Another Concerning Streak Is Plaguing the Jets After Ending INT Drought

New York has another trend to break. Hopefully, soon.

The Jets may have finally put their interception drought behind them in Week 4, but another concern trend remains. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It never seems to end. Just when the Jets end a season-long drought, another glaring trend rears its ugly head.

Is that the mark of a bad football team? Perhaps, but what is clear is that the organization just can't seem to catch a break. Even if the Jets finally ended a 20-game interception drought dating back to the 2024 season with Minkah Fitzpatrick's INT against the Bears in Week 4 (h/t NFL).

Minkah Fitzpatrick gives the Jets their first INT in 636 pass attempts

NYJvsCHI on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/CQUCl4JVnt

— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2026

Despite all the joy that should come from finally recording an interception last week in Chicago (there wasn't much else to celebrate from that game), New York has had to be reminded of another concerning record.

And this time, it focuses on the offensive side of the ball, and an area Gang Green has struggled mightily in over the last two seasons.

The two-minute offense.

Jets' struggles with two-minute offense has become a trend

Over the last eight games played, the Jets have failed to score a single point in the final four minutes between the first and second halves (h/t ESPN's Rich Cimini). The streak goes all the way back to the end of the 2025 season, in which the Jets were outscored in games by a combined tally of 134 points.

Here's a chance for the Jets to end another drought -- scoring in the final minutes of a half. Eight straight games without pts in the final 4 minutes of the first/second halves. #Jets

— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) October 4, 2026

Gang Green Nation's James Wudi further illustrated how bad New York's two-minute offense has been even before last week's game:

In the 33 halves in which Aaron Glenn’s Jets have had the ball with two minutes left, they have scored only six times. They average less than one point per attempt... They have lost the ball via interception or fumble just as frequently as they’ve scored (6). If we just limit it to this year, the Jets are 0-5. No scores, one fumble. 0% score rate, 0 points per attempt.

James Wudi, Gang Green Nation

Jets head coach Aaron Glenn was clear in his very first training camp. The final two minutes of each half belong to the head coach. His decision about when to use timeouts or challenges ultimately affects how the rest of the offense looks.

And it isn't exactly a good thing that's where the new Jets' drought lies.

Last season, there was an excuse. Brady Cook, an undrafted free agent, was brought in to see what the team had. He wasn't ready for that role as a starting quarterback, and it showed. This year, the Jets upgraded the quarterback room with Geno Smith, and they still can't seem to figure out the two-minute offense.

Geno Smith is the best QB the Jets have had in a while, but even he's struggling with the four-minute offense. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Arguably the most frustrating part about it is that there's no clear person at fault. In some games, like the team's failed two-minute drive in Detroit two weeks ago, the offensive line committed penalties when they could ill afford them.

Others, like against the Packers, the coaching staff not having any timeouts available, severely limited the team's options.

No one person is at fault for the team's current drought. But one thing is clear:

It must end. Immediately.

How can New York end two-minute woes?

If you ask leaders on the Jets roster, the best way to fix their four-minute offense is simple. Grind harder.

"You’ve got to get back to work, and you’ve got to demand it from yourself," Geno Smith said after New York's loss to Chicago. "Got a lot of belief in this team and in this offense as well. We’ve
just got to get into a rhythm, create some momentum, and then get rolling.”

But is it just a matter of "working harder?"

The reality is, New York is not talented enough to make up for mental mistakes or bad play calls. The Jets may get there eventually, but the organization is in the next phase of a rebuild, and that comes with coaching needing to be as important as player execution. When one falters, the whole thing collapses, as evidenced by the team's current drought in key moments of the game.

It is fixable, of course, but the only way it does is if the Jets play the kind of "perfect" football in those moments that eliminates all mistakes in the forefront. It's a tall order, but if the team is going to get to where it wants to be, it's how it must be moving forward.

Get Jets On SI straight to your inbox: sign up for our free newsletter here.