Even by the standards of long-suffering New York Jets supporters, Sunday’s 28-25 defeat against the struggling Miami Dolphins felt like a fresh low point.
Miami arrived at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium without a win, yet held off a late Jets rally after racing into a 21-7 halftime lead. Home fans repeatedly booed as New York struggled to keep pace.
Jets quarterback Geno Smith was hardly the main culprit, completing 23 of 30 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns. He did throw one interception, although Miami failed to turn the mistake into points. New York’s offense, led by coordinator Frank Reich, was otherwise productive, rushing for 108 yards on 21 carries. Young receivers Omar Cooper Jr. and Mason Taylor also combined for 10 catches, 177 yards and three touchdowns.
The biggest problems came on defense, where head coach Aaron Glenn and coordinator Brian Duker could not find answers. Miami ran for 156 yards, controlled possession for an additional 10 minutes and even saw inconsistent quarterback Malik Willis throw two touchdown passes.
The Dolphins converted all three of their fourth-down attempts, a perfect record that helped secure their first win of the season. New York’s most damaging lapse came with six seconds remaining in the second quarter, when Willis scrambled for a touchdown. Glenn still had timeouts available but did not use them, effectively denying the Jets a chance to regain possession before halftime.
‘It’s just a matter of when, not if, they fire the coach,’ ESPN host and longtime Jets fan Mike Greenberg wrote on X. ‘They absolutely should.’
Glenn said he understands the fans’ frustration, but defended the direction of the team
Dolphins QB Malik Willis (2) gets outside Jets linebacker David Bailey (31) on a TD run
Glenn was once a popular Jets cornerback during the period when New York fielded one of the NFL’s strongest defenses under head coach Bill Parcells and coordinator Bill Belichick.
The Jets defense has shown flashes this season, but Sunday’s loss intensified calls for Glenn’s dismissal. He is now 0-8 against AFC East opponents and 5-19 overall.
‘Dear New York Jets,’ one angry fan wrote. ‘Do not let Aaron Glenn in the building tomorrow. Loved him as a player, but he cannot coach his way out of a paper bag.’
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Some rival fans responded with sarcasm, writing: ‘Lock up Aaron Glenn long term that guy is tremendous!’
After the game, Glenn acknowledged the supporters’ frustration but continued to defend the team’s direction.
Willis (2) scrambles under pressure from New York Jets’ Kingsley Enagbare, center
Glenn also appeared to acknowledge a game-management error at the end of the first half, when he left all of the Jets’ timeouts unused and did not give his offense another opportunity to score. ‘Maybe we should’ve called our timeouts to get it back, but at that point, we just felt like we were going to stop them and be able to get the ball back.’
Greenberg was not persuaded by that explanation.
‘This answer is inexcusable,’ the veteran ESPN host wrote on X. ‘Game management is the most important part of this job and he is as bad at it as any coach I’ve ever seen. There may not be any point in making the change now, but it’s over, it’s just a matter of when.’
While Glenn faced intense criticism, other fans directed their anger at owner Woody Johnson.
‘Woody Johnson has held #Jets fans hostage for too long,’ podcaster Kyle Becker wrote on X. ‘This #Jets will never be an actual NFL team until he sells it. Time for [Johnson to] do the right thing and put the team up for sale.’
Numerous other supporters echoed the demand to ‘sell the team’ on X after the Jets dropped to 2-5.
New York is back at home next week when the Las Vegas Raiders visit MetLife Stadium.