Jets have some issues to tackle, especially on defense, after 0-3 start under Aaron Glenn

“I want to look at some of the — I don’t want to call them negative," the coach said, "but I want to look at some of the things that I think there has to be an improvement on.”

Glenn called out the missed tackles by his defense — 16, according to Pro Football Focus. The Jets allowing the Buccaneers to score 10 points off turnovers, including Tyrod Taylor's pick-6, in the final two minutes of the first half was also an issue. So was Tampa Bay opening the second half with a 16-play drive that lasted more than nine minutes and resulted in a field goal that put New York in a 23-6 hole.

“Those are things that we have to make sure we get better on,” said Glenn, still looking for his first win as a head coach.

It was also an opportunity for Glenn, who has harped on the positives after each of the first three games, to send a message to the fans that he's not OK with moral victories.

Still, the fact is the Jets could be 2-1 rather than winless if not for late field goals by Pittsburgh in Week 1 and Tampa Bay on Sunday.

“Overall as a team, I will go back to just how resilient our guys (were) when it comes to getting to that second half, sometime in that middle of the third quarter, and finishing it out and giving us a chance to win,” Glenn said. "At the end of the day, that’s what you have to do as a football team. You have to give yourself every opportunity to win a game. And our guys did that.

“Now, obviously, we didn’t close it out at the end."

The defense was supposed to be the Jets' strength this season, but it has so far underwhelmed through three games by allowing 86 points — contributing greatly to New York's losses.

“I mean, you can’t give up the number of points that we’ve given up and expect to be just gung-ho about it,” Glenn said.

And now, that's the top priority, or the losses — and the fans' frustration — will keep rising.

What’s working

Despite entering the fourth quarter trailing 23-6, the Jets showed some fight while storming back and even taking a brief lead. Since being hired, Glenn has focused on changing the attitude around a franchise that has not made the playoffs in 14 seasons. There are clear signs of that. But the wins have to come soon, too, or talk of a culture change will quickly ring hollow.

What needs help

The Jets need to, uh, tackle their tackling issues. The struggles come even after Glenn made a point of having tackling drills in some practices during training camp, something the players raved about.

“The one thing that you see when it came to tackling,” Glenn said of Sunday's performance, “we was on the ground quite a bit and it was more or less we was diving instead of running through tackles.”

Stock up

DE Will McDonald. The 2023 first-round pick gave the Jets a chance to win when he leaped over the line, blocked a field-goal attempt and returned it 50 yards for a go-ahead score with less than two minutes remaining.

It was the Jets' first blocked field goal returned for a score since Ray Mickens did so in 1997 — when Glenn was on the team.

“I feel like it was kind of a legendary play for me, probably the best play I’ve ever made in my NFL career,” said McDonald, who also has two sacks this season.

Stock down

RB Breece Hall. He could never get going against the Buccaneers and finished with just 21 yards on nine carries, an average of 2.3 yards per rush. Hall tied for second on the team with four catches, but the Jets' offense needs Hall to be productive on the ground for it to have any consistent success.

Injuries

Glenn had no immediate updates on injuries to QB Justin Fields (concussion), LB Quincy Williams (shoulder), edge rusher Jermaine Johnson (ankle) or S Tony Adams (hip).

Fields missed the game while in concussion protocol, but Glenn indicated he's still the starter when he's healthy.

“Justin came in as our starter and he’s been our starter,” Glenn said. "Tyrod was the backup. I want to make sure I know exactly where Justin’s at. I don’t want to say anything until I know that Justin’s clear. So once Justin is clear, I’ll let you know exactly where we’re going.”

Key number

3 of 22 — After going 0 for 11 on third down against Buffalo, the Jets went 3 for 11 against Tampa Bay. It was a slight improvement, but it's still a major issue on offense.

What’s next

The Jets will take on the Dolphins in a Monday night showdown between struggling AFC East rivals. New York has lost nine straight in Miami, with its most recent win coming in Rex Ryan's final game as coach to end the 2014 season.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL