NEW ORLEANS — Despite the 29-6 loss to the Saints on Sunday at the Superdome, rookie Jets head coach Aaron Glenn praised Chris Harris, his newly appointed defensive coordinator.
Glenn fired Steve Wilks on Monday and elevated Harris, who was calling plays for the first time. And the game was 9-6 New Orleans at the half before it got away from the Jets in the second half.
“I thought Chris did a really good job at calling this first game,” Glenn said. “I thought he was patient. He wasn’t frazzled at all, and this team (the Saints) did a ton of up-tempo (no huddle). So, that really gave me an opportunity to evaluate how he had calls in his head going on to the next play. I’m proud of the way he operated.”
The Jets defense started out the game strong, with rookie safety Malachi Moore forcing a fumble on Taysom Hill on the second play from scrimmage.
It was only the third takeaway by the Jets defense all season.
The NFL record low for a season is seven, by the 49ers in 2017.
Because the Jets season has been what it’s been, which is dismal, their lack of interceptions has been a topic every week.
Despite the fact that the Saints threw the ball 50 times Sunday, the Jets still failed to get an INT.
So now they own the NFL record for most consecutive games without a pick at 15 and counting.
The Jets were tied with the 2024-25 49ers, who went 14 games without an INT.
“I hate the fact that we haven’t got an interception, but the thing is we got a turnover, and then we got a fourth-down stop,’’ Glenn reasoned after the game. “I want the interceptions just like everybody else, but if we can get a turnover, that’s all I care about.’’
Said Jets LB Quincy Williams when asked about the INT streak: “We always say they come in bunches.”
Well, the Jets are running out of games before the bunches come.
Jets RB Breece Hall continues the arduous trudge toward 1,000 rushing yards for the season, which he’s never reached in his career.
Hall ran for 54 yards on 16 carries Sunday and now has 954 for the season, needing 46 yards in the next two games to reach the milestone.
Hall, though, has rushed for just 188 yards on 61 carries on the last four games.
He was on a 1,200-yard pace before the last four games.
“I feel like we were decently efficient with most for the most part in the run game,’’ Hall said after the game, citing the team’s seven penalties as holding them back. “I feel like we were getting what we wanted for the most part.’’
The Jets’ only injury in the game came to DT Jay Tufele, who left with a foot injury in the first half and didn’t return. After winning his first three of the season, Glenn lost his first red-flag challenge in the second half on an apparent fumble by Saints WR Chris Olave. … The Jets had three sacks — from LB Jamien Sherwood, who also had 11 tackles, two tackles for losses and a QB hit, DT Jowon Briggs and Will McDonald IV. … The Jets inactives included QB Justin Fields, who’s still dealing with knee soreness, their No. 1 TE Mason Taylor (neck), LB Kiko Mauigoa (neck) and DLs Mazi Smith, Payton Page and Eric Watts … CB Tre Brown, who committed the killer penalty on special teams last week that nullified an Isaiah Williams punt return for a TD, was on the active roster.
