Chargers recorded -19 yards on September 20, 1998, against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Fields completed 9 of 17 passes for 45 yards and lost 55 yards on nine sacks, resulting in a negative net total. Several factors contributed to the ineffectiveness, including a conservative game plan by offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand and occasional breakdowns in pass protection.
“The passing game was nonexistent,” Glenn said.
Aaron Glenn
Fields was pressured on 14 of 29 pass attempts (48%), according to NFL Next Gen Stats, but much of this was the result of him holding the ball too long in the pocket. At times, he didn’t see open receivers.
This wasn’t a new trend. The previous week, he was sacked five times in a loss against the Dallas Cowboys.
When questioned about Fields’ situation, Glenn said: “I understand where you’re going with this, but listen. There are other players who also need to improve their game, so I don’t want to sit here and blame Justin.”
“You simply can’t sit him and say, ‘Oh, we’re going to bench him,’ because I think he’s played well in other games. So I don’t see it as: ‘Man, he played poorly, we’re going to bench him.’ I don’t see it that way.”
The worst sequence occurred at the end of the first half, when the Jets had a fourth down and one yard on their own 47-yard line and did not run another play despite 32 seconds remaining on the clock. The offense showed no urgency on the play, which consisted of 10 plays, including a successful conversion on a fake punt.
It was disconcerting. A furious Wilson reprimanded Glenn as they left the field at halftime. Glenn excused Wilson’s outburst, attributing it to competitive spirit.
After that, Wilson was still boiling with frustration.
“I just didn’t know exactly what the plan was,” he said, explaining his exchange with Glenn. “Once I found out, I was disappointed. I’ll just say that.”
Wilson also said: “I think we really have to have a ‘We have nothing to lose’ mentality. If that’s how we feel, it has to be obvious. If you’re out there as a player, you should feel: ‘Oh, yeah, let’s go’.
“Even on television, I feel like you guys should see that. As a fan watching the team and the media, you should be able to tell that we’re playing like we have nothing to lose. I don’t think that was evident today. I think that’s where we have to… we’re 0-6. Let it fly. I’ll say that.”
Glenn’s explanation of the failed two-minute drill was questionable. Essentially, he said he didn’t want to give the ball back to the Broncos before halftime, knowing the Jets would receive the kickoff of the second half. Glenn wanted the consecutive possessions, content to go into halftime down 10-6.
“I think the biggest thing is our mindset was not to let them end the half with the ball,” Fields said. “We wanted to end the half with the ball. We were trying to play like that.”
It was one of many curious decisions for the Jets, who fell to 0-6 for only the third time in franchise history. Their longest pass play was 11 yards, and they finished with a net total of 82 yards, the third-lowest in a single game in franchise history.
“It wasn’t good enough, and it starts with me,” Fields said. “I have to get the ball out. They have a good defensive line. They got to the backfield quick. Once you get in that rhythm, you have to go one, two and get out of there.”
Guard John Simpson added: “Not reaching 100 total yards is crazy.”
