A record of 2-4 looks a lot better than 0-6; that’s for sure.

For the New York Jets, that is the difference between 2025 and this season, where they are 2-4 through their first six games. The record is up, sure. The team is more “watchable”, yes.

However, there are certainly still spots where the team just hasn’t looked much better, and it’s costing them. You could throw coaching into that category, but penalties are right up there.

The Jets’ penalty differential currently stands at -132 yards, the worst mark in the league. Penalties have killed them in multiple phases, including on offense and in key defensive situations.

Through the first four weeks alone, the Jets logged seven delay-of-game infractions, the most in 25-plus years. That just constantly kept the unit behind schedule, and it can’t happen at that level with an experienced veteran quarterback like Geno Smith.

Obviously, there is an advantage in milking the play clock and running it down as much as possible. Situations aside, it gives the offense more time to get a pulse on what the opposing defense is trying to do, and those advantages are valuable. However, it’s also frustrating when they turn into highly avoidable five-yard penalties.

This offense isn’t good enough to overcome setbacks like that, especially on third down. Frank Reich, as a play-caller, has already struggled to consistently put his players in the best schematic position to succeed.

Furthermore, the team has also struggled to finish drives in the red zone. Look at Sunday’s loss to the New England Patriots, where they went 0-for-3 in the red zone, and the final score was 26-20. That’s the difference between a win and a loss for the Jets, and between 2-4 and 3-3.

Defensively, penalties could be an even greater disadvantage. A penalty that extends a drive on third down is also back-breaking, especially given how many tight games the Jets have been in this season.

The Jets’ -132-yard penalty differential currently averages out to a 22-yard disadvantage per game. That just can’t happen. It’s not a path to winning football games sustainably in the NFL.

At the end of the day, it all comes back to the “discipline” that the Jets continue to lack. Look, there are still a lot of issues with the team aside from penalties, but most of them all lead back to the common denominator: coaching.

Until the Jets stop consistently putting themselves at a disadvantage, sustained success will be difficult.