Jets’ Defense Collapses Again as Critical Tests Against Chiefs and Bills Loom

After ranking first in yardage allowed following two early contests, the Jets defense now feels like a distant memory.

Since then, the unit has faltered badly, highlighted by Sunday’s nightmare collapse against the Raiders. The Jets became just the third franchise in the last 45 years to score on their opening six possessions of a game while still losing, per ESPN.

Their offense wasted a rare 30-point game, and the defense could not stop stars Kirk Cousins and Brock Bowers, allowing four touchdowns—three in the second half alone, plus a special-teams score.

“Defensively, we had to do a lot better job than we did,” coach Aaron Glenn said Monday. “But when you look at this game, and see what it came down to, it was the third-down penalties that you can’t give any offense a second chance to get a drive on, and those things happened to our defense.”

Glenn identified two pivotal third-down penalties that kept the ball alive and helped the Raiders score, but the underlying issues run deeper. Both misplays occurred in the third quarter: Brandon Stephens was flagged for holding on third down against tight end Brock Bowers in the end zone on Las Vegas’ second-half kickoff drive, setting up a later touchdown. Later, Jarvis Brownlee Jr. committed pass interference on third-and-10 against an off-field penalty that kept the Jets on the field, driving the Raiders further. “We will focus on cutting out those critical penalties this week,” Glenn said.

‘You will address it, first off, and then look at the technique part of it,’ Glenn said, ‘see how to fix that so it doesn’t happen on third down, second down, or first down, so if you address that and fix the technique, it gives you a chance to be successful in that position.’

Though the penalties were punishing, they barely tell the whole story. The Jets failed for a second consecutive week without making a tackle, leaving them with just one interception this season—their lone pick in 25 games under Glenn. To counteract momentum shifts, the defense must take the ball away—whether via a punch-out or an interception,” linebacker Demario Davis said. “That creates disruption when the offense builds drives. We just didn’t perform well enough, and that’s something you must acknowledge, fix, and move past.”

In their last six games, the defense has allowed 300 yards in five and yielded 100 yards rushing in four, following a comfortable start that let opponents stay under 200 yards before crashing.

Despite a struggling Raiders running game, the Jets allowed tight end Brock Bowers to catch seven passes for 92 yards and score two touchdowns. In MetLife Stadium, there was little doubt Bowers was the target, yet the Jets failed to devise a way to contain him.

Linebacker Demario Davis added: “I think we aren’t consistent enough with disrupting the quarterback—that’s a major issue. Whether it’s hitting him, occupying passing windows, or forcing incomplete passes, we are better.”

The Jets needed a stop late in the contest but permitted a nine-play Raider drive culminating in a field goal. With just 27 seconds left, the offense required a touchdown to secure the victory. Late-game stops have been a glaring weakness since the previous month’s loss to the Bears; each of those teams managed extended fourth-quarter drives to seal wins.

In addition to general struggles, the Jets are abysmal at situational football. The Raiders were 7-for-11 converting on third down and scored on all four red-zone entries.

Calling the defense himself, coach Aaron Glenn needs to correct these issues urgently. It will be a difficult road ahead, facing Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs this week, followed by Josh Allen and the Bills next week.

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