5 Things To Watch As Jets Face Chiefs In Week 8 Of 2026 Nfl Season

The Jets have fallen to 2-6 on the season and will be looking back on the last few games with regret as matchups they will feel they should have won. 

It’s a different proposition this week, though, as they will be heavy underdogs in their visit to face the Kansas City Chiefs.

Let’s review the top storylines to watch as the Jets look to pull off the upset...

A get-right game for the Chiefs

The Chiefs got off to a 5-0 start but have since lost their last two. Clearly, they’ll be expecting to halt that slide on Sunday.

Unfortunately for New York, the two-game losing streak makes it unlikely the Chiefs overlook them. It will be a good measuring stick for the Jets, who have suffered five of their six losses this season in one-score games.

How will the Jets stop the run?

Defensive linemen David Onyemata and T’Vondre Sweat are already on IR, and now Harrison Phillips has an injury concern after an ankle issue kept him out of practice on Wednesday. If Phillips is unable to play on Sunday, the Jets will be without all three of their starting linemen.

That bodes well for the Chiefs, who have the No. 5 rushing game in the NFL. Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker, who was signed during the offseason, is just 10 yards off the league lead with 770.

Last Sunday, to their credit, the Jets did quite well against the run, as they held the Raiders below three yards per carry. Backups Darrell Jackson Jr., Jowon Briggs and Jack Heflin will need to continue to hold their own, even if Phillips suits up.

Can the Jets get everyone involved on offense?

It’s been a long time since the Jets had as many offensive weapons at their disposal as they do right now. However, they are still striving for the right balance in terms of getting everyone involved.

Last week saw New York make an effort to involve Garrett Wilson more, and featured a career-high 142-yard game from AD Mitchell, who had gone without a catch in the previous game. However, Omar Cooper Jr. wasn’t targeted at all coming off back-to-back 100-yard games and the team drew criticism for abandoning the running game in the second half.

This has been an issue all year. After a breakout 100-yard game against the Lions, rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq has just five catches for 43 yards in the past five weeks. In addition, Jeremy Ruckert – who had a career-high five catches and a touchdown in the same game – hasn’t been targeted at all since then.

Will New York’s special teams unit reverse its fortune?

Having been outstanding in 2025, the Jets’ special teams unit has been poor in 2026, and it let them down again on Sunday when Dylan Laube returned a kickoff for a 95-yard touchdown. Can Chris Banjo’s unit use this game to get back to the kind of impact they were making last season?

One area where the Jets might have the edge is in the kicking game, because the usually stellar Harrison Butker has really been struggling. Butker has missed six field goals, and his 67 percent success rate this season is easily the lowest of his career. Butker will be feeling the pressure to be flawless on Sunday after the Chiefs recently added Justin Tucker to their practice squad as competition for him.

The interception drought lives on

Back in Week 4, Minkah Fitzpatrick’s interception of Tyson Bagent snapped New York’s incredible streak of 21 games without an interception. In addition, they intercepted another three passes that day, although each of those was negated by a penalty. Nevertheless, it seemed like a strong sign that this year’s team would be much better at making plays on the ball.

Since then, however, four games have passed and the Jets have failed to intercept a pass in any of them. Including Fitzpatrick’s interception, the Jets have just one in 25 games under Glenn, as that play is starting to look more like an aberration than a sign this would start becoming a more regular occurrence.