A miserable December comes to an end for the Jets.
Drake Maye passed for five touchdowns as the Patriots (12-3) eviscerated the Jets (3-12) 42-10 in front of a large contingency of New England fans at MetLife Stadium.
The loss was the Jets fourth in a row and sixth in their last eight games.
There were so many New England fans in the stands on Sunday that Jets players were booed coming onto the field before kickoff. Outside of Jets running back Breece Hall becoming the first running back to record 1,000 yards in a season since Chris Ivory in 2015, Gang Green fans didn’t have much to cheer about as the Patriots performed a masterclass during the first half.
Sunday marked the second game of Chris Harris’ tenure as interim defensive coordinator after the Jets coach fired Steve Wilks following the 48-20 Week 15 loss to the Jaguars. The Jacksonville loss pales in comparison to how badly the Jets’ defense looked against the Patriots.
Not only were Patriot receivers often wide open, but the Jets missed several tackles, allowing 344 yards at halftime. The Jets also couldn’t get consistent pressure on Maye after having just two quarterback hits. He completed 19-of-21 passes for 256 yards and five touchdowns.
When Glenn fired Wilks, he was hoping to see “consistent improvement” during the final weeks of the season. But the Jets defense looks just as bad, if not worse, with Harris in charge. It has allowed 71 points during the last two weeks since the defensive coordinator change. New England also scored a touchdown on their first six possessions of the game.
In just December, the Jets have been outscored 153-46 in their last four games. It was such an embarrassing performance for the Jets defense that Patriots backup Joshua Dobbs relieved Maye with 5:31 remaining in the third quarter. From there, the Patriots were on cruise control with the game well in hand.
As bad as the Jets defense was on Sunday, their offense was just as lifeless.
Brady Cook started his third consecutive game. Tyrod Taylor, who started four games for the Jets this season, was inactive after missing Friday’s practice due to personal reasons. Hendon Hooker, who the Jets elevated from the practice squad, backed up Cook.
During his previous two starts against the Jaguars and Saints, Cook played very much like an undrafted rookie free agent. He averaged 5.4 yards per attempt with one touchdown and six interceptions.
Cook’s struggles continued after finishing 6 of 11 for 47 yards and an interception. Hall did have 112 yards on the ground and one touchdown, with most of that coming on his 59-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
The Jets’ best passing play of the game might have come from their punter, Austin McNamara, after he completed a three-yard pass on a fake punt in the third quarter, down 35-3. They tried another fake punt on the same drive, but the Patriots stopped Isaiah Davis and forced a turnover on downs.
Obviously, at this juncture of the season, the Jets are playing for draft position after starting Cook for the third straight week. But they didn’t look like a team that was tanking. The Jets looked like a team that was ready for vacation after, and maybe had tuned their coach out. Well, perhaps not Jets right tackle Armand Membou, who had to be restrained by the coaching staff after he ripped off his own helmet and yelled towards one of the Patriots players.
It appears Glenn will return as Jets coach in 2026. The Jets likely wouldn’t have traded both Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams at the trade deadline without some assurance that Glenn would be back as coach next season.
However, this can’t be how Glenn envisioned the season ending for the Jets. They have been outclassed by three teams (Jacksonville, New Orleans, and New England), all of which have first-year coaches. Two of those teams will make the playoffs, and the Jets will sit at home for the 15th consecutive season, which is the longest postseason drought in North American sports.
The Jets will have their final game of the 2025 season next week on the road against the Bills. The date and time of the game are still to be determined.
