The Jets dropped their first AFC East matchup of the year, losing 26-19 to the New England Patriots on the road. The Green & White trailed by 14 points at halftime but played a strong third quarter to get within one score before the Patriots extended their lead in the fourth quarter.
QB Geno Smith, who threw for over 250 yards and a TD, said in games like this, there's always plays he'd want back but his confidence in his teammates is unwavering.
"I feel like we always have a chance to win every game that we play. We did a great job of fighting back after the half and gave ourselves a shot," Smith said. "That's what you love to see in a competitive team. Like I always say, there's no moral victories. We have to find ways to win these games. We're never out of a game."
HC Aaron Glenn said finishing on offense and the details of their defensive play are two key areas the Jets must continue to focus on. Next week, the Green & White will return home to face the Miami Dolphins (0-5) who are coming off a bye week.
"I don't think anybody feels good about being 2-4, but I do feel good about the effort that we played with," Glenn said.
The Jets missed out on several opportunities offensively and were 0-of-3 in the red zone while the Patriots were 2-of-4. The Green & White only converted 3-of-10 on third down — the Patriots were 8-of-15 — and turned the ball over on downs twice, failing to get a first down on fourth-and-2 from the New England 30 and fourth-and-1 from the New England 39.
"We've got a lot of capable guys," Smith said. "As a unit, we have a lot of room for improvement. That's a good thing, but we've got to get going."
See the best photos from the Jets game against the Patriots in Week 6.
The Jets' lone TD was an explosive one with Smith finding rookie WR Omar Cooper Jr. 48 yards down field. Cooper is one of the many young components to this offense and Smith said he "did a tremendous job" in his first game back from injury.
Ultimately, the Jets know they need to execute better and more consistently to finish games and have more successful red zone trips.
"Listen, we have playmakers and we know that. Now we've got to make sure we get in practice and do it over and over again until it becomes part of our DNA," Glenn said. "It's also a mental thing too, just having that mentality we've got to finish on every play."
