Justin Fields’ big return was supposed to steady the ship for the Jets. Instead, it looked more like he was dragging an anchor behind him. New York dropped to 0-4, handing Miami its first win of the season, and with that, the Jets’ playoff dreams are basically on life support.

Fields himself looked like a shell of a guy who’s still searching for answers. After the game, his postgame interview had the vibe of a man running out of words.

He admitted the team keeps getting close, only to implode when it matters most. “I think tonight we shot ourselves in the foot a lot turning the ball over, penalties. It’s very frustrating but I’m not losing faith,” he said.

It’s the same old storyline the Jets have been struggling with for two seasons: flashes of upside marred by self-inflicted damage. New York committed three turnovers and was flagged 13 times for 101 yards in the 27–21 defeat. Yes, thirteen. Edging out a win when you’re committing 13 penalties is close to impossible.

They really did shoot themselves in the foot at times. Braelon Allen coughed it up at the Miami 1-yard line on New York’s opening red-zone drive (recovered by Miami’s Minkah Fitzpatrick). It was a goal-line turnover that pretty much erased what looked like an early and clear scoring opportunity.

Fields himself had moments, too. That 43-yard touchdown scramble? he hit the turbo button and left the Jets’ defense wondering if someone accidentally turned the difficulty down. He went 20-of-27 for 226 yards and a passing score, plus another 81 yards on the ground with that monster TD run. So yeah, the frustration makes sense.

He balled out in flashes, but between the turnovers and a passing rhythm that kept hiccuping at the worst times, the offense never strung together the kind of drives you need to wipe out a one-score gap. And as frustrated as Fields was, Aaron Glenn took it up a notch.

Aaron Glenn calls out the locker room

Aaron Glenn held the locker room accountable for the self-inflicted mistakes tonight. “There’s no way you can win any game with 13 penalties and three turnovers. It just can’t happen,” he said. That’s a fair reaction when your team gives up 101 yards with 13 penalties.

And Aaron Glenn probably wishes that tonight was a one-one. But that’s…far from the case. The Jets led the league in accepted penalties last season with 137 flags in 2024. It’s been a year, and things clearly haven’t gotten even remotely better. Aaron Glenn needs to find a fix if they want to snatch their first win of the season anytime soon.

And it wasn’t just the three lost fumbles or the 13 yellow flags that buried them. The Jets basically gift-wrapped field position with back-breaking negative plays: sacks, pressures, false starts, you name it. Pre-snap brain cramps, botched short-yard runs, and special-teams hiccups all piled up like bad Jenga moves until the whole night came crashing down.

But, like Fields, Aaron Glenn hasn’t lost hope just yet as he fixates on the future. “What we have to do is go back to work. Take a look at these penalties, these turnovers, and make sure we understand. Before you can win games, you need to learn how to lose games,” he said. Well, losing four games is probably more than enough. It’s time for them to start winning. No better team to do it against than the Cowboys next week.