Jets head coach Aaron Glenn wanted to give the team a chance to stage a comeback, but his call at quarterback largely produced more of the same on Sunday as New York slid to 0-7.
With the Panthers leading 10-3 at halftime, Glenn made the move to backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor and benched starter Justin Fields.
“It was time,” Glenn said Sunday. “I think we needed a spark.”
Glenn did not commit to naming a starting quarterback for Week 8.
Fields completed six passes for 46 yards before the Jets went to Tyrod Taylor. Fields has a total of 15 completions and absorbed 12 sacks in the last two games.
Taylor helped guide the Jets’ first scoring drive of the game after Fields left in the second quarter to be evaluated for a potential head injury.
With Taylor in for good, the Jets were able to put a few decent drives together in the second half. While Taylor moved the ball, he was intercepted twice in the second half by cornerback Jaycee Horn. Horn gave up only one catch in coverage, closed to make a one-handed, diving pick with 34 seconds left in third quarter and snagged his second with 4:32 remaining in the game.
“I’ll make the call,” Glenn said of which way he’s leaning at quarterback. “But there’s a lot of conversation I got to have with myself to see what can I do to make sure that we give us a chance to win. We’ll make the right decision. Whatever the decision is, I’m gonna go with it and we’re gonna move forward.”
Glenn’s winless start to his career as a head coach could hit eight games next week at Cincinnati (3-5). The Jets haven’t lost seven consecutive games since 2020 when they were 2-14 and lost their first 13 before consecutive wins against the Rams and Browns.
New York faces the Browns (2-5) in Week 9.
