Aaron Glenn, as the New York Jets‘ head coach at this point, isn’t breaking franchise records anymore. He’s busy inventing brand-new ones. And unfortunately, none of them is the good kind. The Jets are now staring at a 0–6 skid under his watch, and that 13–11 Week 6 loss to the Denver Broncos was as gutting as it gets, especially if you’re the quarterback, Justin Fields.

However, when asked whether he’d stick with Fields coming this Week 7 against the Carolina Panthers, the first-year head coach made a couple of things clear: He’d stick with Fields, sure. But he also pointed out that Fields actually “took a step back.”

“When you look at what Justin did in the games that he played, I didn’t think he was bad at all,” Glenn said, per the Jets’ writer, Harrison Glaser. “I actually thought he did some pretty good things in his first 4 games. In his 5th game yesterday, he took a step back, & we can’t have that.

“We have to get better & he knows that better than anyone. So, I don’t think you just try to bench a player after having one true bad game, because I thought the other games he played fairly well.”

Fields’ overall performance against the Broncos on Sunday was atrocious. The quarterback completed nine of 17 passes for just 45 yards for the Jets. On top of that, his net passing total combined was -10 yards. It was as brutal as it could be.

To put the ugly performance in perspective, Fields was pressured on 14 of 29 dropbacks (48%), according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Add nine sacks to the narrative, and the signs looked clear: Justin Fields is struggling to find his footing in his Jets stint. To his credit, Fields took some responsibility for the loss.

“It wasn’t good enough, and it starts with me. I’ve got to get the ball out,” the QB said. “I probably could’ve gotten the ball out faster on some plays. But I think most of the time they pretty much covered us well.”

His poor outing surely got a lot of people wondering if Glenn might turn to Tyrod Taylor in Week 7. But the head coach isn’t budging just yet. He admitted Fields took a step back against Denver, yet he’s sticking with his QB1 heading into the matchup with Carolina.

Aaron Glenn regrets his questionable call late in the first half

After the game, Aaron Glenn covered just about everything in his presser. From Garrett Wilson’s knee update (or lack thereof) to his thoughts on Justin Fields. But one thing really stood out. The head coach admitted that the one big “mistake” in that disastrous two-minute drive before halftime was not even attempting a Hail Mary.

The Jets actually had a golden chance before halftime while trailing just 10-6 with over three minutes left. But rather than showing urgency. They looked like a team scared to make a mistake. Two straight runs set the tone. And even after Fields converted a third down, the offense moved like it was protecting a lead, not chasing one. Then came the chaos.

On fourth-and-1, the Jets pulled off a gutsy fake punt and Breece Hall converted it, giving them momentum with 1:48 to play. While some probably thought that the Jets would finally open things up, sure. But nope. Instead, they ran it again, burned a timeout, and then called yet another run. By then, any sense of rhythm or urgency had vanished completely.

With one timeout left and the clock ticking, Fields took a sack, turning what could’ve been a scoring drive into a comedy of errors. Facing fourth-and-1 near midfield, the Jets had time for one final shot, maybe a Hail Mary as Glenn would have wanted, maybe just a gutsy heave. Instead, they just stood there and let the clock die. No throw, no try, no clue. Fast forward to now, and Aaron Glenn regrets his decision not to opt for the Hail Mary.