NFL Power Rankings: New York Jets Face A Tough Test As Their Season Continues To Slip

New York Jets look to shake the Buffalo Bills on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.© Image via: X/@New York Jets

Few teams enter a game at 2-7 and still hold your attention. The New York Jets manage it. They host the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, and they arrive after four straight losses, a 35-12 beating in Kansas City, and a growing chorus asking whether coach Aaron Glenn gets a third season. The record looks ugly, but the story underneath is stranger. A rookie is playing like a defensive star, the draft board is tilting in their favor, and losing might be the smartest thing they do this month.

Aaron Glenn Feels The Heat As The New York Jets Slide Down The Power Rankings

Glenn is 5-21 in a season and a half as head coach, and pundits aren't shy about it. One national columnist joked that he should post his resume online. The major outlets rank the Jets anywhere from 26th to 31st, and Glenn's talk about "the process" is wearing thin nine games in.

What makes it frustrating is that the cupboard isn't bare. Geno Smith has played fine by most accounts. The defense leaks yards, though, and sloppy mistakes keep cancelling out good drives. Talent without discipline gets you 2-7.

workin' https://t.co/IfAL86qf2w

— New York Jets (@nyjets) November 12, 2026

Then there's the odd math. Next week New York visits the Los Angeles Chargers, the league's only winless team. A Jets win could cost them a shot at the No. 1 pick. Between their own selection and the Indianapolis Colts' pick, they could hold two top-five slots. Fans who want wins and fans who want draft position are pulling in opposite directions, and ownership may not enjoy that tug of war.

David Bailey Gives The New York Jets Hope While The Seattle Seahawks Lurk In The NFC

Rookie pass rusher David Bailey is the best reason to keep watching. He has 7.5 sacks and five forced fumbles through eight games, and no rookie since 2000 has reached both numbers that quickly. Some analysts already pencil him in as a Defensive Rookie of the Year contender. Fellow first-rounder Omar Cooper Jr. looks like a keeper too.

Buffalo will need a plan for that pass rush. Elsewhere, the NFC race is far from settled. The Seattle Seahawks sit at 5-4 behind an elite defense, and they should improve once quarterback Sam Darnold returns from injury. Drew Lock has stepped in capably, but second-half football tests backups. The Los Angeles Rams are also 5-4, and with Davante Adams and Puka Nacua on injured reserve, Myles Garrett has to carry even more of the load. The Green Bay Packers, at 6-3, expect Micah Parsons back soon, and their defense looks like a different unit with him on the field.