Aaron Glenn has completely transformed the New York Jets defense through two weeks, but one major question still remains
The New York Jets are first in total yards allowed and second in both passing and rushing yards allowed through 2 games. The question is whether the defense is legit or a product of early-season matchups.
Aaron Glenn has his Jets defense firing on all cylinders to begin the 2026 season, and it is a complete turnaround from 2025. Through two games, the numbers are eye-popping. The New York Jets rank first in total yards allowed at 197 per game, second in passing yards allowed at 131.5 per game, and second in rushing yards allowed at 65.5 per game.
Now, the obvious question: is this just because of the matchups with the Tennessee Titans and the Green Bay Packers, or is this defense legit? I’m going to take the easy way out. It’s too early to tell. We have only seen two weeks of an 18-week NFL season, a very small sample size.
But here’s what I will say: the Jets defense is showing signs that they can be the real deal.
Taking the football away (mostly)
The Jets took the football away against the Green Bay Packers with a fumble recovery and that’s a big deal. They’ve struggled to get the football defensively. Now, what everyone will continue to point to until it gets done is the interception drought. The New York Jets haven’t had an interception since the final game of 2024. They did not record a single pick in all of 2025, and they still haven’t gotten one yet. Until that changes, it’s going to be the main talking point, and I get it.
But the Jets did take the football away against Green Bay, and they completely stifled the Titans. I know Tennessee is not expected to be a good team, and they probably aren’t, but the Titans also just put up 20 points on the Philadelphia Eagles. They stressed that Eagles defense a good bit and had Philadelphia on the ropes. The Eagles had a much tougher time with Tennessee’s offense than the New York Jets did. That matters.
As for the Packers, Green Bay’s offense looked better against the Minnesota Vikings than they did against New York. You could say they were playing outside in tough conditions. Sure. But the Packers had plenty of chances and the offense couldn’t get much going because the Jets defense was popping. The only reason that game slipped away was because the offense sputtered out and the defense was on the field too long.
The pieces are in place
Look, this team has legitimate pass rushers. The front is very good. David Bailey looks to be a great pick already. They’ve got Will McDonald up there and Kingsley Enagbare. The interior with T’Vondre Sweat, Harrison Phillips and Jowon Briggs is pretty solid as well.
At linebacker, Jamien Sherwood has been a tackling machine for the Jets over the last few years, and now you bring in De’mario Davis at the Mike. They’ve got that spot locked down. Minkah Fitzpatrick is out right now, their captain in the secondary, and their secondary still looked pretty solid against the Green Bay Packers. They gave up some stuff, but overall, this group passed the test.Â
I do not know what this Jets defense is yet under Aaron Glenn. Two games is a small sample size, and nobody is crowning them. But based on what we’ve seen so far, they show all the potential in the world to be a legit defense this season. If the interception drought finally breaks, this conversation shifts from “potential” to “one of the best units in football” in a hurry.
