December has been a dismal month for the New York Jets, culminating in a defeat that punctuates their struggles.
Drake Maye delivered a standout performance, throwing five touchdown passes, as the New England Patriots (12-3) dominated the Jets (3-12) with a 42-10 victory at MetLife Stadium. The crowd was heavily skewed in favor of New England fans.
This defeat marks the Jets’ fourth consecutive loss and their sixth in the last eight games, highlighting a tough stretch for the team.
The presence of Patriots supporters was so overwhelming that the Jets players faced boos as they took to the field. While Jets running back Breece Hall provided a glimmer of hope by becoming the first since Chris Ivory in 2015 to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season, there was little else for Jets fans to celebrate. The Patriots executed a near-perfect first half.
This game was the second under Chris Harris as the interim defensive coordinator, following the dismissal of Steve Wilks after a lopsided 48-20 loss to the Jaguars in Week 15. However, the defensive issues seemed even more pronounced against the Patriots.
The Jets struggled defensively, leaving Patriot receivers open and missing several tackles, which led to them conceding 344 yards by halftime. They also failed to pressure Maye effectively, managing only two quarterback hits. Maye capitalized on this, completing 19 of 21 passes for 256 yards and five touchdowns.
When Glenn fired Wilks, he was hoping to see “consistent improvement” during the final weeks of the season. But the Jets defense looks just as bad, if not worse, with Harris in charge. It has allowed 71 points during the last two weeks since the defensive coordinator change. New England also scored a touchdown on their first six possessions of the game.
In just December, the Jets have been outscored 153-46 in their last four games. It was such an embarrassing performance for the Jets defense that Patriots backup Joshua Dobbs relieved Maye with 5:31 remaining in the third quarter. From there, the Patriots were on cruise control with the game well in hand.
As bad as the Jets defense was on Sunday, their offense was just as lifeless.
Brady Cook started his third consecutive game. Tyrod Taylor, who started four games for the Jets this season, was inactive after missing Friday’s practice due to personal reasons. Hendon Hooker, who the Jets elevated from the practice squad, backed up Cook.
During his previous two starts against the Jaguars and Saints, Cook played very much like an undrafted rookie free agent. He averaged 5.4 yards per attempt with one touchdown and six interceptions.
Cook’s struggles continued after finishing 6 of 11 for 47 yards and an interception. Hall did have 112 yards on the ground and one touchdown, with most of that coming on his 59-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
The Jets’ best passing play of the game might have come from their punter, Austin McNamara, after he completed a three-yard pass on a fake punt in the third quarter, down 35-3. They tried another fake punt on the same drive, but the Patriots stopped Isaiah Davis and forced a turnover on downs.
Obviously, at this juncture of the season, the Jets are playing for draft position after starting Cook for the third straight week. But they didn’t look like a team that was tanking. The Jets looked like a team that was ready for vacation after, and maybe had tuned their coach out. Well, perhaps not Jets right tackle Armand Membou, who had to be restrained by the coaching staff after he ripped off his own helmet and yelled towards one of the Patriots players.
It appears Glenn will return as Jets coach in 2026. The Jets likely wouldn’t have traded both Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams at the trade deadline without some assurance that Glenn would be back as coach next season.
However, this can’t be how Glenn envisioned the season ending for the Jets. They have been outclassed by three teams (Jacksonville, New Orleans, and New England), all of which have first-year coaches. Two of those teams will make the playoffs, and the Jets will sit at home for the 15th consecutive season, which is the longest postseason drought in North American sports.
The Jets will have their final game of the 2025 season next week on the road against the Bills. The date and time of the game are still to be determined.
