The Denver Broncos defense has been playing some lights-out football lately, and yesterday in London they just may have turned out the lights on coach Aaron Glenn’s brief career "leading" the New York Jets.
That may sound like a stretch or a hot take, but the aftermath of yesterday’s 13-11 Denver win makes you wonder. The Jets offense was inept for most of the game, and afterward a reporter had the temerity to ask about a possible quarterback change after New York QB Justin Fields ended up with a net total of -10 passing yards for the day.
"What kind of question is that?" Glenn said in an ESPN story by Rich Cimini after the Jets fell to 0-6 with a 13-11 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
"There are guys that have bad games," the coach added. "That doesn't mean you just bench them. Come on, you know better than that."
Glenn should have known better than to question the question. The reporter was just doing his job, and it was a logical ask given Fields line of 9 for 17 for just 45 yards to go with nine sacks for 55 yards. Fields has had some decent games, but his performance has helped put Glenn on the hot seat that often seems specially designed for Jets coaches.
The back story is special, too. The Jets ran out the clock as the half approached rather than take on the Denver defense, and star receiver and team captain Garrett Wilson let Glenn know he wasn’t happy with the strategy as he walked off the field.
Glenn has been spared most of the heat that comes with a winless start, but waving the white flag before halftime and attacking the media afterward will turn up the temperature a lot.
The Jets defense finally showed up after a players-only meeting on Friday before the game, but as Glenn noted afterward, "The passing game was nonexistent.”
We’ve seen this movie before. Jets owner Woody Johnson doesn’t like to be embarrassed, especially not in London given that he did a stint in England as United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom. Last year Johnson had to deal with an ongoing debacle that featured quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and now the Jets are once again doing Jets things.
The Jets will likely win a game soon with the Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns next up on their schedule, but if they don’t, it’s more than fair to wonder if Glenn becomes a one-and-done coach who doesn’t even make it to the end of the “one.”