The New York Jets are still searching for the first win of the Aaron Glenn era. New York is coming off a brutal last second loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3. After trailing 23-6 in the fourth quarter, the Tyrod Taylor-led Jets mounted a comeback. New York took the lead with under two minutes remaining on Will McDonald’s blocked field goal touchdown return. But the Bucs marched down the field with ease, setting up the game-winning kick and sealing the 29-27 victory as time expired.
The loss dropped the Jets to 0-3 on the season. In Week 4 New York will take on the AFC East’s other winless team, the Miami Dolphins. But what will happen when a stoppable force meets a movable object?
Defense in decline
New York will have Justin Fields back for the Monday Night Football matchup. The fifth-year passer was forced to sit out the Buccaneers game with a concussion sustained against the Buffalo Bills in Week 2. But Fields’ presence is unlikely to move the needle for the Jets. Taylor is just as capable of leading the team to a win as Fields – a depressing thought considering New York signed the quarterback to a $40 million deal over the offseason.
The Jets, predictably, have the 31st-ranked passing offense in the league as the team is averaging just 144.7 yards per game through the air. While no one expected Fields (or Taylor) to lead a dominant passing attack, the team’s defensive downturn is a surprise.
The Jets enter Week 4 with the 22nd-ranked overall defense. That’s a major letdown after New York boasted the NFL’s third-best defense in each of the last two seasons. And the unit was ranked fourth overall in 2022.
The 2025 Jets’ defense is allowing a generous 340.3 total yards per game. And the team is giving up an average of 31 points per contest, the fourth most in football.
New York made Sauce Gardner the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL with a four-year, $120.4 million extension this offseason. Gardner shined as the best cover corner in the league over his first two seasons. But his production dipped during the team’s disastrous 2024 campaign and he hasn’t fully returned to form yet in 2025.
Brandon Stephens, X-factor
Of course, the Jets’ biggest change from last year (other than general manager, head coach, coordinators and starting quarterback) is the reconfigured defensive backfield. New York allowed D.J. Reed to walk in free agency and replaced him with Brandon Stephens.
Reed was Gardner’s running mate during the secondary’s three-year streak as a top-four unit in the league. And Stephens is a significant downgrade.
Stephens is also the Jets’ X-factor for Week 4’s Monday night showdown with the Dolphins.
New York faces several challenges this week. And things will likely get worse before they get better. The team’s disappointing defense is banged up. All-Pro linebacker Quincy Williams landed on the IR with a shoulder injury. And Pro Bowl pass rusher Jermaine Johnson will miss his second-straight game with an ankle injury.
The Jets, realizing that Stephens’ disastrous 2024 season probably wasn’t an aberration, acquired cornerback Jarvis Brownlee in a trade with the Tennessee Titans. But Brownlee will also miss Week 4 with an ankle ailment.
Jets present get-right spot for Dolphins’ offense
New York enters its Monday Night Football matchup with a compromised pass rush and an underperforming secondary. And the timing couldn’t be much worse as the Dolphins boast one of the league’s fastest wide receiver duos in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. And if Tua Tagovailoa has time in the pocket, he can pick teams apart.
During his last full season in 2023, Tagovailoa had a passer rating of 112.5 when given time to throw. That dropped to just 57.5 when teams pressured the quarterback. With Johnson sidelined the Jets will have a difficult time getting to Tua. This will place an emphasis on the team’s surprisingly vulnerable secondary.
Both Hill and Waddle have mostly been held in check this season. But the wideouts are due for a breakout. And embattled head coach Mike McDaniel badly needs a win. McDaniel is 4-2 against the Jets since taking over the Dolphins in 2022. And Miami is in a get-right spot this week.
Through the first three weeks of the 2025 season, quarterbacks targeting Stephens have a passer rating of 131.7, per PFF. Tagovailoa will undoubtedly look his way early and often as the Dolphins attempt to get their offense on track.
If Miami is successful, Monday could turn into a long night for the Jets. New York is not built to play from behind. Glenn’s preferred style is to grind out games on the ground. Forcing Fields to chuck the ball 30-40 times is a recipe for disaster.
The former first-round pick is at his best when defenses are compelled to guard against a strong rushing attack. That opens up passing and scrambling opportunities for Fields and he’s proven to be capable of excelling in those situations. But an explosive Dolphins’ offense could create a nightmare scenario for the Jets.
If Stephens and the rest of the secondary can step up against Miami’s passing attack, New York could earn its first win of the season. But if the Dolphins’ wideouts dominate, Aaron Glenn and company will likely suffer a prime-time embarrassment.
