5 questions with a Jets expert: How have they changed since last year?
· Yahoo Sports
The New England Patriots and New York Jets have trended in different directions since introducing their new head coaches last offseason. Whereas the former made the Super Bowl in 2025 and are again looking like one of the NFL’s better teams as of late, the latter went a combined 5-17 the last two seasons.
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On Sunday, they will cross paths again. Will it be more of the same after the Patriots swept the Jets last year? Or will New York manage an upset?
To find out more about the Patriots’ opponent, we spoke with MacGregor Wells of Pats Pulpit’s sister site Gang Green Nation, the SB Nation community for all things Jets.
1. What’s changed about the Jets’ culture and on-field play in year two of Aaron Glenn? What’s gotten players to seemingly buy in?
Well, you may be asking the wrong guy about culture stuff. I’m not really a big believer in culture. Sure, there are some teams that end up having a toxic culture, but for the most part, I’m a believer in talent. Put together a talented team that isn’t littered with divas and has a decent coaching staff and you’ll usually have a winning team. Put together an untalented team with a bunch of team captain types and you’ll usually have a losing team. The Jets players seem to like Glenn and his coaching staff. They seem to care about winning. But to me the biggest difference between this year’s Jets team and last year’s Jets team is the talent level has been raised considerably. That isn’t to say the Jets have a top of the NFL roster – far from it. But last year’s Jets team was starting a bunch of guys who were practice squad material. With all the additions in free agency and the 2026 NFL draft, the Jets defense has been almost completely overhauled, and the offense has added a competent quarterback, unlike last year’s three headed monster of Justin Fields, a washed up Tyrod Taylor, and practice squad dude Brady Cook. In addition the Jets have added some nice weapons on offense in Omar Cooper and Kenyon Sadiq, and they have Garrett Wilson back after missing all but seven games last year with an injury. Put it all together and last year the Jets were fielding arguably the least talented roster in the NFL. This year the Jets are fielding a roster that is maybe a little below NFL average, but certainly much better than last year’s dreck. To me, that’s the reason the Jets are more competitive this year. I’m not sure culture is that big of a factor.
2. Geno Smith has been one of the league’s most efficient and risk-averse passes in his return to New York, but how much of that has that come at the cost of downfield protection? How do you expect him and Garrett Wilson to challenge the Patriots’ defense?
You kinda nailed the issue on the head here. Geno has yet to throw an interception. As a result the Jets have only lost the turnover battle once in the first five games, a big turnaround from recent Jets turnover-prone teams. That’s a very good thing, but it does come at a cost. Geno is looking for the dumpoff passes more than ever, and foregoing downfield shots. As a result the Jets passing offense can stagnate, with plenty of completions but few chunk plays. Geno has also been holding the ball too long, reluctant to pull the trigger, which has resulted in too many sacks and four Geno fumbles.
As far as how the Jets might attack the Patriots, Christian Gonzalez is apparently going to play, so that will make things difficult for Garrett Wilson. Nonetheless, Wilson is by far the Jets’ best receiver, so I expect to see plenty of Wilson targets. How that battle plays out will go a long way towards determining how much success the Jets have on offense. I expect the Jets to try to move Wilson around the formation to free him from a Gonzalez matchup as much as possible. In general, the Jets would prefer to pound the ball on the ground. Breece Hall is out, so Braelon Allen will be the Jets’ bell cow on the ground in this game. Allen is fresh off his first 100+ yard rushing game in the NFL, and the Jets hope he can repeat that against the Patriots. If Allen is shut down and Wilson can’t get the better of Gonzalez or whoever is on Wilson, this could be a long day for the Jets offense.
3. Can Braelon Allen carry the rushing attack without Breece Hall?
Braelon Allen is a very different back from Breece Hall. Allen is the kind of back who moves the chains and almost always gets positive yards, but he is nowhere close to the chunk play guy that Breece Hall is. Hall is also a much more productive receiver than Allen. Can Allen carry the rushing attack? Sure. He’s coming off a 110 yard rushing game just last week against the Cleveland Browns. In a way Allen better fits the Aaron Glenn ball control mindset, but there’s no denying he is unlikely to give the Jets the kind of big play presence Hall does.
4. What’s allowed David Bailey to be so productive so early and how can he continue to improve? Where do you expect him to line up in crucial moments?
David Bailey is a very physically gifted pass rusher with a lightning quick first step. He is also pretty relentless in pursuit, never giving up on the play. The combination has led to five sacks in five games, but he still has plenty to work on. His technique is still raw and he does not have a plethora of go to moves if he doesn’t quickly beat you around the edge. He is still a developmental player who can be stymied by a tackle with quick feet who can handle Bailey’s speed. Bailey lines up on the edge on almost every down. He sometimes is asked to drop into coverage, which is rarely a good idea. He gives good effort, but he is miscast as a pass defender.
5. There are well-known veterans at all three levels of the Jets’ defense, but who are some under-the-radar defenders Patriots fans should know?
I’ll give you three guys. Dane Belton is a former New York Giants safety who was signed this year in free agency. He spent most of his time with the Giants as a special teams dude, but with the Jets he has been a revelation as a starting safety. He is fast and fundamentally sound. He is a great tackler who wraps up and rarely misses a tackle. He is best used as a heat seeking missile against the run, but he has also held up fairly well against the pass. Belton’s been a really nice addition for the Jets at safety.
On the defensive line the Jets added Kingsley Enagbare, an edge defender from the Detroit Lions, in free agency. Enagbare had a reputation as a strong defender against the run and setting the edge, but not particularly great at rushing the passer. With the Jets he has been surprisingly good in pass rush situations while continuing to do well against the run.
At cornerback, last year’s third round draft pick Azareye’h Thomas had a quiet rookie year last season, starting just five games and not really standing out. This year Thomas has taken over as a starting outside cornerback, and he has held up well, with five passes defended in five games. Thomas also holds his own in run support. Going into this season Jets fans weren’t sure what the team had in Thomas, but he has gradually made many fans believe Thomas could be a long term starter at cornerback.