Best of the Jets on WFAN: Season-defining game on deck

Gio Benigno (0:00)

Aaron Glenn, this is an opportunity. This is such a huge opportunity for him. Do I believe in him? No.

Do I feel positive about this team going up there? No. But one thing is a fact, if he wants to change the perception around him, if he wants to get belief from everybody in that locker room and everybody in the fan base, go up and not only compete in this game, win in this game and you will be better already than Todd Bowles, Rob Salah, everybody else who's run through here over the last number of years, Adam Gase and so on. Good morning, Boomer. How are you?

Boomer Esiason (0:43)

I'm doing great, G and you're right. This would be maybe a turning point and flexion point for the Jets season. The Patriots have 15 guys on their injured list. I'm not sure how many of those 15 are actually going to play in this game. Last week, even though they blew out the Raiders, they were missing four or five starters on defense and they ended up losing two main key players on offense. They still have this long list of injured players that are significant like Christian Gonzalez.

If he is not out there playing, I mean, that's something you have to take advantage of. But, you know, it's interesting. Phil Simms said something very unique yesterday. He said he thought that the Patriots were the best team in the NFL.

Gio Benigno (1:27)

Yeah.

Boomer Esiason (1:28)

And I disagreed with him.

I think Kansas City is right there. I'm not so sure about your Vikings.

Sean Morash (1:35)

Well, 49ers.

Boomer Esiason (1:36)

And the 40... Well, I haven't gotten...

Gio Benigno (1:38)

Oh, sorry. Sorry about that.

Boomer Esiason (1:40)

And I wasn't sure about your Vikings. I know their defense is tremendous, but I'm not so sure about their offense. They haven't really clicked with Kyler Murray. I don't know if they'll pull him and throw in their Karsten Wentz. I'm not sure. But the Patriots are a well-balanced team, I think, is what he really meant. And that means they can run it, and that means they stop the run really well. I mean, and they do get after the opposing quarterback. I mean, like, the superstar is Christian Gonzalez, Barmore, one of their defensive tackles is tremendous.

Like a lot of guys, you don't even know who they are. You know what I'm saying? It's a very nondescript group of guys, but they're one of the best coach groups in all of the NFL. So the Jets offense is gonna have its hands full. To me, it's gonna be really hard to run against these guys.

Again, I know it's a week to week league. It's a really hard defense to run against, but I think you can make some plays down the field, especially if a number of their defensive backs are not gonna play in this game. So I would think this is the game that you have to say to Gino, but we gotta be a little bit more aggressive. We gotta go down the field with the ball, and looking at the amount of injuries that the Patriots are dealing with right now, I think that may be the best course of action.

Gio Benigno (2:56)

Well, maybe a good sign for the Jets because the week prior on Wednesday, Phil Simms said another team was the best team in the NFL.

Boomer Esiason (3:04)

Man, how many times did he say teams are the best teams in the NFL?

Gio Benigno (3:07)

And that team came out and got whooped, and that was the Chicago Bears. So he said the Chicago Bears were the best team in the NFL. Maybe they get killed by the Green Bay Packers, which is a division game. Now he says the Patriots are the best team in the NFL. Maybe they get killed by a division team in the Jets. Yeah, I know why he's saying that with Drake May playing the way he is and how good that defense can be. And it's a team that went to the Super Bowl last year. So it's not as crazy to me when he says that the Patriots are the best team in the NFL as opposed to when he said the Bears were.

But I still, I mean, I don't know how you say it's not the Kansas City Chiefs with their history and how.

Boomer Esiason (3:45)

And the way they kept Walkers. Oh my God.

Gio Benigno (3:47)

And then the way the season ended last year for them, the injury to Mahomes, they are completely reinvigorated. They look like a throwback team from five years ago, right in the middle of the dynasty building. I mean, they right now look unstoppable.