The New York Jets should have beaten the Green Bay Packers. However, Aaron Glenn made two strategic decisions that backfired.
Aaron Glenn showed on Sunday (9/20) against the Green Bay Packers why so many New York Jets fans wanted him fired after last season.
At the end of regulation, Glenn failed to call a timeout that would've given his offense one last shot to march down the field for a game-winning field goal.
In the end, the Jets wasted their final minute without getting the ball back.
Packers wide receiver Christian Watson was tackled at the Jets' 45-yard line with 1:02 remaining, leaving Green Bay with a fourth-and-5. Glenn, who had two timeouts left, didn't stop the clock.
The Packers wound up taking an intentional delay-of-game penalty. After a 10-second runoff and a timeout by each team, the fourth quarter ended with Green Bay QB Jordan Love being sacked on a Hail Mary play that started with two seconds left.
Even Packers coach Matt LaFleur was perplexed by Glenn's decision.
"Oh yeah, I was [surprised]," LaFleur said. "I was really confused by that, and that's why we called a timeout and tried a Hail Mary."
Glenn defended his strategy, saying, "I think they could have punted the ball and put us in a backed-up situation right there. So that was the reason."
The Jets won the overtime coin toss and decided to take the ball. Most coaches prefer to get the ball last because it provides an informational advantage under the updated overtime rules, allowing them to know exactly what their team needs to win or extend the game.
Glenn said he wanted the ball because "you can really control the clock. You can control exactly how they're going to play offense once you go and score." He wanted to score and put pressure on Green Bay to score, except "it didn't happen the way I planned."
The Jets went three-and-out, with two sacks and a false-start penalty. They punted it to the Packers, who needed only four plays (plus an unnecessary roughness call on nickelback Jarvis Brownlee Jr.) to kick the winning field goal from 26 yards.
Since the NFL changed the overtime rules last season to allow both teams to possess the ball, the Jets became the fifth team to win the overtime coin toss and choose to receive, per ESPN Research. Those teams are 2-3. Eleven of the 16 teams to win the coin toss have chosen to defer. Those teams are 4-6-1.
The Jets should be 2-0. Instead, they are 1-1 thanks to Glenn.
"To to be honest, I'm highly upset," Glenn said. "[It's a] tough way to lose a game. There are a number of things that go through my head that, man, we have to fix. And it's always tough when you feel like you were right there in the thick of it and then you didn't overcome, and you let the other team overcome and win.
"That's tough, but I will say this: This loss is not going to define who we are and what we're about. I will say that. And it's not OK. And our guys are going to take it like that. It's not OK."
