The New York Jets coughed up a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter against the Green Bay Packers, spiraling to a heartbreaking 20-17 overtime defeat. Ouch. This one definitely stings, especially when you’re thinking about a 2-0 start to the season, which hasn’t happened for the Jets since 2015. But guess what? Head coach Aaron Glenn isn’t sweating his late-game decisions one bit, despite how things went sideways.
Glenn Doubles Down on Late-Game Gambles
Look, after a loss like that, most coaches would be locked in a dark room, replaying every snap. Not Glenn. He came out Monday and was absolutely resolute, sticking by his choices. “We have to make sure we can close the door and finish those types of games,” Glenn said. “That’s something I have to make sure that I get our team into a position to be able to do that. And I understand that. I take that and it’s something I would never run from.” Strong words, but some of those fourth quarter calls absolutely backfired, and honestly, they look like they killed the Jets’ chances at that sweet 2-0 start.
Fourth Quarter Follies and Overtime Heartbreak
Let’s talk about the crunch time. Game tied at 17, 1:20 left, Jets facing a fourth-and-1 from the 50. Glenn went for it. Braelon Allen got stuffed, no gain, turnover on downs. Packers got killer field position and time. Glenn’s take? “Man, we were going to try to win the game. Listen, I do not regret that decision, not one bit.” Then, with Green Bay facing fourth-and-5 from the Jets 45 with 1:05 left after a Christian Watson tackle, Glenn had two timeouts in his pocket and chose not to use them. The Packers just let the clock bleed out, got hit with a delay of game penalty, a 10-second runoff, and *then* called a timeout for a Hail Mary try with only two seconds left. Glenn finally called his timeout, the defense sacked Jordan Love, and it went to overtime. Glenn said he and his staff discussed these scenarios and that he felt playing for overtime was the right move, fearing the Packers could use their own timeouts to drive if the Jets punted and got pinned deep. “We actually wanted to play for overtime when it came to that,” he explained. But when they got there, the Jets won the toss, took the ball, did nothing on offense, and punted. Green Bay then marched down for the winning field goal. Brutal.
Glenn did reflect on the clock hitting 11 seconds in the fourth, admitting he “could have easily called a timeout there and forced a punt.” But he doesn’t think one play sealed their fate, pointing to other moments like a fourth-and-1 from the Packers 9 earlier in the game. They tried to draw the defense offside, took a delay of game, and settled for a field goal to go up 17-7. Glenn said he was “willing to go up two scores just with the way the defense was playing at that time.” This loss, though, feels like a massive missed opportunity. Can Glenn get his team to finish strong after this kind of gut punch? That’s what we’ll be watching for next week.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
Leave a Reply