New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn conceded after Sunday’s 20-17 overtime loss to the Green Bay Packers that he never even thought to call a timeout at a critical moment late in regulation — a decision that may have cost his team a chance to win the game outright.
With about 50 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Packers faced fourth down near midfield after the Jets defense held them to a 5-yard gain on third-and-10. Glenn had timeouts available but did not use one, which would have stopped the clock and forced Green Bay to punt immediately, potentially giving the Jets offense a final possession to try to win in regulation.
Instead, with no timeout called, the Packers ran the clock down, took an intentional delay of game penalty, and the resulting 10-second runoff left just two seconds on the clock. Green Bay then attempted a Hail Mary on fourth down, but quarterback Jordan Love was sacked, sending the game to overtime, where the Jets ultimately lost 20-17.
Asked about the decision afterward, Glenn admitted he simply hadn’t thought about it in the moment.
“I didn’t,” Glenn said. “I didn’t consider using that. I know exactly what you’re talking about. No, I didn’t think of using the timeout at that point at all.”
When pressed on his reasoning after having time to reflect, Glenn offered an explanation centered on field position rather than seizing control of the clock.
“Man, I want to go back and really look at it, you know, to be honest with you,” Glenn said. “I think they were in a situation where they were trying a no-brainer, and they took the no-brainer, or they took the penalty on that.”
“Yeah, and if they would have punted it, that would put us in a backed-up situation,” Glenn added. “They could have punted the ball and put us in a backed-up situation right there. So that was the reason why.”
Had Glenn called timeout immediately after the third-down stop, the Jets would have had roughly 50 seconds and their own timeouts to work with after a Packers punt, giving the offense a shot at getting into field-goal range before the end of regulation.
The decision drew sharp criticism from New York media and fans. A New York Post headline stated bluntly that “this debacle falls on Aaron Glenn.” On social media, fans piled on as well, with one writing, “Playing not to lose,” and another arguing, “AG should not be a head coach IMHO.” Another fan pointed out the risk of not using the timeout at all: “Banking TO that can’t ever be recovered… Even if they pin you, you still have the ball and a T.O. and a chance. Crazy.”
Glenn is in his second season as the Jets’ head coach and has faced scrutiny over his clock management before. Sunday’s loss, which pushed the game into an overtime the Jets ultimately lost, has renewed questions about his in-game decision-making.
