Frank Reich Is Among 3 Jets to Blame for Sunday's 26-19 Loss to the Patriots

Any goodwill that the Jets created with last week's win over the Browns was erased on Sunday afternoon. Entering Week 6 one win away from the .500 mark, the Jets are back to being two games below a winning record after a 26-19 loss to the Patriots, which was more out of reach than the final score suggests.

New York fell behind New England towards the end of the first quarter and could never retake the lead after Jason Sanders opened the scoring with a 42-yard field goal. From then on, the Jets couldn't get key stops when they needed them, nor could they convert when it mattered most.

Now, they're about to enter Week 7 with a 2-4 record, making a potential playoff push an uphill battle.

As head coach Aaron Glenn starts to figure out how to get his team back on track, here's a look at the three Jets who deserve most of the blame for Sunday afternoon's defeat.

1. Frank Reich, OC

A new week, but the same old story for Frank Reich's offense.

The Jets' offensive coordinator, once again, struggled to keep his unit on the field throughout the game. Sure, they controlled the ball (30:03) slightly more than the Patriots (29:57), but that doesn't mean much when New York's offense is going 3-for-10 on third downs (30%), while New England went 8-for-15 (53.3%) in that regard.

Reich's play-calling was egregious, especially when the Jets handed the ball to Isaiah Williams on third-and-one in the first half—a move that failed—despite the fact that Braelon Allen had racked up 30-plus yards on that drive. Additionally, New York went 0-for-2 on fourth downs and 0-for-3 on red-zone scoring attempts.

Reich was supposed to be the key to unlocking the Jets' offense, but that clearly hasn't been the case. If Gang Green can't put points on the board against the lowly Dolphins next week, it's fair to wonder if it's time for New York to hire a new offensive coordinator.

2. Isaiah Davis, RB

Isaiah Davis's lack of usage was one of the bigger head-scratchers early in the Jets' campaign. Despite averaging 5.6 yards on 73 carries in the 2024 and 2025 seasons, New York didn't give Davis any offensive snaps until Week 3 vs. Detroit, with his first carries not coming until he turned a pair into eight yards against Cleveland last week.

Although he saw more action against the Patriots, Davis didn't exactly make the most of his eight touches (seven carries, one catch). Plays often died in his hands, as he recorded 16 rushing yards for an average of 2.3 yards per attempt, including multiple third- and fourth-and-one stops. His longest run of the day was nine yards, which means he averaged 1.2 yards on the other six.

Instead of showing his coaches why he should be on the field, Davis gave the Jets more reasons to use him less on offense and more on special teams moving forward. There's no telling if or when he'll get another chance to prove his worth, especially with Breece Hall's return eventually coming.

3. Dane Belton, S

It isn't a secret that Dane Belton has been one of the Jets' best offseason additions. He's a big reason why New York's secondary has improved this season, but that doesn't mean he's incapable of making his own fair share of mistakes.

After all, Belton seemed to be the one who was supposed to cover tight end Hunter Henry on the seven-yard touchdown (h/t NFL) that gave the Patriots a 10-point fourth-quarter lead. In the embedded video, linebacker Demario Douglas can be seen turning to Belton with confusion, further suggesting that a communication breakdown was at play.

While Belton finished with nine tackles and a defended pass, his 54.7 Pro Football Focus grade is his second-worst mark of the season, trailing only Week 2 (52.4). He graded well against the run (87.7) but was also given a poor mark for coverage (45.8), which was the third-worst on the team this weekend.

Hopefully, it's only a one-off dud for Belton, who's proven that he can be a difference-maker this season. It just happens that the difference he made on Sunday wasn't the good kind, leaving it to time to tell whether he can bounce back against the Dolphins at MetLife Stadium next week.

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