In Week 9, the Kansas City Chiefs will host the New York Jets near the midpoint of the 2026 regular season. The game at Arrowhead Stadium will feature a coaching matchup of second-year head coach Aaron Glenn and Chiefs head coach Andy Reid in his 28th season.
At the podium Wednesday, Reid looked forward to the matchup with New York by describing the team Kansas City hasn’t faced in three years. The Chiefs won a road game on “Sunday Night Football” 23-20 in Week 4 of the 2023 season.
“They’re very physical
on both sides of the ball,” Reid said. “Scoring a lot of points on the offensive side, and their defense – they’ve got a lot of different looks that they’re going to present. Solid veteran players that do a nice job for them.”
Glenn, a former NFL cornerback and Detroit Lions defensive coordinator, is organizing a unit that just allowed 38 points to the Las Vegas Raiders at home last week. However, this season, New York ranks 11th in total yards allowed per game (318) and allows the fifth-lowest rate of passing yards per game (194).
“They’ve got some good veteran guys, whether it’s the safeties, the linebackers. You’re not going to have things that are botched up,” Reid shared. “They do a good job of making sure they can adjust to most things and do it accurately. Then they’ve got some guys on the front that are good football players, big guys. They’re good players. They’ve got some good speed on the outside.”
Whether it’s linebacker Demario Davis or safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, the Jets made sure to bring in veterans to lead Glenn’s group this season. Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy pointed out the style of defense Glenn has instilled.
“They play extremely hard,” Bieniemy pointed out. “They play fast and A.G.,obviously, they haven’t had the best of luck, but when you turn that tape on, they get your attention.”
On the flip side, the Chiefs’ defense will face a hot Jets offense. They have scored 58 points over the last two weeks, and first-round rookies in wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. and tight end Kenyon Sadiq have had big games around No. 1 wide receiver Garrett Wilson.
With Wilson in concussion protocol this week, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is still ready to defend downfield passes from veteran quarterback Geno Smith, who was once his quarterback when he was defensive coordinator and interim head coach of the New York Giants in 2017.
Smith was also the quarterback for the Raiders when Kansas City pitched a 31-0 shutout with just four first downs allowed in Week 7 last year.
“I’ve always had a lot of respect for Geno,” Spags said. “I’ve always had a great deal of respect for how smart he is and his rocket arm; he has a really strong arm. I put like three clips on yesterday of him from one side of the field throwing all the way [to the other], an out cut, deep to a number of different receivers. You know how talented and young they are, and they can all run that route. So we’re alerted to what kind of quarterback we’re dealing with.”
Spagnuolo then alluded to the Jets’ league-leading six players with 100-yard games this season, including running back Braelon Allen, who has stepped in since a groin injury to starter Breece Hall; Hall is expected to play on Sunday afternoon, but both backs look like threats to the coach.
“Allen has had four really good games, and it feels like they want to feature the running back no matter who’s back there,” Spagnuolo pointed out. “I think they’re a little bit different, and yet I think they both run the scheme really well.”
I think he looks Derrick Henry-ish to me sometimes,” Spags described Allen. ”He’s a big guy. So, we’ve got to be on point tackling.”
It will all start with run defense, where Kansas City ranks eighth in rushing yards allowed per game (96) and third in yards per rushing attempt (3.5). The Seahawks ran for 153 yards a couple of weeks ago, but no other opponent has hit 120 or more yards against the Chiefs on the ground this season.
