KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A look at what's happening around the New York Jets:
1. QB comp: The Jets can look at the Kansas City Chiefs' sideline Sunday to remind themselves how much they've improved at quarterback. They will see Justin Fields, their former starter turned Patrick Mahomes understudy.
In 2024, the Jets brought in Fields in hopes to turn their fortunes around at quarterback, but they traded him to the Chiefs in March.
The Geno Smith-for-Fields decision has worked out nicely for the Jets, who found a competent "bridge" quarterback in the 36-year-old Smith.
By every objective measure, not to mention the eye test, Smith has outperformed the 2025 Fields. But there's one caveat; more on that in a bit.
This is a good time for a comparison because Smith already has played virtually the same number of snaps (494) as Fields did last season (501). Smith is far superior in QBR (59.7 to 39.2), completion percentage (69.0 to 62.7), passing yards (1,913 to 1,259) and touchdown passes (12 to 7).
Fields had only one interception (Smith has three), but he wasn't nearly as aggressive as Smith, who's averaging 7.7 air yards per attempt -- a yard more than Fields. Fields had more rushing yards (383 to 46) but also more sacks (27 to 23). After some historically poor performances, Fields' mid-November benching surprised no one.
As for Smith, coach Aaron Glenn loves the way he's pushing the ball downfield, especially on play-action.
"[He's] really just finding his rhythm on who he is and what he does best," Glenn said of Smith, whose arrival via trade was a precursor to the Jets dealing Fields for a 2027 sixth-round pick.
The QB swap looks even better when viewed through a financial lens. The Jets acquired Smith for a late-round pick swap and are paying him only $3.3 million for one year (the Las Vegas Raiders are on the hook for $16.2 million). Fields made $20 million last season, and he's costing the Jets another $8 million this year (the Chiefs are paying $3 million).
An overpay for Fields. An underpay for Smith.
All things considered, the Jets are getting bang for their current buck.
"Geno is a better passer and better processor [than Fields], but sometimes you question his decision-making because he's so confident with his arm and his ability but less of an athlete," an AFC scout said. "Geno is a better quarterback; Justin is a better athlete."
Ultimately, the quarterback's job is to get his team in the end zone (an old Bill Parcells-ism) and win games. This is where the Smith-Fields gap narrows considerably.
The Smith-led Jets are 2-6, averaging 21.3 points per game. They were 2-7 in Fields' starts, with a 20.2 average. Pretty close. Too close.
Simply put, they should be better than 2-6, but they haven't made enough winning plays in high-leverage situations. The Jets have five one-score losses (tied for the league lead), including four games in which Smith had a chance to take the lead or tie the game in the fourth quarter.
Not all of those missed opportunities fall on Smith -- coaching is a factor, too -- but winning those games is part of the job description.
2. Bro hug: After last week's loss, Smith and rookie Cade Klubnik shared a long embrace in the locker room -- a moment of consolation between quarterbacks.
"It's a tough environment, and it's a very hard position to play and only so many can really do it," Klubnik said, explaining the motivation behind the hug. "There's not very many that can do it at the level he's doing it right now. The result of every game isn't just based off how the quarterback plays; it's a team effort. I just try to support him and always just be the best teammate and leader that I can for him."
Klubnik, who has yet to play a snap, said he's learning a lot from Smith, noting his "fine-tuned" study schedule and preparation habits. The former Clemson star said he'll be ready if called upon.
3. History on the horizon? With help from the Indianapolis Colts and Dallas Cowboys, the Jets could make draft history in April.
No team in the common draft era (since 1967) has made three top-10 selections in a single draft. Right now, the Jets are holding the fourth (Colts), sixth (their own) and 10th (Cowboys) picks.
That would cost owner Woody Johnson a pretty penny -- $144 million for those three guaranteed contracts, based on Spotrac projections.
4. Muddled backfield: One of the big storylines Sunday will be the carry split between the red-hot Braelon Allen and the returning Breece Hall. There will be a plan, the Jets say.
The "framework" is created by Glenn, according to offensive coordinator Frank Reich, who then huddles with running backs coach Nic McKissic to hammer out the details -- best plays for each player, down-and-distance, etc. They also will consider game flow -- hot hand, that sort of stuff.
Look for something close to a 50-50 split.
5. Tick, tick, tick: The trade deadline is 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Word is the Jets don't expect to be very active. Positions to watch -- they have a surplus of safeties, especially with the anticipated return of rookie VJ Payne coming perhaps next week. Conversely, they could use help for the injury-ravaged defensive line.
One thing to remember, at 2-6, it's all about next season. They're not going to trade an asset that could help in the future.
6. Green Ponds: On the surface, the lack of playing time for rookie cornerback D'Angelo Ponds is perplexing -- 61 defensive snaps, most of which came in Week 7 when starting nickelback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. was benched for disciplinary reasons.
Ponds was drafted in the second round (50th). Glenn said it's not unusual for high picks to sit on the bench, mentioning Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza (No. 1). That's an entirely different situation, of course.
Know this, of the 34 defensive players selected in the first two rounds, the only one with fewer snaps than Ponds is Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jake Golday (18), who was drafted one spot after Ponds.
Ponds got off to a slow start because he missed training camp with a calf injury. He's also learning a new position -- slot corner. At Indiana, he played outside corner. There are stark contrasts.
"It's different, playing outside and going inside," Ponds said, "but I feel like I've got all the tools to do that."
Glenn downplayed the playing-time issue, saying, "Guys, we can only play so many people." He preached patience, insisting Ponds will get his shot. That should come soon, especially since the Jets are falling out of contention.
7. Red alert: Glenn said they're devoting more practice time to the red zone. Good idea, considering their touchdown efficiency inside the 20-yard line (42.3%) is the league's worst since the 2023 Jets (32.4%).
8. Don't look now, but ...: Yes, the Jets have another interception drought -- four straight games without a pick. This comes after a historic 20-game drought was snapped in Week 4 by Minkah Fitzpatrick.
In 25 games under Glenn, they have only one interception in 754 pass attempts. They only need 32 picks to catch up to the league-leading Jacksonville Jaguars since Glenn's arrival.
9. Not special anymore: The once-formidable special teams have slipped significantly, hitting rock bottom last week by allowing a 95-yard touchdown on a kickoff return -- the NFL's first of the season. The Jets are ranked 26th in kickoff coverage, 30th in punt coverage coming into Week 9.
What gives? Start with personnel.
Two of their snap leaders from 2025, Isaiah Oliver and Mykal Walker, are gone. Kiko Mauigoa, Marcelino McCrary-Ball and Arian Smith -- core teamers -- are on injured reserve. Three of the players in coverage on the 95-yard touchdown are former starters who haven't played a lot of special teams -- Andre Cisco, Will McDonald IV and Trevin Wallace.
Even punter Austin McNamara, terrific last year, has suffered a drop in average hang time from 4.87 seconds to 4.40, per Next Gen Stats.
Meanwhile, former special teams ace Irv Charles, traded to the Seattle Seahawks in the offseason for a 2028 conditional seventh-round pick, is off to a great start in his new home now that he has recovered from 2025 knee surgery.
"Just inconsistent," special teams coordinator Chris Banjo said of the overall falloff.
10. The last word: The Jets haven't won in Kansas City since 1998, when Bill Parcells was the coach. At 5-3, they moved into a four-way tie for first place, prompting Parcells to say, "We're all stacked up like club sandwiches."