New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn has a favorable history against Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love.

However, that is not the only coaching matchup on the Jets’ side entering Sunday’s home opener.

Geno Smith has an even better history against Packers defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon.

“He always plays well against me or us or whoever I’m with,” Gannon told reporters regarding Smith this week.

Well, he’s not wrong. Here’s a look at Smith’s history against Green Bay’s DC.

Smith’s track record against Gannon

Gannon spent three seasons as the Arizona Cardinals’ head coach (2023-25). Over those first two years, Smith was with the Seattle Seahawks and faced Arizona four times as division rivals.

Here were Smith’s combined numbers:

  • 4-0 record
  • 80-of-113 passing (70.8% completion rate)
  • 895 passing yards (223.8 per game)
  • 7.9 yards per attempt
  • 6 touchdowns
  • 2 interceptions
  • 1 lost fumble
  • 7 sacks taken (1.8 per game)
  • 104.4 passer rating

That’s an efficient body of work for Smith. Most importantly, he led Seattle to wins in all four of their clashes.

There is an important disclaimer, though. Gannon did not call Arizona’s defensive plays in those matchups. Defensive coordinator Nick Rallis handled that responsibility.

It was still Gannon’s system, though. Rallis worked under Gannon when he was the Philadelphia Eagles’ defensive coordinator, and it remained Gannon’s scheme, though Rallis handled the play-calling.

Green Bay has more talent than those Arizona defenses, but their current defensive situation isn’t very intimidating.

The Packers will be without Micah Parsons on Sunday as he continues recovering from the torn ACL he suffered late last season. That changes their entire defensive outlook.

Green Bay entered the season 0-5 in games without Parsons following his injury (which includes the game he exited). After allowing 39 points in their Week 1 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, that record has since dropped to 0-6, while the team is allowing 30.5 points per game in those contests.

This is where Smith’s Week 1 performance, and his track record from an accuracy standpoint, becomes encouraging.

Smith completed 19 of 24 passes for 215 yards in the Jets’ 23-10 Week 1 win over the Tennessee Titans. He also averaged 9.0 yards per attempt and posted a 104.0 passer rating without a turnover or a sack.

Smith flashed his capabilities when his supporting cast places him in an ideal situation. When consistently given clean pockets, he can punish opposing defenses with his accuracy.

Jets can mix it up

Most importantly, Gannon doesn’t need to just worry about the Jets’ passing attack.

Gang Green ran the ball 39 times in Week 1 compared to only 24 passing attempts, allowing Smith to operate without having to be Superman.

This week will be an interesting determinant in the Jets’ offensive strategy. Perhaps offensive coordinator Frank Reich had the luxury of his opponent not having any film on his new offense going into its first game, and it was a flash rather than something sustainable.

However, the Jets proved how effective their ground game can be with the explosiveness of Breece Hall and a very strong offensive line.

If the Jets can maintain a balanced attack, it will put even more pressure on Gannon to contain the Jets’ offense as a whole—not just Smith.