Why Aaron Glenn was upset with the Jets' defense at the end of Sunday's win over the Titans
Jets head coach Aaron Glenn speaks following a Week 1 win against the Titans on Sept. 13, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. Credit: AP/John Amis
Aaron Glenn was not satisfied with how the Jets' defense played on Sunday, even though they accomplished some things that they hadn’t done in years in dominating the Tennessee Titans.
The Jets’ coach and defensive play-caller was upset with how the defense ended the game.
“I didn't like the fact that we gave up that touchdown at the end of the game,” Glenn said Monday. “We want to have more of a nail-in-the-coffin type mentality when it comes to that.”
The Jets certainly buried the Titans, beating them 23-10. Glenn wanted the defense to get off the field much sooner on Tennessee’s last drive and believed they should have.
Expectations have been raised this season and Glenn appears to be holding his players more accountable now. It’s about time after the defense showed no fight, no urgency and had breakdowns so often last season.
The Jets’ offense looks like it will be able to put points on the board each week. They have multiple versatile playmakers and a quarterback in Geno Smith who can deliver the ball to them. The Jets should have won by more, but penalties negated a touchdown and cost them field position.
Their 19-play drive that ate up 11:48 in the second quarter was extremely impressive and allowed the defense to catch their collective breath and cool off inside steamy Nissan Stadium. They were only on the field for three plays in the quarter.
“That was probably the first time I've been to part of something like that, to where you were really just a fan for most of the quarter,” cornerback Brandon Stephens said.
The Jets won’t be able to do that every week – or maybe ever again. But dare we say, the offense may not be an issue this season. How the defense plays, Glenn’s defense, will determine whether the Jets will be competitive every week. This was a good first step.
Granted, it came against the Titans. They were a bad offense last season and seemed as if they regressed in their first game with Robert Saleh as head coach and Brian Daboll as the coordinator. Still, you have to credit the Jets for applying the pressure, harassing quarterback Cam Ward and making him uncomfortable.
The Jets had three sacks, five quarterback hits and 16 pressures. They forced seven consecutive punts before the garbage-time touchdown. The 195 total yards allowed and 10 points yielded were the fewest the Jets gave up in a game since 2023.
“We definitely came to play,” Stephens said.
The Jets have to do that and more in Sunday’s home opener against Green Bay — in what should be a loud crowd after this resounding Week 1 win — and the following two weeks. The Jets travel to Detroit and Chicago. The Lions scored 31 on Sunday and the Bears 59.
The Packers lost to Minnesota, but they’re a far better offense than Tennessee. Green Bay is without lead running back Josh Jacobs, who remains on the NFL Commissioner’s Exempt List after pleading no contest to charges of misdemeanor battery and property damage. The Packers still have Jordan Love and some good receivers.
Love threw for 387 yards and two touchdowns against Minnesota, both to Christian Watson, who racked up 147 yards receiving.
The Jets know what’s coming — a lot of pre-snap motion to try to create mismatches and get the defense off balance. The Jets also know the most important thing is how they play.
“It’s about play style,” Glenn said.
Glenn has preached that to his players. He reiterated it on Monday when he praised safety Dane Belton for moving around and playing different positions after Minkah Fitzpatrick left the game early with a groin issue. According to Glenn, Belton understanding the Jets’ play style made that possible, and if Fitzpatrick is forced to miss time, play style can overcome injuries.
Being physical, violent and disruptive and limiting explosive plays are cornerstone principles of Glenn’s defense. The Jets did all of that against the Titans, who didn’t have a play of more than 14 yards.
The players have bought in and are spewing out the same things as they seem to be taking on the personality of their head coach.
“It’s about the style of play,” said linebacker Demario Davis, who didn’t seem too impressed with some of Sunday’s statistics.
Davis added there are certain things the coaches and defensive players want to see pop out on the screen when they watch tape of the game. They are: tenacious effort to the ball, people attacking the football and getting to the quarterback. The Jets checked those boxes against Tennessee.
“Those are the things that we care about,” Davis said. “That's our brand of football.”
The defense wants that to be their identity. Prove it time starts this week.
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
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