The New York Jets‘ season hit a new low in Week 5 with a punishing 37-22 defeat against the Dallas Cowboys, leaving the team and its underperforming defense under a microscope. The heat is squarely on Head Coach Aaron Glenn, the former Lions DC hired in January 2025, to fix a defensive unit that has simply not lived up to expectations. But instead of making a panic move, Glenn has thrown a very public and deeply personal lifeline to his embattled defensive coordinator, Steve Wilks.

Glenn’s decision is the classic, but with a crucial twist: he’s getting right into it. As per a post on X by Zack Rosenblatt, Glenn is sticking to his guns,

“Aaron Glenn on getting more involved with defensive playcalling, said the Lions defense struggled in 2021 and Dan Campbell stuck by him. And Glenn said he’s sticking by Steve Wilks.”

Following the loss, Coach Glenn faced reporters and acknowledged the team’s frustrating display. While disappointed, he pointed to a turning point in the game—a critical fumble, as the moment things for the team started going downhill, even suggesting he deserved some of the blame himself. The rationale is rooted in Glenn’s own career scar tissue. That 2021 Lions defense, which Glenn coordinated, was historically bad, finishing 32nd-ranked during a 3-13-1 campaign. Followed by supporting his coordinator;

“I have a lot of confidence in Wilks,” Glenn stated. “He has done a lot of great things in this league as a defensive coordinator, and I am allowing him to do his job.”

Wilks was a key 2024 hire, brought in specifically to inject impact plays into a defense that was strong in strategy but lacked consistent execution. Wilks brings valuable head coaching experience to the staff, having led the Arizona Cardinals in 2018 and served as the Carolina Panthers’ interim head coach in 2022. Glenn believes these talents will be beneficial to him, though the current stats point the other way round.

What went wrong between the Jets and the Cowboys during week 5?

The New York Jets are in crisis. Their 0-5 start hit rock bottom after a humiliating 30-22 loss to the Dallas Cowboys at home in Week 5. The game showed just how broken this team is. They started with a field goal, but then the offense vanished. The Cowboys put up 30 unanswered points while the Jets couldn’t score again until the fourth quarter. Even though two late touchdowns made the final score look close, the game was a decisive loss—a surrender, really.

All eyes are now on quarterback Justin Fields. He’s facing huge pressure because the offense simply isn’t clicking. A major problem is the terrible offensive line, which allowed him to get sacked five times. Fields can’t succeed when he doesn’t have time to throw. Statistically, the Jets aren’t eliminated yet, thanks to the 17-game season, and Fields is trying to stay positive about their playoff chances. But if they keep losing, they’ll be making history for all the wrong reasons.

Coach Glenn is feeling the heat and promises to fix the team’s issues immediately. The pressure is on for their Week 6 game against the Denver Broncos. If the Jets can’t get a win there, this season is essentially over.