Sports

Aaron Glenn Takes Responsibility for Jets’ Collapse While Defending Every Decision

Nairavoice · Sep 21, 2026 · 3 min read

Aaron Glenn knows the New York Jets let one slip away. The Jets were 11 minutes from moving to 2-0 before their 17-7 lead disappeared against the Green Bay Packers. They eventually lost 20-17 in overtime, leaving the head coach under heavy scrutiny for several decisions late in the game.

Still, Glenn is not backing away from them; he accepted responsibility for the result while making it clear that he would make those calls again.

Aaron Glenn Defends His Decisions For The New York Jets

Glenn opened his remarks by taking responsibility for the collapse. His job, he said, is to make sure the Jets close games when they have control of them; however, taking responsibility did not mean Glenn believed every decision was wrong.

“I understand that. I take that, and it’s something I would never run from.”

From Aaron Glenn’s zoom this morning: Starts with a general statement, saying it’s “my responsibility” to make sure they “close the door.”

“I understand that. I take that, and it’s something I would never run from.”

But he defends each one of his decisions:

* On final minute…

— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) September 21, 2026

The biggest controversy arose with less than a minute left in regulation. The Packers had stalled near midfield and had a fourth down to go while the Jets had two timeouts. Instead of using them to stop the clock and give Geno Smith one last attempt at getting into field-goal range.

According to him, if the Jets had punted, the other team could have ended up getting the ball at a disadvantageous spot for the offensive unit. He did not wish to risk giving them one more possession if the Jets were unable to do something with their first one. It became even more confusing for Glenn when the Packers incurred a delay-of-game penalty and still managed to keep the Jets from getting the ball back in time.

Glenn had also drawn criticism over his decision to go for it on fourth-and-1 from midfield when there was around a minute and twenty seconds left on the clock. That gamble did not work. Braelon Allen was stopped for no gain after Lukas Van Ness beat the block from Jeremy Ruckert.

However, previously, Glenn had also made an astute decision. Faced with fourth-and-1 at the Green Bay 9 with 11:08 left in the game, the Jets attempted to draw the Packers offside. Having failed at this attempt, they accepted the delay and kicked a field goal, gaining a 17-7 lead.

Glenn felt that the defense was playing well enough to maintain a two-score lead. What made the situation difficult was that the Packers scored on three of their four subsequent possessions, while the Jets’ offense managed only two first downs in that span.

The overtime strategy also raised some questions. Having won the coin toss, Glenn decided to accept possession instead of deferring it. His reasoning was that this would make the clock work against Green Bay. That plan lasted three plays. Smith was sacked twice, a false start made things worse, and the Jets punted.