NY Jets just did something they haven’t done since 1998

The preseason doesn’t matter?

Don’t tell that to Aaron Glenn.

The New York Jets’ first-year head coach pulled no punches in his first game as the team’s leader, playing all of his healthy starters on both sides of the ball. Matt LaFleur’s Green Bay Packers did the same, but it was LaFleur’s championship-hopeful squad that, in his words, had a “humbling experience.”

The Jets’ first-team offense recorded a 10-play, 79-yard touchdown drive on its only series against the Packers’ starting defense. Meanwhile, across two drives led by starting quarterback Jordan Love and the first-team offense, Green Bay managed 32 yards and zero points against Glenn’s starting defense.

New York’s backups held up their end of the bargain for the rest of the night, and the Jets cruised to a 30-10 win.

Storming into the house of an organization that owns the NFL’s second-best home record since 2019 (38-12), New York overwhelmed Green Bay from the get-go. The Jets strung together four quarters of physical dominance. It was visibly apparent which team played harder.

For the Packers, the magnitude of this loss comes as somewhat of a shock for the franchise. The 20-point defeat marked Green Bay’s most lopsided home loss in the preseason since 2012.

As meaningless as the preseason can be, it is worth noting that the Jets have not pulled off an exhibition victory like this in a long time. And the last time they did, it was a sign of great things to come.

Jets’ unfamiliar preseason dominance

From James Morgan’s Hail Mary to Israel Abanikanda’s Carolina spin cycle, the Jets have had their share of inspiring preseason moments in recent years. But we haven’t seen something quite like this in the 21st century.

Saturday marked New York’s first road win by 14+ points in a preseason opener since August 6, 1998, when they picked up a 29-15 victory against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Jets fans are familiar with that year. Bill Parcells was the head coach, fresh off leading a remarkable turnaround in 1997. Aaron Glenn was the team’s star cornerback, coming off his first Pro Bowl appearance.

Parcells and Glenn would lead the Jets to a 12-4 season, earning an AFC East division crown. New York made a run to the AFC championship game, where they fell to the eventual Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos.

The first sign of their eventual success can be traced back to the preseason opener.

Heading on the road, Parcells’ Jets did not relax, beating the Eagles into the ground from the opening kickoff. New York led 20-3 until Philadelphia tacked on points late in the game. The starting offense recorded two scoring drives in about one quarter of playing time.

Notably, as it relates to the Jets’ 2025 preseason opener, Parcells’ team saw signs of hope from its eventual starting quarterback.

At the time, Vinny Testaverde was behind Glenn Foley on the depth chart. But Testaverde performed well in the preseason-opening road trip, completing seven of his 11 passes for 94 yards and a touchdown. He led two scoring drives in his short time on the field with New York’s reserves.

It was an early glimpse into what eventually became a dominant campaign for the 35-year-old. After replacing Foley early in the season, Testaverde led the Jets to a 12-1 record across his 13 starts, earning a trip to the Pro Bowl.

In 1998, Testaverde reached heights he had never sniffed before. He posted a career-best 101.6 passer rating, which was a Jets franchise record at the time (it remains the second-best mark). That was nearly 13 points better than his previous career high.

Justin Fields is much younger than Testaverde was at the time, but Fields hopes to experience a similar leap in his passing efficiency. Saturday’s preseason opener was the first sign that he might be able to pull it off. Fields registered a combined 56 passing and rushing yards on just six dropbacks, leading a crisp, methodical, and efficient touchdown drive.

Could history repeat itself in the Meadowlands?

It would be ridiculous to use this parallel as evidence that the Jets are closing in on a 12-win season. Nonetheless, it is fascinating to learn that New York has not earned a preseason win of this caliber in 27 years, and that the last time they did, it was the start of a remarkable season.

The connection becomes all the more intriguing because of Glenn’s ties between both teams. Glenn witnessed firsthand the techniques that Parcells used to jumpstart a struggling Jets franchise. Now, as the coach of his own struggling Jets team, Glenn is implementing the lessons he learned from Parcells, who still coaches Glenn to this day.

Parcells, known for his no-nonsense approach, had his Jets players ready to perform at a high level from the start of the preseason. It helped ensure that the entire roster – including the starters – was already prepared for live-game intensity when the regular season arrived.

Glenn is mimicking this approach. Like his mentor, he had his team ready to kick off the preseason by humbling an opponent in their own house.

It might be a sign of things to come. It might be a flash in the pan.

Either way, the history behind New York’s preseason-opening win is enough to validate the excitement that Jets fans are feeling at the moment.