The Jets played the fourth quarter like a team possessed but ultimately needed a little more magic to climb out of a deep hole against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday.
After an exhilarating rally, scoring 21 points and taking a 1-point lead when edge Will McDonald IV blocked a field-goal attempt and returned it for a score, the Bucs (3-0) drove for the game-winning field goal and escaped with a 29-27 win.
"Today showed me a lot about who we were as a team and who we're going to be also," HC Aaron Glenn said after the game. "So, a number of things that we got to correct. And I'm saying this again ... there's no such thing as moral victories when it comes to us. And we're not the same team. We're not the same team at all."
He elaborated on that last statement with conviction in his voice and a certainty in his heart.
"Well, we're not the same team as everyone would say, Same Old Jets," Glenn declared. "These guys are going to fight no matter what the situation is. There's no give up in there [the locker room]. I hate that term, and I really don't know what that term means. But I know this. They're not the same old Jets, alright? These guys are fighters. I love these guys. And listen, we know we have work to do. And I said this before, this is not an instant coffee team, right? This is a team that is going to continue to keep stacking until we get to where we need to get to, to where we can consistently win these games. And again, I like where we are at, but I know we have a lot of work to do."
The loss left the Jets chasing their first victory of the season, and Glenn pursuing his first as a head coach in the NFL. The next opportunity comes against their winless AFC East rival Miami when the Jets return to Florida for the Week 4 game on Monday night, Sept. 29. Until then, Glenn said his team's confidence and resolve continue to grow.
"We're 0 and 3. How many games do we have left?" Glenn asked the assembled groups of reporters who responded in unison, "14."
Glenn continued: "That speaks for itself. We have a lot of games to go play. And you can build on this. You can build on this. The one thing I don't do, which I understand that New York media tries to do, is the negative parts of it. But I'm not going to be that way. I'm going to let you guys deal with that. You know, we're going to look at the things that we did well, we're going to continue to push forward, because we're going to improve, and we're going to make sure we get over that hump."
The climax of the Jets' 21-point fourth quarter, which began with the Green & White trailing by 23-6, was McDonald's leap over the Bucs' offensive line as Bucs' kicker Chase McLaughlin attempted a 43-yard field goal with 2 minutes to play. For the guy who posted videos of himself jumping over cars from his days at Iowa State, McDonald delivered in live action, got his hands on the ball and then scooped it up and rambled untouched 50 yards to tie the game, 26-26. Nick Folks' PAT gave the Jets a 1-point lead, before McLaughlin's field goal with 3 seconds left decided a thrilling game.
"Our special team coordinator [Chris] Banjo does a good job of identifying guys that can go make a play for us," Glenn said. "And it just so happened, doing scout team, Will wanted to rush the kick. And he was rushing from the edge. And then Banjo said, listen, we might give this guy a chance. And then we did, we had some edge rushes. And then the one critical one where he [McDonald] was able to leap and make a play was one that that Banjo did a really good job of calling at that time of need. And listen, playmakers make plays. And that's what this game is all about."
Tough loss and all on the road, Glenn's message continues to be upbeat and positive.
"It's always tough," he said. "But here's the thing we also talked about, confidence and belief, and that's why I said these guys are not the same. These guys believe and we're going to continue to believe and no matter what the situation is... We can always win the game. And those guys showed that. So I was proud of that.
"We've got to get better and we will get better."
