JACKSONVILLE — One of the most shocking aspects of the Jets season is how much of a dumpster fire their defense has been. Entering the 2025 season under new coach Aaron Glenn and defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, the Jets defense was supposed to be arguably the strongest area on the team after fi nishing in the top five the previous three seasons. Not only has the Jets defense regressed, but it has also completely deteriorated as the season is coming to a close. In Sunday’s 48-20 loss to the Jaguars, they couldn’t touch Trevor Lawrence with a 10-foot pole. Gang Green finished with zero sacks and only two quarterback hits during the entire game. Lawrence also finished 20-of-32 with 330 yards and six total touchdowns [five passing and a rushing score]. He also registered the best passer rating of his career (136.7). “You just don’t give up that many points and lose by that,” Jets coach Aaron Glenn said. “I’m not going to BS any of you guys and nobody else. We have to make sure that we can fix that. “I’m evaluating anything. I’m evaluating the schematics, I’m evaluating the X’s and the O’s, I’m evaluating the players and you know the character of this team. We just have to get better. We can’t lose games like that. It’s unacceptable.” After winning three of five games to end November, it appeared the Jets were on the upswing. But that has not been the case the past two weeks. The Jets’ defense has reverted to the unit it was at the beginning of the season, when players left receivers wide open on passing downs. They missed several tackles against the Jaguars, including Lawrence’s 15-yard touchdown run in the first quarter after Will McDonald missed a potential sack. Travis Etienne Jr. also scored a touchdown in the third quarter after Brandon Stephens whiffed on a tackle and Quincy Williams couldn’t catch him before the running back reached the end zone. It also didn’t help matters that undrafted rookie free agent Brady Cook started the first game of his NFL career on Sunday. Cook didn’t play well after throwing for 163 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions, but it’s hard to win when your defense gives up over 40 points against any team. In just their past two games, losses to the Dolphins and Jaguars, the Jets defense has allowed a combined 82 points. They have also given up a total of 796 yards. Entering Sunday’s game, the Jets are 21st in yards (337.4) and 30th in points allowed (28.4). “I don’t know,” Jets safety Tony Adams said when asked why the team has gotten off to slow starts the previous two weeks. “We gotta go back and watch the film and correct what’s going on. “No excuses. I’ve been here going on my fourth year. What the offense doesn’t matter, you know what I mean. We gotta be better defensively to give Brady a chance.” Wilks has been under fire all season long because of how horrific the Jets’ defense has been. But when asked whether he would consider taking over the defensive play-calling duties, Glenn remained committed to Wilks. “I brought Wilks in for a reason,” Glenn said. “I want him to run his system. We have three games left for our guys to go out there and play. Right now, it is not about the X’s and O’s, it’s about the character of the men on this team. That’s what I’m evaluating. “I thought some of our guys really gave it up on that field today. We really pushed it and really continued playing no matter what the situation was. I want to make sure I look at the tape and see if everybody did that and evaluate the coaches like I always do.” Glenn might as well play the string out with Wilks with three games remaining. But something has to change because the Jets aren’t showing enough defensive progress, especially since players feel they are prepared throughout the week leading up to games. Feeling the pressure is something Wilks is used to. After one season as coach in 2018, the Cardinals fired Wilks following a 3-13 record. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan also fired Wilks after their Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs in 2023, following a defensive dip in production. After Sunday’s game, many players had very few answers on what went wrong against the Jaguars and even declined to speak to the media. Pass rusher Jermaine Johnson told reporters, “Nah, not today,” when he was approached to talk. Williams, who was charged with four missed tackles according to Next Gen Stats, also didn’t take questions from the media but said, “I have nothing positive to say, so I’m not doing any media.” Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood knows what he wants to see from the defense during their last three games (at Saints, vs. Patriots, at Bills). “The previous two weeks weren’t up to par,” Sherwood said. “Obviously, not the standard that we set for ourselves and not the standard that we have going forward. So I wanna see the guys fight, finish, have pride about playing for the New York Jets.” ...read more read less