Aaron Glenn made history on Sunday.
But not the kind of history he or the Jets would have liked.
Glenn became the first Jets coach to begin his tenure losing his first five games after the Cowboys (2-2-1) defeated the Jets (0-5) 37-22 on a sunny, 80-degree day at MetLife Stadium.
“It’s a tough game,” Glenn said about being 0-5. “And it is coached and played by real men.
“Listen, I’m going to embrace this challenge just like any other challenge. And as a team, we’re going to figure out how to get out of this hole. So, me being the head coach, listen, we are 0-5, okay, I got it. But we are going to figure this thing out and get out of this hole.”
There was one word to describe the Jets’ performance against the Cowboys: abysmal. They missed tackles, committed several penalties, and at times, looked like a team that was disinterested.
Gang Green committed 10 penalties for 61 yards and a turnover, a Breece Hall fumble in the red zone in the second quarter. Turnovers and penalties have been the primary issues contributing to the Jets’ winless record.
Jets quarterback Justin Fields completed 32-of-46 passes for 283 yards against a Cowboys defense that came into the game ranked dead last in yards allowed (420.7) per game. He completed two touchdown passes to Garrett Wilson and Andrew Beck when the game was already decided.
The Cowboys entered Sunday’s game without four of their starters on their offensive line: Tyler Guyton, Tyler Smith, Tyler Booker, and Cooper Beebe. However, you wouldn’t be able to tell because of how they played against the Jets.
Dallas rushed for 180 yards and a touchdown on the ground, including a 66-yard run by Javonte Williams, which set up Jake Ferguson‘s second touchdown of the game, which made the score 23-3 at halftime. The Jets also had a difficult time getting their hands on Dak Prescott. He completed 18-of-29 passes for 237 yards and four touchdowns.
Williams also ran for 135 yards and a touchdown while also recording a receiving touchdown.
“Not good enough,” Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner said about the defensive performance. “In the run game or the pass game, not good enough.”
Gang Green registered just one sack against the Cowboys and that only came when Prescott gave himself up to stay in bounds to let the clock keep running. Rushing the passer has been an issue for the Jets this season. After registering four sacks in the season opener against the Steelers, the Jets have just three sacks since.
The Jets also became the first team in NFL history to start 0-5 and have zero takeaways defensively, according to ESPN Research. The lack of takeaways has also been a point of emphasis after the Jets entered Week 5 as the only team that hasn’t forced a turnover this season.
“We got good players,” Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood said. “We got players that can punch the ball out, we got good people in the secondary. The reason we are sitting here is because it is the difference between winning and losing at the end of the day.
“If you don’t get turnovers, how do you expect our offense to score points. We gotta do a better job on defense and giving the ball to our offense so they can go down there.”
On the other side, the Cowboys entered the game ranked dead last in yards and 31st in points allowed. But Dallas looked like one of the best defenses in the league on Sunday.
In the first two quarters, the Jets mustered only three points against a Cowboys defense that was allowing 33 points per game. They only had 141 yards at halftime as the Jets faithful booed as they went into the locker room.
Also, after finishing in the top five defensively the previous three seasons, the Jets’ defense has been disappointing in 2025. Gang Green is allowing 30 points per game, which is 29th in the NFL.
The Jets took their only lead of the afternoon following a 25-yard field goal by Nick Folk, which was one of his two field goals against the Cowboys.
Dallas scored on its first two drives of the game. First, the Cowboys scored after a Brandon Aubrey 35-yard field goal on a seven-play drive. Then Ferguson scored on a 26-yard screen pass from Prescott, and that increased the Cowboys’ lead to 10-0.
Mistakes also continue to plague the Jets. After getting inside the Cowboys’ red zone, Hall fumbled on the nine-yard line and Cowboys defensive end Sam Williams recovered the ball. In last week’s loss against the Dolphins, the Jets fumbled three times, including a Braelon Allen miscue at the one-yard line.
In the third quarter, Prescott extended the Cowboys’ lead after he connected with George Pickens on a 43-yard pass for a touchdown, which made the score 30-3.
Late in the fourth quarter, down 30-6, Dallas fans were heard chanting, “Let’s Go Cowboys.” Cowboys fans were also heard booing penalties that went against the team. No team in NFL history has begun 0-5 and made the playoffs.
“We have a locker room full of warriors and full of men who want to get better,” Fields said. “We are not looking at this as no team has made the playoffs after a 0-5 start.
“That’s the goal at the end of the day. We’re not basing our lives on statistics.”
Next week, the Jets will go across the pond to play the Broncos in London at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. This will be the sixth consecutive season that Gang Green and Denver will play against each other.
Want more insights? Join Working Title - our career elevating newsletter and get the future of work delivered weekly.
