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Against the winless Dolphins, the final two minutes might not matter.
But the Jets’ inability to run through the finish line has become one of the defining features of the Aaron Glenn era, leaving them vulnerable to a season-crushing upset in the upcoming divisional meeting at MetLife Stadium.
Since the cornerback-turned-coach took over last season, the Jets (2-4) have posted the NFL’s worst point differential (119-49) in the final two minutes of both halves.
In the 26-19 loss at New England, the Jets allowed a 7-3 deficit to balloon to 17-3 in the final 1:46 of the second quarter. After the Patriots kicked a field goal and forced the Jets into a three-and-out, Drake Maye found DeMario Douglas for a 9-yard touchdown with 14 seconds left in the half.
“There are some things that we pinpointed that we have to improve on … [including] how we operate in two minutes,” Glenn said Monday. “That’s on both sides of the ball. … We just didn’t end up finishing. That’s something we have to continue to work on is being able to finish. Obviously, we did it [in the Week 5 win] against Cleveland, but we failed this game.”
The closing stretch of first halves has been dreadful under Glenn. This season, the Jets have been outscored 20-0 in the final two minutes of the first half. In Glenn’s 23 games as head coach (5-18), the team has been outscored 100-6.
The Jets haven’t scored a touchdown in the final two minutes of a first half since the 2024 season finale against the Dolphins. Meanwhile, Jets opponents have scored 11 touchdowns and eight field goals in such situations since the start of last season.
“I totally understand that [20-0] stat, and I know that on both sides of the ball, we have to get better at that and that’s something we work on quite a bit,” Glenn said. “The thing is we just have to continue to work. Usually when you do that, the work is gonna take care of itself and it’s gonna end up showing up on Sunday. Even though I’m not happy with where it’s at, if we continue to work, those things are gonna get better.”
Braelon Allen’s game-winning touchdown against the Browns — coming with 3:01 left in the fourth quarter — isn’t included in the abysmal figures, but the slightly bigger picture isn’t much prettier.
In their loss in Chicago, the Jets allowed back-to-back field goals in the final 2:29 of the first half. In Detroit, the Jets lost the lead before halftime on a touchdown by Amon-Ra St. Brown then surrendered the game-winning score to Jahmyr Gibbs with 2:25 left in the fourth quarter.
And in the most inexcusable loss of the season — which prevented the Jets from starting the season 2-0 for the first time since 2015 — the Packers erased a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit, kicking a game-tying field goal with 2:59 left in the fourth quarter. Then, after the Jets failed to convert on two short-yardage plays at midfield, the Packers appeared set to punt with over a minute left in regulation, but Glenn neglected to call a timeout, giving Green Bay a chance to win with a Hail Mary.
“I always talk about the last four minutes of either half belong to the head coach,” Glenn said last year, “and sometimes, it takes time to get those things down.”