Through the last two months, New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn has pointed to his previous time with the Detroit Lions as an example of a team building a strong culture through losing and coming out on the other side as one of the best teams in football.
The Lions’ start under Dan Campbell provides hope to struggling coaches and franchises. Detroit opened 0-10-1 in Campbell’s first season before winning three of the final six games. They improved to nine wins in his second season, followed by back-to-back NFC North titles.
Nick Mangold: The embodiment of a true New York Jet
Fast forward to 2025, and Glenn’s Jets have finally shown life in his first season at the helm. After an 0-7 start, New York’s 39-38 road comeback victory over the Cincinnati Bengals not only gave the team its first win of the season, but it also strengthened comparisons to the 2021 Lions season that Glenn was a part of.
Jets begin building foundation
New York trailed by two scores multiple times in their comeback victory on Sunday. The defense, struggling for most of the game, locked up the Bengals when they needed to most to keep the offense afloat.
Justin Fields and Breece Hall led an attack that recorded over 500 yards of offense, including 254 on the ground, an incredible total that highlighted a dominant performance from the offensive line.
More importantly, Glenn and his coaching staff made adjustments throughout the game that had Cincinnati’s staff flummoxed.
Finally, it seems, there’s light at the end of the tunnel for New York.
Sunday’s win felt much like the ones collected by Campbell’s Lions in 2021. That season, Detroit got off to a very poor start due to a bad defense, inconsistent offense, and a coaching staff that seemed to be overwhelmed with every big decision.
As the season progressed, though, the coaching staff got better, the offense began to hum, and the defense made key stops when it needed to despite overall struggles (a low barometer, but worth noting).
Across their three late-season victories over the Vikings, Cardinals, and Packers, the Lions averaged 32 points per game. In two of those victories, the defense allowed at least 27 points, but the offense was productive enough to pull out a close win.
The first of those victories was similar to New York’s win in Cincinnati. Detroit’s defense struggled, allowing 426 yards to the Vikings, but the offense put together a strong performance, capped off with a game-winning 75-yard touchdown drive as the clock expired.
Not everything about that Lions season is comparable to this year’s Jets team. The Jets are working with more overall roster talent in the first season of their regime than Detroit was.
But the Lions had an established quarterback in Jared Goff. The Jets do not, even if Fields played well on Sunday.
It was far from a perfect performance, but the Jets’ win on Sunday proved they can grow into a team that learns how to win in 2025. It strengthens the comparisons between Glenn’s former stomping grounds to his current team in New York.
What happens now?
Speaking to reporters after an emotional meeting with his team, Glenn made it very clear that the goal moving forward for the Jets was to find consistency for the remainder of the year.
“This is a game of players making plays, especially in crucial times, and we had a number of guys that made plays at crucial times,” Glenn said. “I’m happy that we got us a win today and now we have to get ready to go to this bye week and then get ready for Cleveland after the bye week.”
This is an important answer from Glenn. While he could celebrate his first victory as a head coach or point to how important the win was, he makes it clear that the focus must shift to the bye week.
It shows a Jets team that isn’t settling or getting too excited over a 1-7 record.
There are nine more games left in the 2025 season. It’s highly unlikely that the Jets will run the table and win 10 games. But if the team can show incremental improvements and find some consistency on both sides of the field, it could fundamentally change how the organization looks at the end of the year.
The building blocks are being set. The team finally has its first win. Now, it needs to find the consistency to take the next step as a rebuilding and retooling roster.
If the 2021 Lions have taught fans anything, it’s that one win can certainly change life for a downtrodden organization.