Jets' defense makes impressive NFL history not seen since 1999

1 week ago 22

Coming into the 2026 NFL season, the New York Jets were a team with plenty of question marks about how good they would actually be, and whether this would be Aaron Glenn's last year as the head coach.

Through five weeks, the Jets have played fairly well and sit at 2-3 with a winning record not that out of reach. While the offense has been fine, the really impressive thing for this team is how well the defense has played through the first five weeks.

According to ESPN Research, the Jets' defense under Glenn has made some NFL history not seen since the 1999 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with some very strong defensive performances in the first five games of the year.

Jets make NFL history on defense not seen since 1999

"The Jets are the first team since the 1999 Buccaneers to hold three of their first five opponents to fewer than 200 yards of offense," ESPN Research shared.

This Jets defense has been incredibly impressive to begin the year. Rookie pass rusher David Bailey is the likely Defensive Rookie of the Year favorite, and there are plenty of other things to like about this defense.

In their first five games, the Jets' defense has been holding teams to under 200 yards more often than not, beginning in Week 1 against the Tennessee Titans.

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Beating the Titans 23-10, the Jets held Tennessee's offense to just 195 total yards. In Week 2, they faced a great Green Bay Packers offense.

While they lost in Week 2, the Jets defense, once again, allowed less than 200 yards, giving up 199 yards to Jordan Love and the Packers.

Week 3 was a bit of a challenge against the Detroit Lions, losing 31-24 while allowing 381 total yards. Week 4 was another rough one, as the Jets lost 23-12, allowing the Bears' backup QB Tyson Bagent to lead the offense to 492 yards of offense.

But in Week 5 against the Cleveland Browns, Glenn's defense held Deshaun Watson and the Cleveland offense to just 198 yards, making for a third game where their defense allowed no more than 200 yards this season, making some NFL history in the process.