Aaron Glenn, Detroit’s defensive coordinator from 2021 through 2024, went back to Ford Field for the first time as the Jets’ head coach. His team erased a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit in about seven minutes. Then the Lions went 65 yards in four plays, and the comeback was over.

The Detroit Lions beat the Jets 31–24 on September 27, 2026. New York trailed 24–10 entering the fourth quarter and tied the game at 24, but Jahmyr Gibbs scored his third touchdown in the final three minutes and a late Geno Smith fumble sealed it. The Jets are 1–2.

It is a second straight one-score loss after the Week 2 overtime loss to Green Bay, and the pattern is the story. The 2026 Jets schedule now turns to Chicago.

How did the Jets come back from 24–10 down?

Through the tight ends and a fourth-down throw. Smith found Jeremy Ruckert for a 4-yard touchdown with 11:17 to play; the two-point try failed, leaving it 24–16. The defense then held on fourth-and-1, Kingsley Enagbare stopping Gibbs short at the Jets’ 45 to hand the ball back.

The tying drive turned on fourth-and-6 from the Detroit 23. After a Glenn timeout, Smith threw down the right sideline to Garrett Wilson, who came down with it in the end zone with former teammate D.J. Reed flagged for pass interference on the play. After review it stood as a touchdown, and Smith’s two-point pass to Sterling Shepard — elevated from the practice squad for the game — made it 24–24.

What decided the game in the final three minutes?

Detroit’s answer came fast. Jared Goff moved the Lions 65 yards in four plays, and Gibbs caught a pass in the flat and took it 11 yards for the go-ahead score. The Jets drove back into Lions territory, but with 51 seconds left Smith was sacked on a safety blitz at the Detroit 28, fumbled, and Detroit recovered to run out the clock.

Gibbs was the difference all afternoon: 99 rushing yards, seven catches for 65 yards and three touchdowns, including two second-half scoring runs that built the 24–10 lead. Goff finished 25-of-32 for 269 yards and two touchdowns.

How well did Geno Smith and the passing game play?

Efficiently, apart from the protection. Smith completed 31 of 37 passes for 321 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, despite being sacked five times. Wilson caught 10 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown.

The breakout was rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq, who made a diving 24-yard catch for his first NFL receiving touchdown and finished with seven catches for 105 yards, including a 43-yard gain on the comeback. According to the club, citing Stats Perform, he is the first rookie tight end in Jets history with a rushing and a receiving touchdown in the same season. More on his start is on the Kenyon Sadiq player page.

What did the Jets defense do well, and where did it break?

The first half was a defensive game: the first five possessions between the two teams all ended in punts. Andre Cisco sacked Goff for a 10-yard loss, Demario Davis added a 9-yard sack, and Detroit’s first-half points came on a 30-yard Jake Bates field goal and a 4-yard Goff touchdown to Amon-Ra St. Brown that made it 10–7.

It broke on the final possession that mattered. After Enagbare’s fourth-down stop gave the offense the chance to tie, the defense could not get Detroit off the field once the game was level.

Which Jets were injured against the Lions?

Three players left the game, per the club: running back Breece Hall (thigh), left guard Dylan Parham (knee) and Wilson, who Glenn said after the game was evaluated for a concussion and cleared. Hall’s situation is covered in Breece Hall’s thigh injury update, and every current designation is on the Jets injury report.

What did Aaron Glenn say after the loss?

He held up a thumb and index finger to describe how close the team is, and credited the players’ “competitive stamina” for the rally. Davis rejected the idea of a moral victory but said the loss would be graded against the team’s own blueprint. What the Jets were trying to do going in is laid out in the Jets-Lions Week 3 preview.

Frequently asked questions

What was the final score of Jets vs. Lions in Week 3?

The Lions beat the Jets 31–24 at Ford Field on Sunday, September 27, 2026. The Jets are 1–2.

Who scored the winning touchdown for Detroit?

Jahmyr Gibbs, on an 11-yard catch from Jared Goff in the final three minutes. It was his third touchdown of the game.

How did the Jets tie the game at 24?

Geno Smith threw a 23-yard touchdown to Garrett Wilson on fourth-and-6, then hit Sterling Shepard for the two-point conversion.

How did Geno Smith play against the Lions?

Smith completed 31 of 37 passes for 321 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, but he was sacked five times and lost a fumble late.

How many yards did Kenyon Sadiq have?

The rookie tight end caught seven passes for 105 yards and scored his first NFL receiving touchdown on a diving 24-yard catch.

Who do the Jets play next?

The Jets are at the Chicago Bears on Sunday, October 4, 2026.