The New York Jets have dropped to 1-3 after losing three straight games, and veteran linebacker Demario Davis says the team isn’t changing course.
Coach Aaron Glenn has landed on early-season hot-seat lists as fans grow restless over the possibility of another lost season. Davis, a team captain and five-time All-Pro, addressed the criticism after practice Thursday.
“The sense of urgency isn’t changing, and that’s when you know you’re doing the right [things]. If you need to change your process when things are going wrong, that means you weren’t doing the right things early on, and that’s one of the good things about this organization,” Davis said. “Two things that this group is going to do: It’s not going to flinch, it’s not going to waver. We haven’t gotten the results that we wanted, but we’re not going to flinch.”
“We got the right guys that are resilient. But we’re also not going to waver. We’re not going to change our process. We’re just going to do the little things a little bit better, and that’s what we’re working towards,” Davis added.
The losing stretch began with a seven-point defeat to the Lions in Week 3 after the Jets failed to get a key late stop. The skid deepened Sunday against a Bears team playing without starting quarterback Caleb Williams. Chicago ran 89 plays to the Jets’ 32 and outgained them 492-157, though the 23-12 final score understated how thoroughly New York was outplayed.
The defeat dropped the Jets to 4-17 under Glenn, echoing last season’s frequent noncompetitiveness.
Davis, 37, said he isn’t questioning Glenn or the direction of the franchise.
“Our process doesn’t change. It’s the right way,” Davis said. “I’ve been around a lot of programs, and we’re doing the things that lead to winning. Unfortunately, we haven’t gotten those results on Sunday. But we continue to sharpen the process. We continue to come back to work and we work the right way.”
“When you’re trying to build a sustainable winning organization, you have to be able to make those plays in those moments, and that’s what we’re working to do. We have enough guys in this room that can make those plays,” he said.
Davis acknowledged the defense was “little shocked” by the results of the past two weeks after a strong start, but pointed to four takeaways against the Bears as a positive sign, even though three were wiped out by penalties.
Glenn has urged his team to tune out outside noise given how often the franchise’s recent struggles get discussed by fans and analysts. Davis echoed that approach, saying his attention has already shifted to Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns, winners of three straight.
“With this group,” Davis said, “we’re going to respond the right way.”
