Biggest Decision Aaron Glenn Got Wrong vs. Chiefs (And What Needs to Change in Week 10)

Some execution issues on both sides of the ball proved costly in the Week 9 loss to the Chiefs.

Week 9 was another game that revealed another issue that Jets head coach Aaron Glenn must address before it's too late. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Even though they scored on each of their first three possessions on Sunday, the Jets put together another blunder in a 35-12 loss to the Chiefs that produced their fourth consecutive loss and dropped their record to 2-7 this season.

Even though there were still some concerns on the injury report coming in with WR1 Garrett Wilson (concussion) sidelined, RB1 Breece Hall returned from a five-week absence due to a quad injury and rookie David Bailey (groin) responded from his one-game absence with a vengeance by recording nine tackles (five solo), two sacks and two forced fumbles, including this one on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the second quarter (h/t SNY Jets).

David Bailey forces the fumble and the Jets recover!

Patrick Mahomes walked off the field in pain after the hit pic.twitter.com/NQaGRnyR2N

— SNY Jets (@snyjets) November 8, 2026

Despite the strong first half from the run game and the efficiency that kicker Jason Sanders continues to display after going 4-of-5 and scoring all 12 of Gang Green's points on Sunday, the Jets were unable to keep pace for the duration of the game as head coach Andy Reid and the Chiefs adjusted accordingly and blew the game open in the second half.

While Sanders deserves some credit for keeping the Jets afloat in the game, head coach Aaron Glenn relied too much on him, as he appeared more intent on not losing the game instead of making the aggressive plays to win it. The Jets ran 44 plays to just 25 from Kansas City in the opening half of Sunday's game, only to settle for five field goals and commit a fumble on the first play of their fourth drive.

The decision by Glenn and offensive coordinator Frank Reich to kick field goals instead of putting the ball in QB Geno Smith's hands to make a play kept them from making the explosive ones needed to compete with the Chiefs.

Combine that with the undisciplined play in the second half, and it is clear why the Jets ended up getting blown out.

Lack of red-zone aggressiveness, poor second-half execution continue to plague Aaron Glenn

Sure, Reich is the one running this offense, but he and Glenn have got to do a better job collectively of making some on-the-spot decisions to be more aggressive when the opportunity arises. After all, the Jets marched down the field on a 14-play, 64-yard drive that took more than eight minutes off the clock on their opening drive, only to get down to goal-to-go territory and settle for the chip-shot field goal.

Granted, you can't argue with taking the points on a fourth-and-14 or a fourth-and-15 later in the half, but there was no reason to take the conservative approach from just five yards out in a game they were not expected to win anyway.

The same could also apply to the drive immediately following the forced fumble from the defense when the offense went three-and-out and took the points on a fourth-and-6 from the 30-yard-line. They also elected to kick a 54-yarder prior to the two-minute warning instead of going for it on a fourth-and-seven at the 36-yard-line.

As great as it is to see more success from K Jason Sanders, the Jets should try being more aggressive. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Yes, Sanders capitalized on those opportunities and only missed one of his five attempts, but you would certainly like to see the Jets get aggressive in those spots and play to win the game, especially considering the direction their season continues to head. Nonetheless, the second half ensued and that lack of aggressiveness came back to bite this coaching staff.

After going 64 yards on their opening drive alone, the Jets only mustered a combined 46 yards of total offense in the second half and had no answers for what the Chiefs threw at them. The lack of adjustments to account for that forced the offense to abandon the run game and become more one-dimensional as the game started to slip away.

"It’s disappointing, the only thing we can do is go back to work and try to figure out how can I, as the head coach, get us to play two halves at a high level and not have a lull at any part of the game," Glenn said, per Jets on SI's Nick Faria. "That’s something I’ll think long and hard about to make sure I get that done. A lot of thinking to do. A lot of thinking to do. Just look forward to getting back to work."

What Aaron Glenn needs to do in Week 10 and beyond

As the Jets return home to MetLife Stadium to face the Bills in another divisional game on Sunday, another stiff test awaits against the league's highest-scoring offense (33.3 ppg). Considering the issues the Jets have had getting off the field and Glenn's 0-8 record against AFC East opponents, it is hard to envision anything close to a win taking place.

From the third-down struggles (2-of-12), red-zone issues and lack of protection with five sacks allowed, to the inability to get off the field defensively and the nine penalties for 57 yards, there were too many mistakes from this Jets team to have any business beating the Chiefs.

The Jets have a long way to go before they can be taken seriously as a competitive team. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As the attention shifts to the Bills, the penalties have to be corrected, the red-zone aggressiveness needs to be dialed up and the efficiency on both sides of the ball must be cleaned up in order for the drives to be sustained offensively and for the defense to get off the field in third-down situations.

If the Jets are going to have any chance against Buffalo, there has to be better execution and timely coaching adjustments going into the second half. If that is not the case, it could go from bad to worse for a team that may want to just focus its attention on the draft at this point.

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