Not many teams have struggled more on defense to start the 2025 NFL season than the New York Jets, especially after that humiliating 30-10 blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills. Of course, it doesn’t help that Gang Green has so far faced a future first-ballot Hall of Fame quarterback who was out for vengeance and the 2024 MVP, but the schedule is what it is and so far the Jets rank 30th in points allowed and 21st in yards allowed.
Any way you slice it, this is a troubling start for a defense that was looking for a bounce back year after a regression in 2024. It’s especially concerning given the fact that new head coach Aaron Glenn was hyped up as a defensive guru. Is this defense just not as good as everyone believed them to be?
Not so fast, says one NFL insider. Rich Cimini, who covers the Jets for ESPN, was asked to evaluate a surprise trend for the Jets and discern whether it’s real or not. Regarding the Jets’ defensive struggles, Cimini called it a ‘mirage’, saying: “They have 14 holdovers from a defense that finished fourth in yards allowed, so you know there's talent…. Part of the problem is they're still learning a new defense, a hybrid system that blends schemes used by coach Aaron Glenn and defensive coordinator Steve Wilks.”
Learning a new scheme in the NFL takes time. Just ask the Chicago Bears defense, who have given up 73 points and nearly 700 yards of offense in their last five quarters while learning defensive coordinator Dennis Allen’s new scheme. And Cimini is right, there’s just too much talent in New York’s defense to believe they’re bad. Unless the Monstars from Space Jam went and stole their talent this past Sunday, they didn’t suddenly forget how to play football.
Aaron Glenn has already addressed this issue, offering a unique take on the quick rebuild narrative. The fact is that these things take time and rare is the team that can hire a new front office and coaching staff and immediately be great.
The schedule will be a bit kinder to the Jets going forward. They play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, who are good on offense but a far cry from Josh Allen and the Bills, followed up by a game against the 0-2 Miami Dolphins at home. If the defense is still playing poorly after these next two games, then it may be time to panic. But for now, consider the Jets’ defensive struggles more like growing pains.