The New York Jets face a tall task on Sunday, as they host their AFC East division rival, the New England Patriots, in a rematch of their Week 11 27-14 defeat.
The two teams couldn’t be further apart from one another, with the Jets sitting at 3-12 while the Patriots lead the division with a 12-3 record.
To make matters worse for New York, they’re going to be shorthanded for the AFC East showdown.
Head coach Aaron Glenn announced at his Friday press conference that tight end Mason Taylor, edge Will McDonald, defensive tackle Jay Tufele, and linebacker Kiko Mauigoa will be out for the Patriots game, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
An already banged-up Jets squad continues to lose more players, and the tanking allegations are coming in full force.
Aaron Glenn Says Jets Are Focused on Winning
With the season all but over, the New York Jets are in evaluation mode, starting undrafted free agent rookie quarterback Brady Cook over the last few weeks.
While veteran Tyrod Taylor is healthy enough to be the backup, he won’t start the final few games, and some analysts have pointed out that New York seems to be outright tanking.
And while the front office may be interested in improving the team’s draft position to land a quarterback come April’s draft, the coaching staff wants to win, and badly.
At the same press conference where Glenn ruled out key starters, he was asked about keeping an eye on other NFL games this weekend that could impact where the Jets end up picking in the 2026 draft.
“The only thing I’m thinking about is the Patriots right now. Those things handle themselves, and it’s so many different scenarios that go on with that, that as a coach, why waste your time with things like that?” Glenn told reporters.
“I wanna go win this game. The players wanna go win this game. The coaches wanna go win this game. That’s all we’re thinking about.”
While some fans may want to see the Jets continue to lose and land the best draft pick they possibly can, it’s nice to hear that Glenn still has his eyes set on defeating a division rival who has tormented the team over the last quarter-century.
An Undrafted Free Secondary
The position group that has been hit the hardest for the New York Jets has easily been the secondary.
With safeties Andre Cisco and Tony Adams banged up, the Jets have turned to undrafted free agents Dean Clark and Jordan Clark to man their back end.
At cornerback, Azareye’h Thomas is on injured reserve with a shoulder injury, leaving Brandon Stephens and second-year player Qwan’tez Stiggers manning the corner spots.
With the secondary being one of the hardest positions to learn in the NFL, Glenn was asked about the challenges these young defensive backs are facing, considering the head coach once played the position himself.
“All the different looks that you’ll get and just being technically sound on each play and knowing that being technically sound and fundamentally sound are things that help you overcome a lot of issues,” said Glenn.
“Even though mentally, you might know that, as a rookie or somebody young in the secondary, you might think your skill is one that wins all the time, when if you just hone those things and understand what my responsibility is, usually you’ll overcome a lot of issues.”
With the Jets preparing to face an MVP candidate on Sunday in New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, their young DBs will have to play seasoned veterans to give the team a chance to win.
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