Jets Week 3 Awards: 10 Winners After Frustrating Loss to Lions (Aaron Glenn, Kenyon Sadiq & More)

Jets fans wanted a more competitive team in 2026. One that could go toe-to-toe with playoff contenders and not slump when they fell behind in games.

They might have that team in 2026, but it's not quite ready yet to be a winner.

The Jets fought back and forth in a road showdown against the Lions on Sunday but couldn't make the necessary plays to win, falling to a 31-24 defeat. New York fell behind by 14 late but battled back to tie the score until a last-minute touchdown from Jahmyr Gibbs and a fumble on the ensuing drive squandered the opportunity for an upset.

Even in defeat, I have 10 awards to give out for New York's latest contest. Let's get to all of those now.

The "Moral Victory" award: Aaron Glenn

The moment head coach Aaron Glenn walked into the podium, he made it abundantly clear:

There were no moral victories to take away from Sunday's loss.

"No one's in that locker room going to take any moral victories," Glenn said. "We know in this league, either you win or you lose."

While Glenn may be right, we also need context for losses such as these. The Jets were without their starting running back, safety, tight end, their best run-defending tackle, and lost their best offensive linemen in the game. Despite all the injuries, they still managed to tie the game late and even had a chance to go in for the tying score.

New York is close, and this is the kind of loss that people should feel better about.

"We're right here. It's this gap that we have to close," Glenn later said. "We're fighting to close that gap and we will. We'll be on the other side of these games. I truly believe that."

The "Certified Freak" award: Kenyon Sadiq

Jets fans were waiting to see what a fully-unleashed Kenyon Sadiq could do for their offense.

He showed it on Sunday.

Sadiq finished with seven receptions and 103 receiving yards while making an incredible diving catch for his first NFL touchdown reception (h/t NFL). While much will be made of the performance of Garrett Wilson, this paragraph is dedicated to Sadiq. He showed exactly why he was the 16th overall pick in the draft.

Kenyon Sadiq's FIRST career TD 👏@NYJvsDET on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/Hi0wg1aL4R
— NFL (@NFL) September 27, 2026

Once the offense gets healthy, he could be a major force for this team moving forward.

"He's a guy that's athletically on a different level than a lot of TEs in this league, & he's extremely intelligent," Glenn said. "We want to continue to get him to grow & continue to get him the ball. We saw what he can do."

The "He's a Grown Man" award: Garrett Wilson

This was the performance that showed New York's top receiver is a top-10 player at his position.

New York didn't have a single receiver they could trust behind Wilson. No one could attack the defense. And yet, despite that reality, Wilson dominated on Sunday to the tune of 10 catches, 107 yards, and a touchdown reception on an insane grab in which he bobbled and caught the pass while being interfered with, tying the game at 24.

Wilson is an unbelievable player. He has been since he arrived on the team in 2022. But this was the game that showed he can carry a group on his own and be the best player on the field. This was a monster game for Wilson.

The "Infirmary" award: Jets' injury report

New York walked into Sunday as a hobbled team. The Jets walk out of today's game in even worse shape.

Here are the positions the team did not have going into Sunday:

Starting Safety
Starting tight end
Best run-stopping defensive tackle
Best kick returner
No. 2 Wide receiver

Here are the players who got hurt in Sunday's loss:

RB Breece Hall
OL Dylan Parham
WR Garrett Wilson

All the credit should go to this team for continuing to fight. But eventually, you run out of bodies. And New York is getting close to that right now. They need to get healthy, and fast.

The "What the heck was that?!" award: Jets' OL

Walking into the season, the Jets offensive line was supposed to be a strength. It looked it against the Titans to open the year.

Now? They have killed the offense in key areas.

Whether it was inopportune penalties or giving up sacks in key moments of the game, the Jets offensive line has been a hindrance in the last two weeks. On Sunday, Josh Myers and Olu Fashanu were the worst players out there. The week before that, it was Armand Membou. Everyone has a part to play here, and the offensive line has done the team no favors. They'll need to bounce back, and quickly.

It's incredibly frustrating. Those are moments where we've got to execute, and we've got to go win the game. We were right there.
Josh Myers, Jets OL

The "Gut-punch" award: Jets defensive line

New York needed a stop. On the ensuing offensive drive, the defensive line had stuffed Detroit on fourth down. All the needed was one more stop.

And they couldn't get it. The Jets were able to get pressure on blitzes but did nothing positive when they just rushed their normal four or five players. Their defensive front was dominated all game by the Lions. They couldn't contain Jahmyr Gibbs, and they struggled with cutback lanes too.

When you can't pressure Jared Goff consistently, he's going to tear you apart. On Sunday, that is exactly what happened.

The "Throw-up" award: Jets' two-minute offense

New York had two chances to put up points in the game with under two minutes to play in both the first half and at the end.

In the first half, the Jets were called for two penalties along the offensive line that sank the drive after crossing midfield. To end the game, New York got into the red zone, but didn't pick up a blitz, and Smith fumbled the ball on a sack.

New York's two-minute offense has been awful all season. Some of it has to do with coaching, some of it because of the players.

Until it gets fixed, this team is going to continue to lose close games.

The "SpongeBob under the heat lamp" award: Jets turnover problems

Do you remember "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004)" when SpongeBob and Patrick are drying out under the heat lamp?

Yeah, that's the Jets defense when it comes to forcing turnovers.

New York's unit has recorded a single turnover this season. They have also gone 20 games without an interception—continuing the longest mark in NFL history. It's almost inexplicable how disappointing the group has been at forcing turnovers since Glenn was hired.

It almost doesn't make sense. But when the team needed one most today, they couldn't get it. And until they do, it feels like this unit will be capped by the talent at hand.

The "Not too shabby" award: Geno Smith

For a majority of the game, it felt like Smith was having a really rough game. The team was too quiet in the passing game early, and it appeared that he missed several targets downfield.

Everything changed in the second half, though.

Smith finished throwing for 321 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and only threw three incomplete passes. Those are numbers you expect from Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes. The fact that it was Smith against a very good team is an excellent sign for the remainder of the year.

Geno Smith (7) throws the ball against the Detroit Lions. — Geno Smith is proving to be the exact quarterback that the Jets need. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"Guys stepped up and played well," Smith said. "There's always a lot of things that we can do better, and most importantly, we need to win these games."

Smith is playing a lot better than anyone really expected of him so far this season.

The "FINALLY!" award: Jets' tight end room

New York has been clamoring for a good tight end room. They might have the best collection of talent they have ever had and Sunday was the first proof of that. New York's trio of tight ends: Sadiq, Jeremy Ruckert, and Jelani Woods, totaled 13 receptions for 164 yards and two touchdowns.

While the offense was focused heavily on what Wilson can do, the tight end room can separate the Jets' offense going forward. They can attack the middle of the field in a way few teams are able to do. They also didn't have Mason Taylor today.

When fully healthy, this could be a really fun offense to watch.

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

Add us as a preferred source on Google