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As the New York Jets continue to search for solutions after a discouraging 23-12 defeat to the Chicago Bears last Sunday, they now look ahead to a Week 5 home matchup against the surprisingly successful Cleveland Browns.
For Gang Green, that next kickoff cannot arrive soon enough. A three-game losing streak has erased the optimism from their promising start to the season.
While it is easy to overreact to the events of the first month, there are clear areas of concern in Gotham. The Jets sit at 1-3 and are staring down another potentially lost season if they cannot reverse course.
Some players are already on thin ice after just four games, and patience will eventually run out if the ship isn't righted soon.
As the Browns come to town riding a three-game win streak and sporting a much different look overall, here are the four biggest concerns the Jets face heading into Week 5.
1. Injuries Continue to Take a Toll
The Jets were without nearly half of their offensive starters against Chicago, continuing a worrisome trend to begin the season as injuries have completely taken over the roster.
Those concerns were still evident on Wednesday's injury report, which did not offer much optimism regarding the status of key players like Adonai Mitchell (right finger), Breece Hall (groin), Dylan Parham (knee), and Jarvis Brownlee Jr. (concussion). Meanwhile, Kingsley Enagbare (knee) and Mason Taylor (thumb) seemed to be trending in the right direction.
Fast forward to Thursday, and it was more of the same as ESPN Jets reporter Rich Cimini noted that there was "no sign" of Hall and Mitchell at the latest practice. Brownlee, meanwhile, was "in positional drills." While the absence of each of these players has certainly been felt, rookie D'Angelo Ponds filled in admirably when Brownlee went down in the Windy City.
Although it would be a blow if Brownlee remains out of action, Ponds possesses the versatility to play in the slot and on the perimeter and could be staring at a bigger role moving forward, especially if he plays well.
Still, that doesn't apply to the other setbacks on the team, and the potential voids that will still be there if the offense is without some of its top players for another week. It proved costly in all phases of the Week 4 loss to the Bears, and it could be again if the correct adjustments are not made to account for the lack of depth.
2. Disappointing Defensive Play
Arguably the most frustrating aspect about the 2026 Jets has been the disastrous play from the defense, which only sacked backup quarterback Tyson Bagent one time and allowed him to pass for a career-high 268 yards.
They also had no answer for Chicago's league-leading rushing attack, giving up 232 yards on the ground and allowing the Bears to amass more first downs (34) than the total plays the Jets offense ran (32).
An interception from safety Minkah Fitzpatrick—the first in 636 pass attempts for Gang Green (h/t NFL)—offered a bright spot, as did the play from the team's best offseason addition, safety Dane Belton.
Still, the Jets' defense had three potential interceptions off Bagent that were negated by penalties and struggled to get off the field despite numerous chances.
The Browns are only scoring the 22nd-most points per game (20.3 ppg) this season and should present an opportunity at first glance. That said, the Jets couldn't slow down a backup QB last week and could be in trouble again if they keep beating themselves and lack a consistent pass rush, which has plagued them so far.
3. Underwhelming Offensive Line
Dylan Parham's knee injury and his uncertain status moving forward have only added to the woes this O-line has experienced so far.
Armand Membou and Joe Tippmann have done their part on the right side, but the subpar play from Olu Fashanu and the low ceiling that Josh Myers offers have created some adversity up front for the Jets.
Smith has taken 12 sacks this season, eight of which have come in the last two games. Some of that has been due to Smith's tendency to hold onto the ball too long, but that is still concerning.
Additionally, the run game has failed to deliver a consistent balance on offense, and WR1 Garrett Wilson has fallen victim to the same Jets mistake, recording only three receptions for 27 yards in Week 4.
While some of that is due to a lack of explosiveness in the ground game and a poor game plan coming into each week in terms of not getting the top targets more involved, a lot of it comes back to the Jets' O-line and its inability to set the tone up front to give the offense enough time to operate when it is on the field.
4. Slow Starts Becoming a Trend
Much has been made of New York's struggles in the two-minute offense and head coach Aaron Glenn's tendency to mismanage timeouts and end-of-game situations.
This team has constantly played from behind this season due to slow starts out of the gate.
The Jets have 17 total first-half points over the last three weeks and have not scored in the first quarter in any of those games. Their 5.7 points per first half rank third-worst in the NFL during that stretch.
In last Sunday's Week 4 loss alone, the Jets punted on three of their four first-half drives and allowed the Bears to run 26 plays in the first quarter.
While much of the blame goes to disciplinary issues and Glenn's defense struggling to slow down Chicago's stout run game, these slow starts simply cannot happen. The injuries are one thing, but if the Jets continue to put themselves behind so early in each game, this losing skid may not end anytime soon.