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Unsurprisingly, the Jets' skid has reached four games after losing 35-12 to the Chiefs on Sunday. Questionable coaching decisions, poor execution, and failing to score a touchdown in the red zone were just a few of the ongoing issues that continue to show up in the team’s losses.
With the loss, New York drops to 2-7, and head coach Aaron Glenn is now 5-21 since taking over in 2025. With the playoffs out of the horizon and Glenn all but out of a job after the season ends, there isn’t much to look forward to other than the young players.
Speaking of which, several rookies and sophomores stood out despite the team’s loss. With that said, let’s take a look at where they rank heading into Gang Green’s Week 10 matchup against the Bills.
Note: Anez Cooper and VJ Payne are currently excluded from the list. Cooper is on injured reserve but is eligible to return after missing the first four games of the season. Meanwhile, Payne hasn’t played in a game.
Barring a Garrett Wilson trade request in the offseason, he should be among the Jets’ top receiving options in 2027, alongside Omar Cooper Jr. and Adonai Mitchell. Isaiah Williams could also be in the mix, but he’ll have to earn that spot. The same goes for Arian Smith.
Although he couldn’t prove his worth this season, Smith’s play was extremely underwhelming in his rookie campaign, recording just seven receptions for 52 yards.
With New York likely to strengthen the receiver corps in the offseason, Smith is unlikely to remain with Gang Green unless he makes significant progress as a receiver.
With each Jets loss, Cade Klubnik’s chances of playing this season increase. After Sunday’s defeat, his odds have reached an all-time high.
Even though Geno Smith wasn’t to blame for the loss, New York simply has no incentive to continue putting him out there. He’s shown that he can still play at a high level and lead an offense, but the Jets’ coaching and the team’s poor execution consistently let him down.
As long as Glenn remains head coach, they likely won’t turn to Klubnik anytime soon, as Glenn needs wins to secure his job. But if things continue as they have been, don’t be surprised if they name Klubnik the starter coming out of the bye week against Denver.
A five-game sample against some of the league's best defenses should give New York a better idea of what it has in him.
Kiko Mauigoa has been on the injured reserve since reinjuring his quad in Week 6 against the Patriots.
In the three games the former 2025 fifth-round selection appeared in, Mauigoa exclusively played on special teams, as New York has primarily stuck with two inside linebackers this season. But with the Jets continuing to drop games, there’s a chance Mauigoa could earn reps on defense if he returns this season.
With Demario Davis continuing to show that he’s regressed dramatically this season, it’s time the team tried someone else alongside Jamien Sherwood. Mauigoa could be an option.
Andre Cisco had been the Jets’ third safety behind Dane Belton and Minkah Fitzpatrick.
But things seemed to change on Sunday, when Malachi Moore received a season-high 17 defensive snaps against the Chiefs while Cisco exclusively played on special teams. While some may have viewed this as a reward for his incredible performance on special teams, posting eight tackles and earning a 79.9 special teams grade, per Pro Football Focus, it was actually an effort to keep Cisco healthy before eventually trading him to the Lions on Monday afternoon.
Playing his first defensive snaps since Week 5, the former 2025 fourth-round selection didn’t necessarily stand out, recording just one tackle and allowing a catch for 19 yards in 12 coverage snaps.
Even with Cisco gone, it doesn’t guarantee Moore as the backup safety. With rookie VJ Payne making his return to practice last week, Moore must continue to make the most of his opportunity.
The Jets’ usage of D’Angelo Ponds has been intriguing, to say the least.
Since returning from a calf injury in Week 3, Ponds has played sparingly, appearing in just 87 defensive snaps across seven games.
The former Indiana Hoosier played in a season-high 30 snaps in Week 7’s matchup against the Dolphins, playing particularly well against the run, before seeing just one snap against the Raiders last week
On Sunday, Ponds played 22 snaps, recording two tackles and giving up a touchdown. He also committed a costly illegal contact penalty on third-and-11; however, David Bailey forced a turnover two plays later.
Even though it was an underwhelming game from Ponds, we must cut him some slack. He’s transitioning from outside corner to nickelback, a position at which he lined up at just 28 times in college.
Ponds will experience more growing pains, and New York must learn to live with it by giving him consistent playing time. It's the only way he’ll develop.
Kenyon Sadiq was more involved in New York’s loss to Kansas City than he’d been the past few weeks, but not all of it was for the right reasons.
The former Oregon Duck hauled in all four of his targets for 49 yards, finishing second on the team behind Omar Cooper Jr.
Kenyon Sadiq makin it look easy
— New York Jets (@nyjets) November 8, 2026
📺: #NYJvsKC on @NFLonCBS | @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/VzYXDSx5VU
The bad news is that Sadiq was penalized twice.
His first penalty came on the opening drive, where he committed a false start in Chiefs’ territory. This wasn’t costly, as New York came away with three points. Meanwhile, his second penalty did cost the Jets points.
On second-and-five with 53 seconds left in the first half at Kansas City’s 25, Sadiq was called for a facemask penalty, negating a seven-yard run by Breece Hall. Although the Jets still managed to stay in field goal range, Jason Sanders missed a 53-yard kick.
The two flags shouldn’t draw major concerns, but Sadiq must learn from his mistakes.
Mason Taylor played extremely well in his first three games back from a thumb injury, recording 12 catches for 114 yards and two touchdowns.
In the past two games, however, the former LSU Tiger has been quiet, posting just four receptions for 30 yards. Although Taylor wasn’t involved much in the passing game in the team’s loss to Kansas City, he ended up hurting the Jets with two costly penalties.
His first penalty was a false start in Chiefs’ territory, which stalled the drive and led the Jets to kick a field goal. Down nine in the third quarter, Taylor was called for an illegal shift on third-and-four, negating a 19-yard reception by Adonai Mitchell. On the next play, Smith was sacked on third-and-nine, and New York was forced to punt.
Although his penalties weren’t the reason for New York’s loss, Taylor must clean things up moving forward.
Despite playing a career-high 47 defensive snaps against the Chiefs, Darrell Jackson Jr. was relatively quiet, recording just three tackles and one pressure.
His presence in the middle is critical, with David Onyemata and T’Vondre Sweat on the injured reserve. However, Jackson and the Jets' defensive line struggled against Kenneth Walker and Kansas City’s ground game, which combined for 163 rushing yards on 32 carries.
Even though Jackson hasn’t consistently made noteworthy plays, he’s displayed flashes of being a quality rotational player. Between his run stuff on fourth down against Las Vegas last week and his two batted passes and a sack against the Browns, Jackson is a player worth keeping an eye on over the next few weeks.
After starting the season strong in coverage, Azareye’h Thomas’ play has taken a significant step backward over the past few weeks.
The former 2025 third-round selection struggled to cover Kansas City’s pass-catchers, allowing five catches (six targets) for 63 yards and earning a 48.3 coverage grade, per PFF. His worst play came on the first play of the Chiefs’ ninth offensive drive, where he got burnt by 37-year-old Travis Kelce for 38 yards.
Thomas wasn’t even close to Kelce when he caught it, and he just looked completely lost several times. He didn’t fare any better against Rashee Rice or Xavier Worthy, as both created separation.
Thomas played well when he was pressing against receivers and using his physicality to throw them off their routes. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen much of that recently.
Hopefully, Thomas can get back on track in Week 10 against Buffalo.
After not receiving a single target in last week’s loss against the Raiders, offensive coordinator Frank Reich made it a priority to get Omar Cooper Jr. involved in the passing game.
Without Wilson, Cooper was Smith’s go-to receiver, leading the team in receptions (8), targets (11), and yards (58). Although the former Indiana Hoosier didn’t have any explosive downfield plays as he did against the Patriots and Dolphins, he displayed his playmaking ability on screen passes, finishing with 53 yards after the catch.
Even though we’ve only gotten 198 offensive snaps of Cooper, he’s proven to be a great pick by GM Darren Mougey and has the potential to be a critical contributor for years to come.
Over the past few weeks, Armand Membou has been building a strong case to potentially be selected for the Pro Bowl. The former seventh overall pick has impressed with his run blocking and pass protection, allowing just five pressures over the last three games.
However, those hopes flew out the window on Sunday. Membou had his worst game of the season, giving up two sacks and three pressures, while also earning a 40.5 run-blocking grade, per PFF. One of those sacks came on third down against Chris Jones, where Membou was overpowered by the star defensive tackle.
Frustrated by the team's play and his own performance, Membou slammed his helmet to the ground and was hit with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
Sunday’s performance doesn’t tell just how important Membou has been this season, as he’s been one of the Jets’ few bright spots. However, No. 1’s play today drops him in the rankings.
For the first time this season, we have a new No. 1 in the rankings: David Bailey.
After missing last week with a strained groin, the No. 2 overall pick reminded everyone just how important he is with a dominant pass-rush display against Kansas City. Bailey had his way against right tackle Jaylon Moore, finishing the day with five pressures and two sacks.
He did just about everything he could to keep the Jets in this game, forcing two fumbles and playing particularly well against the run. Although it may not have been his best game in generating pressure, Bailey arguably had his best all-around performance of the season against the Chiefs, recording a season-high nine total tackles.
If Bailey can replicate similar success against the Bills, he should remain atop at No. 1.
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