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Some people are criticizing coach Aaron Glenn for some of his game management in the Jets’ loss to Green Bay, and perhaps they have some valid points, but this game never should have come down to us having to put this kind of minutiae under the microscope.
The only thing I will say about the team’s decision to take the ball in overtime instead of kicking is the suspect narrative that they didn’t want to give the ball to the Packers offense first because of their reputation as a great offense, which Glenn called “powerful.”
You could argue that while they have been a “powerful offense” the last couple of seasons, they weren’t in this game, after losing two starting offensive linemen in the first half and a star receiver on the first series. And their star running back, Josh Jacobs, one of the best backs in the league, is currently suspended.
So, no, in overtime, they were not a “powerful offense,” so it would have been okay to kick off to them.
But, getting back to my initial point, we should not even be in the position to have put some of Glenn’s game management decisions in the spotlight, because the game should not have even been that close, let alone go to overtime.
The biggest enigma about the game is why the Jets offensive line had such a rough time with a Packers front being held together by baling wire and duct tape due to myriad injuries.
This offensive line was coming off a dominating performance in a win in Tennessee, where they effectively blocked a D-Line featuring Jeffrey Simmons, John Franklin-Myers, and Jermaine Johnson. However, this week, they are giving up big plays to journeymen like Jonathan Ford and mid-rounders like Dani Dennis-Sutton and Barryn Sorrell?
And making edge Lucas Van Ness, who some in Green Bay considered a bust, look like JJ Watt?
Glenn was asked about what went wrong on that huge 4th-and-1 stop by the Packers at midfield with two minutes left in a 17-17 game.
“Just have to give hats off to those guys, they made a play,” Glenn said. “I think (Lukas) Van Ness actually crashed down and ended up closing the door. I think those other guys had stunt moves, where they actually went outside, ended up taking the gaps away on that. I got to give credit to those guys; those guys did a pretty good job there.”
Like I mentioned last night in the post-game Whispers, you could argue the Jets went overboard giving the Packers credit after this game, like they just lost to a great team. Look, they should not have taken any credit away from the Packers’ performance public. Of course not. But the level of praise for that Packers team, considering their current state, was a little disproportionate.
The Packers are ravaged by injuries and a huge suspension right now. They are a very, very average team right now. They were coming off an embarrassing loss in Minnesota to a team playing a backup QB after their starter got hurt early.
With all due respect to Glenn, why are we praising the Packers so much regarding that missed fourth-and-one?
Why are we giving the Packers so much credit there, instead of wondering why the Jets didn’t block it better?
Yes, Van Ness went inside Jeremy Ruckert to make the tackle, but why did the tight end, who is usually a very good blocker, let him inside of him?
Yes, they did a good job with stunts in this game, but why didn’t center Josh Myers do a better job blocking Ford on this play? Ford, who is in his fourth year, and spent a lot of time on practice squads, beat Myers inside, helping to blow out the run, and Van Ness made the tackle.
So maybe we need to pull back on the high praise for the Packers’ front seven from this game, and wonder why the Jets didn’t block better on “some plays.”
You have to say “some plays” because there was a lot of good blocking, plenty of plays where Geno Smith had quality time to throw, and some plays where there was good run blocking.
But the line (and other key blockers), broke down in some key moments, and it impacted the outcome of the game.
It looked like the Packers had a good feel for Myers, who was their center for four years (2022-25), and dialed up some things they thought perhaps would give him some issues.
Also, perhaps there were a lot of unscouted looks on stunts and twists that were not on film yet this season. Unscouted looks can be a big problem for opponents early in the season.
But the bottom line is, the Jets’ front should have fared better against a Packers front without Micah Parsons and Javon Hargrave (and Warren Brinson to a small degree).
September 21, 2026
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