FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- The highlight of the New York Jets' season occurred 17 days ago, when coach Aaron Glenn sprinted the sideline and shook his groove thing to celebrate an improbable, go-ahead touchdown on a blocked field goal in the final two minutes.
His disco-era dance went viral.
The Jets eventually lost the game 29-27 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Since then, they've been completely out of rhythm and out of their league, falling into a dreaded, one-team category: Last winless team in the NFL.
"We're 0-5 and we own that," Glenn said Monday. "But I do know this: That's not going to stop us from doing everything we can to win."
This is the 66th year of the franchise, and the only other time the Jets were the last winless team after at least five games was 2020. That Adam Gase-coached team started 0-13 and finished with a 2-14 record. Even the 1996 Rich Kotite Jets, owners of a franchise-worst 1-15 mark, avoided that indignity during their 0-8 start, thanks to the equally inept Atlanta Falcons.
The Jets weren't projected as a playoff team this season, not with a new coaching staff, a new front office and the baggage of nine straight losing seasons, but it wasn't supposed to be this bad. It hit so hard Sunday after an embarrassing home loss to the Dallas Cowboys that guard John Simpson was overcome with emotion. He wiped tears from his eyes as he spoke to reporters.
They have spent years -- no, decades -- trying to distance themselves from the "Same Old Jets" narrative that has dogged the franchise since the 1970s, but it keeps returning. It's a cyclical phenomenon, like a fashion trend. This season already has produced futility marks, alarming trends and quirky mistakes that have evoked memories of past disasters.
From Big Ben to big change
Exactly one year ago, the Jets fired coach Robert Saleh after a loss to the Minnesota Vikings in London. They were 2-3, on a two-game losing streak, when owner Woody Johnson made the shocking move -- saying he wanted to spark what he considered their best roster in his 25 years of ownership.
Since then, they're 3-14.
Saleh was 7-10 in his final 17 games, hardly the stuff of legend, but he did have the defense playing at a high level. The Jets allowed 19.7 points per game over that span. In 17 games since, it's 28 points per game, with Glenn and defensive coordinator Steve Wilks now in charge of that unit.
So Johnson hired a defensive-minded coach to replace a defensive-minded coach, and the defense has gotten worse.
Perhaps fittingly, the Jets are back in London this week, preparing to face the Denver Broncos (3-2) on Sunday (9:30 a.m. ET, NFLN and NFL+) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Historically bad defense
The Jets are surrendering 31.4 points per game, the fourth-worst start after five games in team history, per ESPN Research. The worst was 1979 (32.8), but that team had the pieces to what would become known as the New York Sack Exchange.
Glenn is only the fourth coach in the Super Bowl era whose team has allowed at least 27 points in each of his first five games as a coach. The others: Darrell Bevell, Jimmy Johnson and Jack Patera. Johnson, who went 1-15 in his first season with the Cowboys, spoke last week with Glenn, providing what amounted to a pep talk.
The Jets should be thankful for the Baltimore Ravens, who are allowing points at a mind-boggling clip (35.4). That would be the highest average since 2000 -- 830th out of 830 teams over that span. The Jets would be 826th.
Cornerback Sauce Gardner said he's losing sleep, trying to process what has gone wrong. Blown assignments are a common theme, which suggests players are struggling to grasp Wilks' system. Frustration is building among players, one source close to the team said.
On Sunday, Dallas scored three walk-in touchdowns. Another was a 43-yard touchdown pass to George Pickens. Gardner, beat on the play, called it a "busted coverage," suggesting he should've had safety help.
While acknowledging the missed assignments on the scoring plays, Glenn refused to concede that the scheme needs to be simplified or adjusted in any manner.
"I'm not going to sit there and say that it was a total issue because of four plays," Glenn said. "So I'm not going to go that route."
Futility that dates nearly a full century
Safety Tony Adams was sitting at his locker after the 37-22 loss to the Cowboys when he was informed that the Jets had become the first team in NFL history to have zero takeaways in its first five games.
"Breaks my heart," Adams said, shaking his head. "We work so hard at it. AG, that's all we preach. We let people down, and it's not good enough."
Everything they do on defense, from pass rush to coverage, is predicated on pressure. Pressure leads to disruption, which leads to takeaways -- in theory, anyway. If they fail to record a turnover against the Broncos, it'll be the first six-game drought (any point in the season) in franchise history.
Turnovers became an official statistic in 1933. Heck, even the Chicago Cardinals, a league-worst 1-9-1, had 19 turnovers that year.
Paradoxical aspect to 0-5
The Jets are fulfilling Glenn's vision in this respect: They're a very good running team. In fact, their 144-yard average per game is third-best in the league.
Teams that run this well usually are successful because it takes pressure off the quarterback, allows the defense to rest and ... well, you know the deal. A strong rushing attack is the rising tide that lifts all boats.
But not in this case.
The Jets are just the second team in NFL history to go 0-5 while averaging at least 140 rushing yards per game, per ESPN Research. The 1991 San Diego Chargers (152 yards) also did it, and they wound up 4-12.
The Jets simply aren't playing complementary football. The offense isn't benefiting from field position because the defense hasn't created turnovers. When the offense manages a productive drive, it self-sabotages. See: Fumbles by Breece Hall and Braelon Allen inside the opponent's 10-yard line in the past two games.
In each case, the defense responded by allowing a long touchdown drive. Against Dallas, it surrendered two touchdowns in less than a minute, putting the game out of reach before halftime -- a familiar pattern. The Jets haven't scored a touchdown in the first three quarters since Week 1, rendering their running game useless as they try to play catch-up.
Some players admitted a "here we go again" mentality takes over after a big mistake, as it did with the fumbles. It's a sign of a team that doesn't handle adversity well. Years of losing can have that effect. Glenn said he must do a better job of instilling mental toughness.
"Our players who have been here, and staff that have been here, might have some scars," defensive tackle Harrison Phillips said. "It does take some time to break up that scar tissue."
What does 0-5 mean for first-year coaches?
Glenn isn't the first first-year coach to start 0-5 with a new team. In fact, it has happened 12 times since 2000.
Two coaches didn't make it to Year 2 -- Urban Meyer (2-11, Jacksonville Jaguars) and Cam Cameron (1-15, Miami Dolphins). Six others were fired after their second or third year.
Of the 12, only three made it to the playoffs with that team -- Kyle Shanahan (San Francisco 49ers), Zac Taylor (Cincinnati Bengals) and Todd Haley (Kansas City Chiefs), who made the postseason in his second year and was fired a year later.
Glenn's previous boss, Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell, isn't included among the 12 first-timers because he served previously on an interim basis, but he rebounded after an 0-8 start in 2021 to lead perennial contender. Glenn, who was the defensive coordinator for the Lions from 2021 to 2024, often references that experience when discussing his current plight.
The Jets' organization is firmly behind Glenn, who, despite the on-field struggles, has prevented the team from fracturing. Still, the disappointment is profound. He trumpeted this as a "win-now" team, but the Jets are headed toward their 10th straight losing season, barring a miracle turnaround.
No team in NFL history has made the playoffs after an 0-5 start. Reminded of that, quarterback Justin Fields said, "There's a first time for everything."