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4 Jets Duds & 4 Studs in Sunday's Blowout Loss to Bills: Glenn Sinks Lower Despite Bailey's Standout Effort

Another loss, another group of Jets who stood our for the right and wrong reasons.
Nick Faria|
To the surprise of few, head coach Aaron Glenn finds himself back on the latest Jets studs-and-duds list following Sunday's loss to the rival Bills.
To the surprise of few, head coach Aaron Glenn finds himself back on the latest Jets studs-and-duds list following Sunday's loss to the rival Bills. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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New York Jets

The numbers keep getting worse. At this point, there's very little left to save the Jets or their head coach.

New York fought hard for three and a half quarters against their AFC East rivals, but made similar mistakes as in the last few weeks and ultimately were blown out by the Bills 31-12. They have gone two games without scoring an offensive touchdown and haven't won an AFC East game in three years.

The numbers are what they are.

As always we have plenty of studs and duds to break down from Sunday's loss. Let's go through it now.

Stud: The usual stars

New York got what they needed from their stars on offense. Breece Hall recorded 100 yards from scrimmage, including 67 yards receiving. He finished second on the team in that category behind Garrett Wilson, who added seven receptions for 106 yards. Throw in another five yards per carry average from Braelon Allen, and the Jets offense remains solid when it comes to the talent on offense.

The Jets have a collection of talented pieces on offense that will make finding a quality quarterback next season easy for them. They appreciate the 1-2 punch at running back they have with Allen and Hall. They also like the fact that their receiving room is deep.

New York's stars showed up on Sunday. The frustrating part is that few others did, especially their coaching staff.

Dud: Aaron Glenn

If you feel that the Jets have played the same football game in each of the last two months, you aren't wrong. New York has battled hard through the first half of each game they have played this season, only to be outschemed and outcoached in the second half.

On Sunday, the Jets were down 10-6 at the half. They had kept the Bills' offense in check for most of the afternoon. Then in the second half, they were outscored 21-6. New York was comfortable trading field goals for touchdowns and was burned throughout.

The loss moves Jets head coach Aaron Glenn to 5-22 in his career and 0-9 in the AFC East. By the time his tenure is over at the end of the year, he will go down as one of the worst winning percentages not just in team history, but in NFL history as well.

The biggest example of that came in the fourth quarter. The Jets were down 12 late, but the offense was moving well inside Bills territory. The Jets opted for a hook-and-ladder play that Wilson missed the lateral player by two yards. Buffalo picked up the fumble and, on the next offensive play, scored ona 74-yard touchdown run.

Glenn's time with the Jets is ending soon. And that two play sequence tells the whole story as to why.

Stud: David Bailey

The Jets didn't get much pressure on Josh Allen throughout the game. Bailey's performance today should be listed as "average" and nothing more.

However, he continues to find ways to make high-impact plays. In Sunday's loss, Bailey recorded two pass deflections early in the contest, highlighting his ability to read what the quarterback wants to do outside of the pocket. On one of the deflections, he seemed in play to even pick the pass off but ended up dropping the pass (h/t Glenn Naughton).

No edge rusher is working on ball drills in practice. But there's still a lot to like about what the second overall pick is putting out on the field.

Dud: Jets' injuries

Going into the game, the Jets were throwing out their full collection of offensive talent for the first time since Week 1.

By the end of the first quarter, though, they had lost Omar Cooper Jr. and Dylan Parham. By halftime, Geno Smith had entered concussion protocol. New York lost several starters across both sides of the ball in Sunday's loss, but it's uncanny that in the first game, all their starters are set to play together, they get nothing more than a single play or drive.

It's another microcosm of the team's poor season.

Stud: AZ Thomas

New York's defense is devoid of many star performers. They also lack just pure starters at this point.

Some of that conversation, though, changes with the play of second-year cornerback AZ Thomas. The Florida State cornerback has been solid through his first full year as a starter. His best play came in Sunday's loss when he leaped over a Bills receiver on a deep throw to pick off a Josh Allen pass.

Thomas got banged up after the play, but it was the kind of athletic showing that provides New York hope that their former third-round pick can be another starter for the team.

And that the outlook for the defense's future is far better than anyone may admit.

Dud: Officiating

Today highlighted the inconsistencies of officiating when it comes to the Jets. This isn't to say that the refs cost the Jets a game, but one can be critical of the officiating and still understand they had no impact on the game itself.

The biggest play in question came before the first half when Buffalo injured Smith, when a defender launched himself into Smith up high while another defender went low. "High-low" penalties don't exist on tackles, but targeting and unnecessary roughness penalties do exist, and that should have been called.

Here's the play in question:

And here is Glenn's response, clearly highlighting that the call would have been different if Allen were the player who got hit.

Glenn is absolutely right. There's a double standard in how referees call penalties against them and other teams.

Stud: Jason Sanders

New York has gone nine straight quarters without scoring an offensive touchdown. You'd think that would be impossible with how much talent the collective unit has. Alas, that is the current situation.

Thank god for Jason Sanders.

The Jets' kicker was 4-for-4 again on kicks today and has moved to 21-for-24 on the season. He's been one of the few bright spots this season for New York's special teams and remains a player the team should consider keeping around beyond 2026.

Dud: Jets' run defense

Stop me if you've heard this before, but the Jets' run defense remains one of the worst in the league. Buffalo recorded 201 yards on the ground and over six yards per carry. James Cook ran for over 150 yards and a touchdown during the game as well.

There are many reasons for this, of course. New York's linebackers are a major hindrance to the team's success at this point. Demario Davis and Jamien Sherwood collectively have been poor over the last several weeks and were washed out on several runs on Sunday.

Making matters worse, the team also didn't get much production at all from their defensive tackles. This defense simply isn't good enough, and everyone knows they can be beaten by running the ball.

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Nick Faria
NICK FARIA

Nick covers the NFL for Sports Illustrated/FN. He was previously on the New York Jets' beat for AM New York with prior experience reporting on the New York Islanders and the Philadelphia Eagles. The New York City resident is also an Adjunct Professor at LIU Brooklyn.

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