TAMPA — “Same old Jets” has been a phrase fans have used for years.
But it is one Aaron Glenn is tired of hearing.
Following the Jets’ heartbreaking 29-27 loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday, Glenn pushed back on all the naysayers after the team’s 0-3 start.
“We are not the same team as with everyone saying, ‘same old Jets,’ Glenn said. “These guys are going to fight no matter what the situation is. There’s no give up in them.
“I hate that term. I really don’t know what that term means, but I know this, they are not the same old Jets. These guys are fighters, I love these guys and listen, we know we have work to do.
“I’ve said this before, this is not an instant coffee team. This is a team that’s going to continue to keep stacking until we get to where we need to get to where we can consistently win these games. I like where we are at, but I know we have a lot of work to do.”
Sunday certainly didn’t look like the same old Jets. Well, maybe during the first 45 minutes of game action, perhaps they did.
The Jets’ defense had trouble stopping Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers’ offense after allowing 135 yards and 20 points at the break. Tyrod Taylor, who started for Justin Fields, who was out due to a concussion he suffered against the Bills in Week 2, was also ineffective after completing 10-for-16 passes for 55 yards with an interception and a lost fumble.
When they were down 23-6 entering the fourth quarter, many teams might have just rolled over and accepted their fate.
But during the fourth quarter, Taylor led the Jets back from a 17-point deficit. First, he completed an 11-yard touchdown pass to Garrett Wilson with 10:16 remaining. Then, it was Taylor’s four-yard pass on fourth and goal that cut Tampa Bay’s lead to 26-20 with 3:46 remaining.
The Buccaneers had a chance to extend their lead to 29-20. But Will McDonald IV blocked a Chase McLaughlin 43-yard field goal attempt and then recovered the ball and ran it for a 50-yard touchdown, which gave the Jets a 27-26 lead with 1:49 remaining.
But that was enough time for Mayfield and Tampa Bay’s offense to march down the field and set up McLaughlin’s 36-yard game-winning field goal as time expired.
Taylor finished the game completing 26-of-36 passes with two touchdowns and an interception in the loss.
“It’s tough, it’s frustrating,” Taylor said. “Obviously, as players, you put your cleats and your helmet, shoulder pads, you strap up, day in and day out, to put in the work to go out there and win. You want to see those rewards.
“By no means are moral victories something that we accept in our locker room, but this is a young team and we’re changing in a good way. Although that was a loss today, that was a lot for us to learn from as a team as we continue to keep shifting where this Jets team is going.”
There are no moral victories in the NFL and the Jets are what their record says they are. Gang Green is 0-3 for the third time in six seasons, and Glenn is still searching for his first win as a coach.
Since 1990, only four teams out of 162 have made the postseason after starting a season 0-3. That is only a 2.4% success rate. It is worth noting that no 0-3 team has made the playoffs since the NFL expanded its regular season to 17 games in 2021 and added a seventh playoff team in each conference.
But Glenn knows this is about the long game with the Jets. Many fans have been impatiently waiting for the team to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2010, which is the longest drought in North American sports.
This is about the Jets sustaining success year to year, and Glenn is only three games into his tenure as Jets coach. However, there were times the Jets were severely outcoached during the first 45 minutes of the game, which led to the large deficit.
History says the Jets’ playoff drought will likely extend to 15 seasons after Sunday’s loss. But don’t tell that to the players, who remain confident they can turn the season around beginning against the also winless Dolphins in Week 4.
“It’s the beginning of the season,” Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner said. “Obviously, this is not what we want, this is not what the fans want and it shouldn’t be the case.
“But, we are staying positive about it. We would love for everybody else to stay positive about it. It’s 0-3, we got a lot more games left, and things can change in the snap of a finger, and they start coming in.”
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