Aaron Glenn's seat heats up after Jets' 28-25 loss to previously winless Dolphins

The morning after the Miami Dolphins beat the New York Jets 28-25 at MetLife Stadium, the bigger story in New York is the head coach. Sunday’s loss came against a Miami team that entered the day 0-5, and it dropped the Jets to 2-5. The Associated Press described the pressure on coach Aaron Glenn as “scorching.”

For Miami, it was a long-awaited first win of the season and the first for coach Jeff Hafley. For the Jets, it raised fresh questions about where Glenn’s tenure is heading.

Where the Jets stand after Week 8

The numbers behind the frustration, as reported by NBC Sports’ ProFootballTalk and the AP:

ProFootballTalk noted that whether this loss becomes “the point of no return” for Glenn is up to owner Woody Johnson. No source has reported any decision on Glenn’s job.

What Aaron Glenn said

Glenn opened his postgame news conference by taking the blame.

“Highly disappointed, disappointed in myself, first and foremost,” he said, according to Yahoo Sports. “We all have to get better. From coaching, to playing, to everything we’re doing, we have to get better.”

Glenn calls the defensive plays, ProFootballTalk noted, and Miami scored touchdowns on three of its first four drives to build a 21-7 halftime lead, according to the AP. “Defensively, we have to do a better job,” Glenn said, per Yahoo Sports. “Our fans deserve better than that, and that starts with me.”

Still, he insisted the team is heading the right way. “I would say yes. The reason why I would say that is cause there’s no quit in these guys,” Glenn said, per ProFootballTalk. “I know what the record is, I do… I know that we’re not where we need to be, but I totally believe that we’re on the right track.”

He also stressed there is time left. “This is seven games. We still have a number of games left, and that’s how we look at it,” he said, according to Yahoo Sports.

The timeout question before halftime

One decision drew particular criticism. Miami began a drive at its own 9-yard line with 8:44 left in the second quarter and went 91 yards on 15 plays, Yahoo Sports reported. Glenn did not use any of his timeouts while Miami had the ball after the two-minute warning, so Malik Willis’ 2-yard touchdown run left just 6 seconds on the clock.

“Maybe we should have called our timeouts to get it back, but at that point, we just felt like we were going to stop them and be able to get the ball back,” Glenn said. “That’s something that we should have done is use our timeouts.”

ProFootballTalk reported that the Jets had been outscored 100-6 in the final two minutes of first halves under Glenn before Sunday’s game.

The late rally that fell short

The Jets did fight back. Trailing 28-17, Geno Smith hit Isaiah Davis for 41 yards on fourth-and-4, then found tight end Mason Taylor for a 12-yard touchdown. Smith connected with Taylor again on a 2-point try to make it 28-25 with 3:24 left, according to the AP.

But Miami faced fourth-and-1 at the Jets’ 49 at the two-minute warning and Hafley left his offense on the field. Willis pushed ahead for 2 yards and the Dolphins ran out the clock. Glenn called his defense’s inability to get a stop there “really puzzling,” Yahoo Sports reported.

Miami’s long-awaited celebration

On the other sideline, the mood was the opposite. Hafley, who grew up about 20 minutes north of MetLife Stadium in Montvale, New Jersey, got the win in front of about 30 friends and family members, the AP reported.

“I grabbed every guy as they ran in,” Hafley said. “My socks are wet. I had so much water on me. It was a really, really special moment, one that I’m appreciative of and one that I won’t forget.”

“They deserve it,” he added. “You could feel a lot come out of it.”

The victory also meant Miami avoided its first 0-6 start since 2019.

Injuries to watch

• Dolphins: RB Jaylen Wright left in the fourth quarter with a quadriceps injury, and S Dante Trader Jr. hurt his left shoulder. CB JuJu Brents had a stinger but returned.
• Jets: DT T’Vondre Sweat limped off with a knee injury late in the second quarter and did not return.

Neither team had given an update on those injuries as of early Monday.

What’s next

• Dolphins (1-5): host the New England Patriots next Sunday.
• Jets (2-5): host the Las Vegas Raiders next Sunday.

FAQ

Earlier coverage: Dolphins hold off Jets 28-25 for Jeff Hafley's first win as Malik Willis accounts for three touchdowns (Oct 25)