Facing a fourth-and-8 situation from the Denver 44-yard line, the New York Jets bypassed a potential Nick Folk 62-yard game-winning field goal. Instead, Jets quarterback Justin Fields didn’t even get a throw off while taking a sack.
It sealed a brutal 13-11 loss, leaving fans questioning Aaron Glenn’s decision. What was he thinking, exactly?
Speaking to reporters following the loss, Glenn addressed his choice to leave the offense on the field.
“Well, the 35-yard line for us [was the target],” Glenn said in his postgame press conference. “He kicked a 58-yarder; it was his career-long, so if we could have gotten to the 35, we felt really good. I just thought that was tough [to attempt a field goal].”
Against Denver, Folk converted on all three of his field goal attempts, including a 52-yarder, keeping his 100% field goal conversion rate on the season intact.
“He’s Steady Eddy,” said Jets special teams coordinator Chris Banjo earlier in the week. “Not just here, but even his previous two years in Tennessee—it just speaks to who he is as a person, the consistency not just as a professional, off the field as well, it’s been really, really cool to watch him at work.”
Ultimately, the Jets’ decision to leave the offense on the field resulted in a game-sealing sack from Denver’s defense, their ninth of the game.
Had the Jets sent Folk out and he missed, critics would have blasted Aaron Glenn for not trusting his offense. Instead, keeping the unit on the field backfired, and now fans are questioning why the veteran kicker wasn’t given a chance.
In the end, hindsight always wins, especially when a decision ends in defeat.
