Understanding Aaron Glenn's decision-making process: Why Jets really lost to Packers

There has been a lot of noise about Aaron Glenn, his decision-making and the way the New York Jets blew a 10-point lead in Sunday's loss to the Green Bay Packers.

It's a bit … overblown.

There are two truths about what transpired:

• Glenn made a couple of questionable late-game decisions.

• The Jets did not lose the game because of those decisions.

Glenn's game management isn't only Glenn's

It is entirely fair to criticize Glenn for his game-management approach -- an issue last season, too, when he wasn't calling plays for the defense. As for the decisions themselves: He's not making them on an island.

The read I get coming out of the Jets' building is that Glenn is conservative by nature, which is not abnormal for a head coach with a defensive background. So when Glenn meets with his game-management team during the week -- he said they meet for the first time on Thursdays -- that mindset is at the root of those conversations. They meet on Saturday, too, then talk throughout the games.

As for who makes up that group: It's led by game management coordinator Jon Berger and football data scientist Arjun Menon, among others. Berger spent 34 years in the New York Giants organization as a computer coordinator and senior director of football information. He then spent four years in the NFL league office as the vice president of replay before Glenn hired him last year.

Menon, 24, worked at Pro Football Focus before joining the Jets organization as an analytics intern in 2024. He was promoted to analytics assistant in 2025 under Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey and to his current role this past June.

"We talk quite a bit," Glenn said. "That's a huge factor in helping in those decisions, and throughout the week, we make a game plan on how we want to go about things. So, for example -- and I was excited about this operation of when we got the ball with four minutes at the end of the second half -- I told Frank (Reich, the offensive coordinator), I want to hold this ball all the way to the half and I want to try to score so we know we're getting the ball back in the second half. That's a plan that we came up with that we wanted to make sure we do. … We have a number of conversations when it comes to fourth down on how aggressive we want to be, when do we want to be aggressive, so those conversations are always ongoing."

What really cost the Jets on Sunday

Question Glenn's decision-making or thought process all you want, but the reality is the Jets didn't lose because of those decisions. Glenn shouted out some other plays that weighed more heavily on the outcome, such as when the Jets failed to convert on fourth-and-1 at the 50-yard line late in the fourth quarter with Braelon Allen stuffed at the line of scrimmage. Tight end Jeremy Ruckert did a poor job blocking on the play, allowing Lukas Van Ness to blow up the run.

The other he called out: A special-teams unit permitted a 63-yard punt return from Skyy Moore in the fourth quarter, which set up a tying field goal.

Some other moments that were greater contributors to the loss:

• The Jets' failure to adjust to the Packers' defensive line stunts in the running game, rendering that part of their offense useless. Left tackle Olu Fashanu said the Jets knew all week that was the Packers' tendency, and center Josh Myers admitted they still had trouble handling that.

• Punt returner Isaiah Williams muffed two punts.

• The Jets forced five fumbles but recovered only one.

• In the third quarter, Breece Hall gained 43 yards to Green Bay's 40 on a catch-and-run … and then Geno Smith fumbled an attempted toss to Allen, who was expecting a handoff, and lost 10 yards. The Jets didn't score on that drive.

• Azareye'h Thomas was called for a defensive pass interference in the fourth quarter, gifting the Packers 38 yards and setting up a Christian Watson touchdown.

• The offensive line allowed two straight sacks to open overtime.

• The Packers got to the Jets' 37-yard line on a pass to Chris Brooks … and then cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. hit Brooks out of bounds for a devastating 15-yard penalty. Green Bay kicked the winning field goal shortly after.

"We have to make sure we can close the door and finish those types of games, and that's something I have to make sure that I get our team into a position to be able to do that," Glenn said. "I understand that. I take that, and it's something I will never run from."

A thriving defense

It is fair to question Glenn's game management through 19 games as Jets head coach. It is also fair to point out that he probably should've been the team's play caller from the get-go.

The defense looks like a completely different unit, reminiscent of Glenn's best Detroit Lions defenses, overcoming injuries to key players such as Minkah Fitzpatrick and David Onyemata and Joe Ossai without missing a beat.

Statistically, this is one of the NFL's best defenses through two weeks -- and that includes a game against what is supposed to be a high-level Packers offense.

Some stats to highlight how impressive the defense has been:

• First in yards allowed, second in passing defense, second in rushing defense and tied for sixth in scoring defense

• Third in pass-rush win rate, according to ESPN

• First in defensive explosive play rate allowed

• Sixth in sacks per attempt

• Third in defensive DVOA

• Fifth in defensive grade, per Pro Football Focus

The most pleasant surprises have been in the secondary. Thomas looks like the Jets' best cornerback. PFF has him graded ninth among cornerbacks with at least 50 snaps, and he has a pass deflection in each game. He had an impressive tackle for loss on a screen against Green Bay. (Also: I'd expect rookie corner D'Angelo Ponds to be active in Week 3 and wouldn't be surprised if he overtakes Brownlee at nickel in the near future.)

At safety, Dane Belton and Andre Cisco have held up well with Fitzpatrick out. Both Belton and Cisco rank among the top 15 safeties against the run, per PFF, and both have held up well in coverage, too.

Expect nose tackle T'Vondre Sweat to take on a larger role with Onyemata going on injured reserve. Sweat has been impressive in a rotational role, playing 44 percent of the snaps. When he's on the field on running plays (19 snaps), the Jets' defense has a 71.4 percent success rate while allowing 3.7 yards per rush, with 14.3 percent of those rushes going for zero or negative yards, per TruMedia.

When he's off the field (69 snaps), those numbers drop to 60 percent. 4.8 yards per rush and zero percent going for negative or zero yards.

The question is whether the 366-pound Sweat can handle a larger workload. Jowon Briggs will play more, too. He had a good showing against the Packers (two pressures, one sack, one forced fumble).

This week's opponent will be a measuring stick for how good Glenn's defense can be: The Lions are averaging 31 points with elite weapons at running back (Jahmyr Gibbs) and wide receiver (Amon-Ra St. Brown).

The WR room is becoming a major worry

The Jets feel good about the top of their depth chart at wide receiver with Garrett Wilson and Adonai Mitchell -- even if they aren't getting Wilson the ball enough. Wilson has 14 targets through two weeks. That won't cut it.

Isaiah Williams can be perfectly functional as a slot receiver with a limited ceiling.

After that … nothing.

First-round pick Omar Cooper Jr. and veteran Tim Patrick are on injured reserve. Arian Smith (knee) was placed on injured reserve Tuesday. The Jets would prefer not to play him on offense anyway.

That leaves Wilson, Mitchell and Williams as the last men standing. The Jets signed undrafted rookie Malik McClain off the practice squad Tuesday, though he's never played in an NFL game.

Last week, the Jets signed veterans Sterling Shepard and Tyler Johnson to the practice squad. It's reasonable to expect one or both of them to get called up at some point. The Jets also worked out JuJu Smith-Schuster before signing those two.

Shepard has history with quarterback Geno Smith, the two having played together with the Giants in 2017. Shepard, who, historically, has spent most of his time in the slot, had 71 catches for 705 yards and two touchdowns combined over the last two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Johnson appeared in 12 games for the Jets last season, managing only 12 catches for 197 yards and one touchdown in an offense hamstrung by Justin Fields' play.

Suffice to say, a position that looked like a strength before the season is one more injury away from full-on disaster. Expect the Jets to lean heavily on their tight end room -- specifically rookie Kenyon Sadiq, who should have been used more in Week 2 after an impressive Week 1 debut.

Geno Smith needs to ratchet up the aggressiveness

The Jets needed Smith to look more like the 2024 version of himself than the one who struggled with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2025. So far, he's mostly done that.

At this time last year, Smith had four interceptions in two games. He's yet to turn the ball over for the Jets while completing 70.8 percent of his passes for 462 yards and one touchdown. He's shown scrambling ability, too, with 24 yards.

He ranks No. 14 in EPA per dropback, per TruMedia -- and that holds up even when he's blitzed (No. 16) or pressured (No. 12). It helps that the offensive line has mostly kept him clean outside of Sunday's late-game collapse.

One knock: Smith has mostly been risk averse and ranks No. 27 in average air yards per attempt (5.8), though it was rainy against the Packers. Smith has only four deep attempts (thrown 20-plus yards in the air). In 2024, he ranked No. 8 in the NFL in deep attempts.

In the next five weeks, he will have the opportunity to attack four defenses that struggled through the first two weeks (EPA per TruMedia): the Lions (ranked No. 32 in defensive EPA), Chicago Bears (No. 19), Cleveland Browns (No. 23) and Miami Dolphins (No. 27).

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.