Jets' Aaron Glenn 'disappointed but highly encouraged' by Week 1 loss
The New York Jets' 34-32 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers to open the Aaron Glenn era will feel like the one that got away, and for a team that is desperate for wins, this one will sting.
Having won all the major statistical categories except the score (most important one), there was plenty to like for the Jets, on both sides of the ball, with Justin Fields running Tanner Engstrand's offense well. The defense gave up a total of just 53 rushing yards but did allow four Aaron Rodgers passing touchdowns.
So, there were a lot of positive things to take out of Week 1, but one thing we know about Glenn is that he isn't about moral victories; he wants proper wins.
But what were his main takeaways from the loss?
“Disappointed, but highly encouraged on things that I saw on tape,” Glenn said. “From an offensive perspective, I think we played exactly the brand of football that we've been actually practicing going from OTAs all the way into training camp. Defensively, I thought our front did a really nice job of creating pressure and stopping the run. Exactly what we want to do to make a team one-dimensional.”
Encouraging signs from Jets in season opener
Justin Fields and the offense rolled for the most part...until the fourth quarter, when it hit the skids and scored on just one of their four possessions.
But it is Week 1, so we aren't throwing the baby out with the bath water; however, this loss was one that the Jets shouldn't have had. They did more than enough to win the game, and as Glenn mentioned, the offense played like it was supposed to, and the defense made Pittsburgh one-dimensional.
Yet Rodgers still tossed four touchdown passes to lead his new team to a win.
Disappointed but highly encouraged feels like the perfect summation of New York in Week 1.
Let's see if they can build on it.
$240 Million QB Dak Prescott Shines in Season Opener But Still Faces Criticism
The first week of the NFL regular season was an absolute movie for Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott — one that began with “Spitgate” and ended with a thrilling, 24-20 loss to the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
In between all of that, Prescott played his position just about as well as anyone in the NFL.
That’s why Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski made Prescott one of just 6 quarterbacks to receive an “A” grade or higher in Week 1 — and the only one who earned the grade despite a loss.
The Cowboys very well could have come out with the win if not for a trio of uncharacteristic drops from NFL All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb in the second half.
Prescott, who missed 9 games in 2024 with a hamstring injury, finished 21-of-34 passing for 188 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions but was also brilliant in the pocket against one of the NFL’s top defense and didn’t take a single sack.
“All of the hullabaloo aside … quarterback Dak Prescott played as well as anyone could have expected in the Dallas Cowboys’ season opener,” Sobleski wrote on September 9. “However, his teammates didn’t help as much as they should have. CeeDee Lamb is one of the league’s best wide receivers. But three official drops, not including a fourth where he could have made a diving grab, all but sealed Dallas’ defeat at the hands of the rival Eagles … Prescott just needs to keep playing the same way he did in Week 1 and good things should start to happen for the Cowboys.”
Preseason Overshadowed By Parsons Soap Opera
Prescott and every other player on the Cowboys roster faded into the background during the preseason thanks to the epic soap opera drama between former edge rusher Micah Parsons and owner Jerry Jones.
There may have been an unseen benefit for Prescott. Were the Parsons drama not to have played out like it did, there’s a world in which the entire preseason’s top storyline would have been how Prescott, the NFL’s highest paid player at $60 million per year, has continued to fail to bring his team to the next level.
By the time Parsons was traded to the Green Bay Packers on August 28, the regular season was all but upon us and all Prescott had left to do was play.
Not Considered NFL Top 10 Quarterback
If you want to know the esteem in which Prescott was held in the eyes of NFL executives, coaches and scouts headed into 2025, just take one look at ESPN’s annual preseason position rankings.
Prescott, who was NFL Most Valuable Player runner-up and an NFL All-Pro in 2023, wasn’t just completely left out of the Top 10. He was also left off one of the 2 honorable mention slots and relegated to the “others receiving votes” category.
Within his own division, Prescott is no longer even looked at as elite. Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2024 — the same award Prescott won in 2016.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts capped his year by being named Super Bowl MVP after a 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.
