The Jets need a win in the worst way, and so do the Raiders. The two teams meet Sunday at MetLife Stadium hoping to stop their seasons from spiraling. 

The Jets are 2-5 after losing their past two games and five of the past six. Many fans want coach Aaron Glenn gone and are fed up with a team that looks like it will miss the postseason for the 16th straight year — the longest drought in North American sports. 

“We know it’s going to get noisy,” Glenn said this week. “That’s just what happens in this league with any team — especially at this point, when the record is not exactly where it needs to be. The most important thing for us, and I think our guys have been doing a heck of a job with this, is just blocking out everything on the outside.” 

The Raiders (3-4) have lost four games in a row after a surprising 3-0 start. First-year coach Klint Kubiak is not under fire, but there have been calls to play rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who was the No. 1 overall draft pick in the spring. Kubiak reaffirmed this week that Kirk Cousins would remain the starter. The 38-year-old veteran leads the NFL with 16 touchdown passes. 

Jets head coach Aaron Glenn talks to the media before practice in Florham Park, N.J., Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. Bill Kostroun for NY Post

“I’ve seen the production,” Kubiak said. “The production’s there. But it’s a team game, so we’ve got to produce together in order to win football games.” 

Glenn can quiet some of the noise around his job with a win this week and a strong showing from his defense. He also needs a week in which his game management is not a topic of conversation on Monday. Last week, he failed to use a time out at the end of the first half, and the Dolphins scored a touchdown and left the Jets with no time. 

The Jets have been outscored 107-6 in the final two minutes of the second quarter since Glenn became coach in 2025. It has become a major talking point for his detractors and something he needs to flip. While the outside noise has increased, Glenn seems to still have the support of the locker room. 

“I’ve been around a lot of good coaches and a lot of good leaders, and I’ve said it a lot: I think A.G. is one of the best I’ve ever been around,” center Josh Myers said. “I still believe that and I’ll continue believing that.” 

Quarterback Geno Smith faces a Raiders team he played for a year ago. Smith had a bad one-year stay in Las Vegas, leading the league with 17 interceptions. The Raiders traded Smith to the Jets in March. As part of the trade, the Raiders agreed to pay much of Smith’s contract, so the Raiders are paying Smith $16.2 million this season while the Jets are only paying him $3.3 million. 

New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith (7) reacts against the Miami Dolphins during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., Oct. 25, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The boos got loud for Smith and the Jets in last week’s 28-25 home loss to the Dolphins. Smith said the team needs to give the fans something to cheer. 

“I think in terms of the fans, we have to give them something to be pleased with, and so it comes down to us going out there, starting early, playing well, and giving them a reason to cheer,” Smith said. “It was pretty loud at the end of that game when we got close and we had an opportunity. I thought the fanbase was great, so I expect the same things.” 

Smith also gave his support to Glenn this week. 

“I’ve been in this league a long time and we never preach moral victories, but most of our losses, if not all, were one-score games,” Smith said. “So, obviously we want to turn those in our direction, but Coach Glenn, again, the work that he puts in throughout the week, we all know it. The direction of this team, I believe in it. 

“We’ve got to finish games. It really comes down to us as players and if we finish those games, I think things are a lot different. But that’s the way it is in this league. It’s always going to be these one-score games, and when we find a way to finish everyone will be happy with it.”