The New Orleans Saints will host the 3-11 New York Jets at Caesars Superdome in Week 16 of the 2025 NFL season. To break it down, MacGregor Wells of Gang Green Nation joins us to preview Sunday afternoon’s matchup.
NJ: Jets HC Aaron Glenn was strongly connected to the Saints head coaching position this offseason, as he is a former player for New Orleans and previously served as the defensive backs coach for the black and gold—how would you grade Glenn’s first season in charge?
MW: I wouldn’t grade
Glenn very highly. He doesn’t have a lot of talent to work with on the Jets roster, and the Jets traded their two best players, Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner, at the trade deadline, leaving the defense severely outmanned, so we shouldn’t expect miracles from Glenn. However, many of the remaining players on the team have produced their worst seasons in the NFL, and few, if any, Jets have played better under Glenn than they have under his predecessors. In addition, Glenn has made some really head-scratching in-game decisions. The Jets have also become the only team in NFL history to start a season with fourteen straight games without an interception, something that does not reflect well on a former defensive back like Glenn. Finally, you expect growing pains with a new regime, but by the latter parts of the season you hope for improvement. The Jets have been regressing. They have been completely noncompetitive the last few games, which have been in essence over by halftime. Many of the players appear to have checked out. None of this speaks well of the job Glenn is doing. I’ll give him a D so far. The only reason it’s not an F is the terrible roster he’s working with. I’d like to see how he does with more talent and more of his own players next year.
NJ: What direction do you hope the Jets take regarding the quarterback position: would you prefer an experienced veteran via free agency, or taking a chance on a player early in the draft?
MW: My preference is mainly that the Jets don’t trade away a king’s ransom in draft picks to move up in the draft. The Jets have made the same mistake over and over again at quarterback. They have drafted quarterbacks into terrible offensive rosters and started the rookie quarterbacks immediately. Without the infrastructure necessary to support a developing quarterback, these guys have failed over and over again. A few, like Geno Smith and Sam Darnold, have bloomed elsewhere when given a chance with a team better set up for success.
The Jets currently have five first round picks and three second round picks in the next two drafts. If they use them wisely those picks can powerfully transform the roster, setting up whomever the Jets eventually draft for success. If, on the other hand, the Jets choose to use many of those picks to trade up for a quarterback, they will be repeating the mistakes of the past, drafting a quarterback into a situation set up for failure. So I think the Jets need to sign a stopgap starting quarterback and a decent backup in free agency, or via trade as long as they don’t give up premium picks to do so. Then they can draft whatever quarterback they like in 2026 or 2027, without trading away their premium picks to move up in the draft, and without needing to immediately thrust the rookie into a bad situation.
Since it’s the Jets we’re talking about, I fully expect them to do the opposite, blow most of their premium picks to trade up, start the unfortunate rookie immediately, watch him fail in a situation set up for failure, get everybody fired when the quarterback fails, and start the process all over again. Wash, rinse, repeat..
NJ: Which positional matchup do you think will be the most critical in determining the winner of Sunday’s game?
MW: I would say it’s the Saints’ front seven against the Jets offensive line. The Jets are starting Brady Cook, an undrafted rookie, at quarterback. In limited playing time thus far he has looked like what you might expect from an undrafted rookie. Cook is not capable of carrying a team on his back. I wouldn’t even say he is a game manager. He is just a bad quarterback. For the Jets to have success on offense they will need to run the ball well and often. That will require the Jets offensive line to consistently open holes against the Saints front seven. It seems like it’s been easier to move the ball on the ground than through the air against the Saints defense, so maybe this could be a way for the Jets to find success. If they can’t find success on the ground, Brady Cook and the motley crew of Jets castoff receivers are unlikely to do much damage in the passing game. The atrocious Jets defense is also unlikely to carry the day, so I think this game may hinge on the Jets running attack against the Saints run defense. Shut down the run and the Saints will likely win.
NJ: Who’s a player on the Jets that hasn’t gotten the recognition they deserve this season?
MW: The best Jets players this season have been on special teams. Kene Nwangwu and Isaiah Williams have combined for three return touchdowns, playing key roles in two of the Jets’ three victories. Rookie punter Austin McNamara has also put together an excellent season. Those guys have been great, but when the best players on the team are a punter and a couple of return specialists, it’s no surprise the Jets have been a bad football team.
NJ: According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Saints (-215) are currently 4.5-point favorites over the Jets (+180) in Sunday’s matchup; what is your final score prediction?
MW: With the caveat that I am awful at picking scores, I’ll say Saints 23, Jets 17. Both teams have had trouble scoring this season, but the Saints’ better defense at home should carry the day.
Thank you again to MacGregor Wells for joining us to preview this week’s matchup! You can check out the rest of his work here.
