inside the jets The five players who may hold the key to the Jets’ fortunes By Brian Costello Published Sep. 30, 2026, 6:40 a.m. ET Will McDonald IV sacks Titans quarterback Cam Ward during the Jets' Week 1 win on Sept. 13, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect The Jets are off to a 1-2 start, and there is plenty of debate about how to view it.
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The glass-half-full crowd points out that the two losses have been close and the Jets have been competitive in every game. There are reasons to believe the offense is better than it’s been in years, and the defense held up well before the second half in Detroit, when Jahmyr Gibbs took over the game.
The glass-half-empty crowd looks at the losses as two winnable games that the Jets let slip away. Aaron Glenn is now 4-16 as a head coach, and there are questions about his ability to do the job. The Jets are now taking on some injuries, and they still have to prove they can beat opponents they are not expected to beat.
I can see both sides. I think the story of the 2026 Jets really will be written over the next five weeks, when they play the Bears, Browns, Patriots, Dolphins and Raiders. You can make a case the Jets can win all of those games. I don’t think that is happening, but you can certainly make the case. No matter how things play out, we’ll know plenty about these Jets after that five-game stretch.
