Both the Jets and Dolphins will try to keep their season from spiraling on Monday Night Football.
Each team is entering the matchup 0-3 and is starving for a victory.
Monday will mark the first matchup between Jets head coach Aaron Glenn and Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, who both worked as assistant coaches with the Browns in 2014.
“A really good receiver coach at that point,” Glenn said about McDaniel when the two were in Cleveland. “I think he’s a very, very bright individual when it comes to offensive football.
“Obviously, we know what he’s done in the run game when he came from San Francisco, and he was a huge part of helping Kyle [Shanahan] when we were in Cleveland as far as how the offense is going and I don’t see that changing when it comes to how these guys run their offense. They create some issues, and obviously they create issues with the personnel that they have, but the scheme creates issues also and a lot of that has to do with him. We have to be on top of our game, which we will be, and again, we expect to go out there and do well.”
One aspect that could help the Jets this week is the return of quarterback Justin Fields. He missed last weekend’s loss against Tampa Bay due to a concussion he suffered during the fourth quarter of the Jets’ Week 2 loss against the Bills after his head bounced off the turf after a hit by Joey Bosa.
Fields remained in concussion protocol for over a week. However, he fully practiced all week, and Glenn announced that he would play on Saturday.
The Jets hope Fields can return to his play from the first week of the season against the Steelers, rather than his performance against the Bills. Against Pittsburgh, Fields finished 16-of-22 for 218 yards with a touchdown. He also rushed for 48 yards and two scores. Against the Bills, Fields completed just 3-of-11 passes for 27 yards and had a lost fumble.
Through three games, the Jets rank 25th in yards per game (271.7) and 16th in scoring offense (23).
The Jets entered this season wanting to be a run-heavy offense. In Week 1 against the Steelers, they displayed their identity, rushing for 182 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-32 loss. But since then, the Jets have averaged 99.5 yards on the ground.
The Jets also scored just nine points during the first three quarters of the last two games.
“We all in this locker room, feel like we are close,” Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson said. “A few plays we are leaving on the field here and there that got us in this hole of 0-3.
“The reality is that’s where we are, 0-3. We gotta find a way to get over that hump this week and find a way to get on the board.”
Steve Wilks continues to come under fire due to the way the Jets’ defense has performed through three games. After being one of the best defenses in the NFL the previous three seasons, their defense has taken several steps back in 2025.
Gang Green ranks 22nd in yards (340.3) and is tied for 29th in points allowed (31). Entering this season, the Jets returned eight starters from last year’s defense. Hence, the expectation was that the Jets’ defense may have to carry the offense with a new quarterback and new offensive coordinator (Tanner Engstrand) in place.
The Jets’ defensive struggles aren’t related to players learning a new scheme, but rather to them being out of position and consistently missing tackles. They missed 16 tackles in their loss to the Buccaneers, according to Pro Football Focus.
The tackling problem is a surprise because the Jets and Glenn emphasized the area by conducting live tackling drills during practices. The Jets are also one of three teams (Dolphins and Commanders) that have not registered a takeaway this season.
Glenn has expressed that this is not the same old Jets. But fairly or unfairly, many will believe they are until the wins and production improve.
“It’s definitely not the scheme,” Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner said. “Coach Wilks has been doing a great job at setting us up with the perfect game plan for us to go out there and just dominate.
“We just got to execute more and just have fun out there. We just have to make plays, the playmakers gotta make plays, get some turnovers, something to get us going all the way. All it takes is just one play.”
The Jets will avoid their first 0-4 season since 2020, when Adam Gase was the coach. Additionally, Glenn is still seeking his first win as Jets coach. He hopes to avoid joining Gase and Lou Holtz (1976) as the only coaches to begin their Jets tenures with four consecutive losses.
Gang Green is not only hoping to get its season on track with a victory, but to win at Hard Rock Stadium for the first time since 2014. Since Rex Ryan defeated the Dolphins in his final game as coach, the Jets have lost eight straight games in Miami.
Jets wide receiver coach Shawn Jefferson was on the Chargers team that began the 1992 season 0-4 before finishing 11-5 and making the playoffs.
History says teams that start 0-3 make the playoffs 4.2% of the time, while a loss would virtually make it impossible. Since 1990 (when the NFL expanded to a 12-team playoff format), only that Chargers team has made the playoffs after starting 0-4. However, 35 have made the playoffs after starting 1-3.
Jefferson said he has spoken to the Jets players about his time with the Chargers and his experience climbing out of that abyss.
“This game is about attrition,” Jefferson said. “You play this game long enough, something like this will happen to you. It is all about staying in the fight.
“Most people don’t realize their breakthrough because the day before their breakthrough, they check out. We are not doing this and that is not what our brand is about, that’s not what our head coach is about, that’s not what this organization is about.
“We are going to keep pounding and we know it is going to break for us.”
