Biggest Decision Aaron Glenn Got Wrong vs. Raiders Show What Needs to Change in Week 9

Glenn's lack of defensive adjustments proved costly in the Week 8 loss to the Raiders.

Aaron Glenn can't keep making the same mistakes each week, especially one in particular, if the Jets want to save their season. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Despite getting off to a much quicker start and leading by double digits in the second half, the Jets still found a way to suffer an excruciating 38-33 loss to the Raiders on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

Even with a 100-yard receiver (Adonai Mitchell), a 100-yard rusher (Braelon Allen), more first downs (26-22) and the advantage in total yards (439-333), red-zone struggles, special teams issues and a poor defensive game plan came back to bite Gang Green in a game they will certainly want back.

Granted, rookie edge rusher David Bailey missed his first game with a groin injury, and the defense was without four of its starters overall on the D-line, but that is still no excuse for New York to drop its third straight game, all of which have been by single digits.

The Jets did feast on a Raiders rushing attack that averages the second-fewest yards per game (77.3 ypg), giving up just 95 total yards in the game. While that may have been the case, head coach Aaron Glenn did a poor job making defensive adjustments coming out of the break to ensure his team protected its lead and remained in control of the game.

From consistently leaving smaller corners on Raiders tight end Brock Bowers and allowing him to shred the middle of the field to costly third-down penalties and allowing three consecutive touchdowns out of the locker room, it was a second-half collapse for Glenn behind some more questionable coaching decisions.

Glenn's lack of defensive adjustments lead to blown second-half lead against Raiders

With points on each of their first-half drives, everything appeared to be lining up well for the Jets to have a shot on Sunday. They even answered the Raiders' TD drive to begin the second half with one of their own to stretch the lead back to nine in the third quarter, but that is when the momentum started to shift in favor of Las Vegas.

The Raiders marched down the field on another 10-play, 65-yard drive to get within two and followed up a three-and-out from the Jets offense with a nine-play, 84-yard drive to take the lead early in the fourth quarter. Back-to-back three-and-outs ensued from both sides before the two teams traded field goals on their next two drives and set the stage for one last Jets drive trailing 38-33.

Despite advancing all the way down to the Raiders' 35-yard-line, offensive coordinator Frank Reich made the bizarre decision to go for a Hail Mary with 14 seconds on the clock instead of getting a little closer to the end zone with time to work with. That is when quarterback Geno Smith accounted for the game's only turnover as Jeremy Chinn came down with the toe-tapping interception (h/t The Goal Line Grind) to end the game.

Jeremy Chinn seals the victory for the Raiders and shows off some toe drag swag for the INT off Geno Smith. pic.twitter.com/Eqd8TQpAH4

— The Goal Line Grind (@theGLgrind) November 1, 2026

Glenn has made it clear that play-calling is his "superpower," but it was anything but that in this game and has been for most of the season. The blown lead in the second half was one thing, as was the offense's inability to convert in the red zone (2-of-6) and on third down (4-of-11), but the decision to isolate New York's smaller corners on Bowers proved detrimental.

Between Bowers (seven catches, 92 yards, two TDs) and Michael Mayer (five catches, 53 yards), Glenn failed to find an answer for either of them or make the appropriate adjustments to account for the success they were having. That, in turn, allowed QB Kirk Cousins to establish a rhythm and the Raiders offense to stay on the field, even without a go-to wide receiver on the field.

There is no denying that the 95-yard kickoff return from Dylan Laube was the difference in the game for the Raiders in a five-point outcome, but the Jets still did more than enough offensively to come away with the win. The defense, however, could not put a full game together and could not get the timely stops that were needed to secure the victory.

What Aaron Glenn needs to do in Week 9 and beyond

The Jets hit the road again to take on the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday, and if they want to avoid another frustrating outcome and pull off the upset, Glenn needs to simplify his defensive approach and be willing to adapt to what is happening on the field.

Aaron Glenn can give Jets fans a reason to be optimistic by making the necessary changes against the Chiefs. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

His superpowers failed against the Raiders and it is important that he can get his unit to eliminate the back-breaking penalties and make it tougher on opposing QBs to establish any rhythm. After all, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes always keeps opposing defenses guessing with his versatility and ability to evade pressure in the pocket. Running back Kenneth Walker III, meanwhile, has the third-most rush yards in the league (770) and has been an absolute force in his first season with the franchise.

After giving up a combined 92 points over the last three games, when you include the kickoff return from Sunday's game, Glenn needs to become more flexible with his schemes and disguise some of his coverage, especially if the Jets want to create more red-zone stops after allowing the Raiders to convert all four of their attempts.

There were a lot of positives to take from the Week 8 loss, but if Glenn is going to have his bunch ready to face the challenge the Chiefs will present on Sunday, he has to be willing to make defensive adjustments throughout the game.

If he fails to do that and keeps making questionable decisions with his schemes, it could get ugly this week and moving forward as his time in Gotham continues to run out.

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