Oct 18, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) throws a pass against the New York Jets in the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
Another Sunday gone, and another afternoon of the New York Jets attempting to take some form of consolation from a loss.
Yes, Gang Green could have rolled over after falling behind the New England Patriots 17-3 late in the second quarter, and did well enough to keep things interesting by outscoring them 16-9 in the second half, to the point where a last-gasp onside kick could have given Geno Smith a chance to tie it.
But the fact of the matter is that the Jets are now 2-4 after a 26-19 loss to their division rivals, and some mystifying play-calling in the first half while being dominated in the trenches all afternoon does little to generate many good feelings.
The heat will continue to build on head coach Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Frank Reich, and one can pick out a multitude of reasons why.
Two of the more glaring gaffes, though: On a 2nd-&-10 from the Jets’ 42, Glenn decided to rush three, allowing Patriots quarterback Drake Maye more than enough time to find Romeo Doubs in the end zone for the opening touchdown of the day.
With the Jets driving early in the second quarter of a 7-3 game, and two straight completions of 19 and 16 yards followed by a nine-yard rush by Isaiah Davis to get the ball in New England territory, Reich ran the ball three straight times — the final two out of shotgun sets into loaded boxes on third and fourth down to turn it over on downs.
Early in the fourth quarter and trailing 17-13, the Jets’ defense completely lost tight end Hunter Henry on a 3rd-&-3, allowing him to waltz into the end zone from seven yards out.
The Jets’ defense did not record a single sack against a Patriots offensive line that was missing three of its starters
“It’s tough to explain, to be honest with you,” Glenn said. “I have all the confidence in the world in our front and being able to cause havoc. I give them credit. They did a good job of chipping and thumping our edge guys.”
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye passed for three touchdowns despite completing 18 of 32 passes for 235 yards. It was more than enough to outduel Geno Smith, who went 20-of-30 for 252 yards, one score, and an interception.
His lone touchdown came to rookie receiver Omar Cooper Jr., who was appearing in his first game since Week 1 due to injury, connecting on a 48-yard bomb four-and-a-half minutes into the fourth quarter to make it a 17-10 game.
The Jets’ defense forced a fumble on the ensuing drive to set up a golden chance to tie the game with the ball at the 36-yard line, but Smith was sacked on a 3rd-&-5, forcing a Jason Sanders field goal instead to make it a four-point game.
New England responded with that touchdown to a wide-open Henry, and field goals punctuated the rest of the game.
“On some of the opportunities we had on defense where we could’ve made stops on… and on offense when we didn’t finish drives when we were actually moving the ball, you put that all together, and that’s missed opportunities,” Glenn said. “To be able to fix that, you have to go through practice and dial in those things and do them over and over again.”
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