Jets and Raiders Face Mounting Pressure in Sunday Showdown

The New York Jets, with a 2-5 record after losing five of their last six games, host the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday at MetLife Stadium. The Jets are facing significant fan dissatisfaction, with many calling for the dismissal of head coach Aaron Glenn as the team appears headed for a 16th consecutive postseason miss, the longest drought in North American professional sports.

Glenn acknowledged the external pressure, stating, “We know it’s going to get noisy. That’s just what happens in this league with any team — especially at this point, when the record is not exactly where it needs to be. The most important thing for us, and I think our guys have been doing a heck of a job with this, is just blocking out everything on the outside.”

The Raiders (3-4) have lost four consecutive games following a promising 3-0 start. Despite speculation, first-year coach Klint Kubiak reaffirmed that veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins will remain the starter. Cousins leads the NFL with 16 touchdown passes.

"I’ve seen the production,” Kubiak said. “The production’s there. But it’s a team game, so we’ve got to produce together in order to win football games."

For Glenn, a victory against the Raiders could alleviate some of the mounting criticism, particularly concerning his game management. In the previous week’s loss to the Dolphins, he failed to utilize a timeout at the end of the first half, a decision that preceded a Dolphins touchdown and left the Jets with insufficient time. Since Glenn took over as coach in 2025, the Jets have been outscored 107-6 in the final two minutes of the second quarter, a statistic that has drawn significant attention from his detractors.

Despite the external noise, players have expressed continued support for Glenn. Center Josh Myers commented, “I’ve been around a lot of good coaches and a lot of good leaders, and I’ve said it a lot: I think A.G. is one of the best I’ve ever been around. I still believe that and I’ll continue believing that.”

Jets quarterback Geno Smith will face his former team. Smith had a challenging tenure with the Raiders last season, leading the league with 17 interceptions. The Raiders traded Smith to the Jets in March, agreeing to assume a significant portion of his contract. This season, the Raiders are paying Smith $16.2 million while the Jets are paying $3.3 million.

Smith acknowledged the frustration following the Jets' 28-25 home loss to the Dolphins last week, noting the need to give the fans a reason to cheer. “I think in terms of the fans, we have to give them something to be pleased with, and so it comes down to us going out there, starting early, playing well, and giving them a reason to cheer,” Smith said. “It was pretty loud at the end of that game when we got close and we had an opportunity. I thought the fanbase was great, so I expect the same things.”

Smith also voiced his confidence in Glenn, stating, “I’ve been in this league a long time and we never preach moral victories, but most of our losses, if not all, were one-score games. So, obviously we want to turn those in our direction, but Coach Glenn, again, the work that he puts in throughout the week, we all know it. The direction of this team, I believe in it.

“We’ve got to finish games. It really comes down to us as players and if we finish those games, I think things are a lot different. But that’s the way it is in this league. It’s always going to be these one-score games, and when we find a way to finish everyone will be happy with it.”