It's hard to determine what the Jets are this season. Their record, now 2-4 after a loss to the Patriots, makes it clear that they aren't very good.
But based on how the team looked last season, the quality of play has greatly improved. They have competed in every contest this season, and even when they were outplayed, they found a way to keep the game close.
So what are the 2026 Jets? Just another year of bad football? Or an up-and-coming team going through clear growing pains through their improvement.
After New York's 26-19 loss to the Patriots, it's time to give my final thoughts from last week regarding where the team is, what the Jets could be, and other takeaways as we head into Week 7.
Jets are doing everything fans wanted... and still screwing up
If you told most Jets fans that at the start of the season the team would be 2-4, but would have lost three of those games by one score each, would they be happy? For a fanbase that hasn't seen a playoff appearance in 15 years, most probably wouldn't.
But after a three-win season in 2025, the main push from the fanbase was to see competitive football. They wanted to see a team that could compete with some of the top rosters and not get blown out by others.
For the most part, the Jets are doing exactly that. And somehow, the franchise still seems to screw iy up.
The biggest frustration for Jets fans has to be based on the fact that the team is playing a lot better than they were probably expected to be this year. There have also been moments when the team looks like it could actually pull off upsets in some of its losses, including last week against New England.
But key issues continue to arise. Coaching mistakes, player breakdowns, and mental mistakes have all come at the worst possible time.
Consider this: the Jets are seventh-best in the league in offensive EPA before they cross midfield. They are dead last in EPA after they get into their opponents' territory. It's a sign of the potential this group has as a collective unit, but also the reality of them still finding ways to struggle at the worst possible times.
New York's coaching is a major problem
There's really no other way to put this. In Week 2's loss to the Packers, the Jets' coaching staff made several mistakes, but the players didn't exactly do enough on their own. A Week 3 loss to Detroit had more to do with the injuries suffered in the game than anything else. Week 4 was an organizational failure.
New York's loss to New England was unequivocally a coaching loss. The Jets failed to take points on two separate drives in the first half. The play calls were also a negative, as they didn't take advantage of key parts of the field that the Jets had been targeting all game.
Jets head coach Aaron Glenn has improved the defense as a play-caller. There is no denying that. But the offense's inability to operate functionally in a two-minute situation, and the defense giving up eight third downs on 15 tries, is never something that is just about the players.
Glenn's whole calling card is being someone who can rally a locker room together and can call a great defense. But how long will both points continue if they are unable to get each in-game decision right throughout a game?
In New England, it seemed that the Jets' coaching staff were the reason they lost that game, not the players. And it could only get worse if things don't improve.
Time to give respect back to Jamien Sherwood
Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood has been a lightning rod for the fanbase's frustration over the last two years. After becoming one of the highest-paid linebackers in the sport during the 2025 offseason, Sherwood struggled mightily under heightened expectations. This season didn't start much better either.
Over the last three weeks, though, a switch has been turned for Sherwood.
In Sunday's loss to the Patriots, he recorded a team-high 11 tackles, had a quarterback hit, and recovered a fumble. His best play, though, came when the Patriots were seemingly running away with the contest after Drake Maye completed a 39-yard pass. Sherwood didn't give up on the play and ran a total of 50 yards downfield to force a fumble, giving New York a chance to get back in the game.
That hustle play endeared Sherwood not only to the coaches but to the fanbase as well. The 26-year-old linebacker is back to being an above-average player at the position and one of the better cover linebackers this season, per Pro Football Focus.
It seems like his confidence is only growing as well. If he continues to play as he did against New England, the Jets will be thrilled with their future at linebacker.
New York must change offensive gameplan
The best offenses in the NFL know how to adapt their system and scheme to the roster, not to who is coaching the team. New York does not do that, though. Since Glenn was first hired, the team has pushed the notion that they want to be a run-first offense.
There's no issue with that, of course. The problem comes with the fact that isn't what the Jets' current roster is built to do. New York has run the ball effectively in each of the last three games. The point totals in those games?
- Week 4 - 12
- Week 5 - 17
- Week 6 - 19
Well below the league average. New York may want to be a run-first team, but their collection of receivers and tight ends shows they are more than capable of being a pass-first unit that uses short throws as an extension of the run game.
It is clear the offense has struggled to get the ball to their full collection of weapons in the passing attack. The way to fix that isn't more plays or just simply better execution. It's about shifting the game plan in a way that maximizes the talent on the roster.
D'Angelo Ponds deserves a gap year
Nothing D'Angelo Ponds is dealing with this year is very fair. At Indiana, the 5'8" corner played primarily on the outside with sparing nickel snaps. Since being drafted in the second round by the Jets, those nickel snaps have increased as his primary way to get on the field.
It would be one thing if Ponds had a full training camp and was struggling. But an injury suffered in July kept him off the team for the entire camp session, including preseason action. The last couple of weeks have been Ponds' first game action since his final game in Indiana.
It's no wonder why the stats aren't kind to him. Ponds has been targeted four times and has given up three receptions for 48 yards and a touchdown on just 17 coverage snaps. He's also been penalized twice.
New York is not concerned about Ponds, nor should they be. He hasn't gotten the same kind of ramp-up period that thousands of rookies were given. If anything, his struggles this season should be considered nothing more than a gap year—one that isn't judged too harshly on the Jets or the player.
Next season will be a big test, but it's hard to judge Ponds fairly when he hasn't received the same process as others.
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