Faria's Focus Week 7: 5 Jets Thoughts After Loss to Dolphins Drops Gang Green to 2-5

There's a lot to take in after another unfortunate loss for New York.

Sports Illustrated's Nick Faria breaks down his biggest takeaways after the Jets disappointingly dropped a winnable game vs. the rival Dolphins in Week 7. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — It isn't even Halloween, yet the Jets' season is effectively over.

Sigh.

Gang Green's struggles reached their pinnacle in Sunday's 28-25 loss to the Dolphins, a team that was 0-5 going into the contest and hadn't even recorded a lead at any point this season. The Jets had a 100-yard rusher, a 100-yard receiver, and a quarterback throw for nearly 300 yards and it wasn't enough.

Bad teams always make mistakes when it matters most. The Jets are a bad team, no matter what they say or the talent on the roster shows.

Jets fans are rightfully furious after a loss such as Sundays. It's time to give my five thoughts moving forward for the organization.

Aaron Glenn's "superpower" isn't what New York wants it to be

Last season, Aaron Glenn got the Jets job because the general consensus believed him to be a culture setter, someone who could hire great coordinators, and could even call plays if needed on defense.

Through a year and a half, where has that gone?

Well, New York is 5-19 with Glenn at the helm, and 0-8 in AFC East play. The Dolphins, a team obviously looking to soft-tank the season, still found a way to beat Gang Green's improved roster. No matter what Glenn has said, it's hard to build a culture with results like that.

As for hiring coordinators, the Jets repeatedly struggle to get the ball to start wideout Garrett Wilson—a fact that has left their head coach and quarterback flummoxed when asked about it on Sunday.

"I think we all can do a better job of finding ways to get him more targets and more touches," Geno Smith said. "But again, the ball has to go where it goes based on the coverage, and hats off to them for the game plan they had."

Offensive coordinator Frank Reich's inability to scheme up touches for Wilson has left fans frustrated beyond belief. It also didn't help that when Wilson was open, the quarterback didn't get him the ball either. In both cases, Glenn has taken the mantle of blame for that.

I’m going to put that on myself, of him not getting the targets that he needs. Because trust me, that’s in the game plan, to make sure that he gets the ball. So, we have to do everything we can to make sure we do that.

Aaron Glenn, Jets HC

The numbers are what they are, though. New York has found big plays in their offense, but has struggled to find consistency throughout a game. That is a play-calling failure and, in turn, a failure of the head coach as he struggles to find someone to run his offense.

Then there are his own play-calling issues. New York went into Sunday against a Dolphins team hoping to secure a top pick this year in the 2027 draft to get a quarterback. Instead, the Jets defense was shelled by Miami, giving up 156 yards on the ground and failing to record a turnover.

Glenn's play-calling "superpower" was nonexistent on Sunday.

That leads us to the reality of where the Jets are. Glenn's superpower isn't what New York wants it to be. Unfortunately, any superpower starts and ends with his inability to turn the ship around. It's not exactly hard to picture this team entering a new coaching search after this season is over.

Braelon Allen deserves RB1 reps moving forward

If you told me at the beginning of the season that a Jets star was going to be "Wally Pipp'd," my first guess would have been that something happened to Geno Smith. I could never have predicted Braelon Allen would become the most productive running back the Jets have seen so far this year.

Allen ran 17 times for 104 yards on the ground while gaining over six yards per carry. He also added six catches for 30 yards during the game while leading all pass catchers in targets. We've already talked about how insane that is with Wilson on the team, but still. This season, Allen has rushed for 418 yards on 91 carries. That's a projected 1,000-yard season and a healthy 4.6-yard-per-carry average.

Breece Hall has been a star for the Jets offense for years now, but the writing is on the wall. As the second-round running back works his way back from an injury suffered in Week 3, the Jets have no other choice to make. They need to split carries or even feature Allen more when Hall is 100%.

For those who don't remember, Wally Pipp was the Yankees' first baseman who got a headache and sat out a game for Lou Gehrig. Pipp never got his job back and watched as Gehrig became one of the greatest baseball players of all time.

Allen is probably not going to be a superstar like Gehrig, but it's clear he's earned a starting role for the Jets ahead of Hall.

Omar Cooper Jr.'s performance can re-write offensive gameplan

The Jets had a really bad day yesterday. No one is going to dispute that. However, the team should feel great about their future.

And a first-round rookie's performance remains a big reason why.

When the Jets inevitably draft a future rookie quarterback in 2027, they'll do so knowing they have a collection of receivers who can get the most out of the young signal-caller right away. Garrett Wilson is an obvious star, but Omar Cooper Jr.'s performance over the last two weeks has been one for the record books.

Cooper caught six passes for 115 yards and a touchdown (h/t NFL) on Sunday, including two passes that went beyond 50 yards. His work after the catch is a perfect complement to Wilson's pass-catching ability over the middle of the field.

The @nyjets rookie Omar Cooper Jr. finds the end zone for the second-straight week

MIAvsNYJ on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/TqzjdFlxY4

— NFL (@NFL) October 25, 2026

Not many rebuilding teams have two receivers with the ability to record 1,000-yard seasons on their own. It's obvious, though, that the Jets are in a great place with their offensive talent and any rookie should find success early with that.

New York needs a defensive tackle... severely

If you thought the Jets' defensive performance has been bad recently, just wait. It's about to get a whole lot worse.

New York's biggest problem this season has been an inability to stop the run. While many people will point to their edge rushers and their consistent struggles against rushing offenses, the reality is much more alarming.

The Jets don't have the defensive tackles needed to win with this type of alignment they want to run.

Darrell Jackson Jr. is a late-round rookie and has been thrust into the lineup more due to injuries. Harrison Phillips and Jowon Briggs have both struggled mightily so far this season. Then there are the players unable to perform due to injuries. David Onyemata has been effectively lost for the season and T'Vondre Sweat left Sunday's game with a knee injury.

So where does that leave New York? With a massive gap in the middle of the field and a defensive tackle room that is one of the worst in the NFL.

Until this position group gets fixed, the Jets' defense will continue to get gashed by their opponents. In their last two games combined, the front seven has given up 304 yards rushing.

It's also going to get a lot worse moving forward.

Get your coaching predictions and mock drafts

We've already touched on how much Glenn has failed as Jets head coach, but I think it's also obvious to point out that the team is going to inevitably move on from this staff after this season. It's hard to envision a path in which the Jets somehow win six of their final nine contests.

That leaves the Jets in familiar territory: at the outset of another head coaching search and looking through mock drafts to see who could end up with Gang Green in 2027.

Another potentially lost season could have Jets GM Darren Mougey already thinking about the future. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

There are a lot of lessons to learn from Glenn's failings over the last two seasons. The chief point, though, must be that the organization desperately needs to find an offensive-minded head coach with experience in developing young quarterbacks. Gone are the days when the team should hire "culture-setters" because they "know what it takes to succeed."

New York needs fresh ideas.

Coaches who understand the modern NFL are about out-scheming an opponent rather thanf someone who can keep a locker room together. They need someone who can control an offense and overwhelm the opposition on that end, not someone who coaches with the sole idea of building through the defense.

If Glenn's failings are going to teach the Jets anything it's this: offense breeds wins. Wins breed culture.

Not the other way around.

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