Aaron Glenn Says He Wasn't Confused: The 'We Get the Ball' Halftime Clip, Explained

The Short Answer

New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn says he was not confused about who received the second-half kickoff. His viral halftime line — "the good thing is we get the ball" — was, in his words on Monday, about what his offense would do when it got the ball back, not a claim that the Jets would receive the kickoff against the New England Patriots.

It is a five-second sideline interview that has now lived for a full day. Trailing 17-3 at halftime on Sunday, Glenn told CBS sideline reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala that his team would be ready to go and that "the good thing is we get the ball, we get a chance to go move it and finish." One problem, as every viewer at home could see moments later: New England got the ball to start the second half. The clip spread instantly, and on Monday morning Glenn used his press conference to push back on the idea that he had lost track of the game.

What Aaron Glenn Actually Said at Halftime

The interview itself was routine until the final line. Asked how the Jets could finish drives and climb back into the game, Glenn said his players were moving the ball but had to finish, that they would be ready to go, and then: "The good thing is we get the ball. We get a chance to go move it and finish."

The broadcast then cut to the Patriots opening the third quarter with the ball. That edit — a confident claim followed immediately by the opposite happening — is exactly why the moment went viral. Awful Announcing flagged the sequence as it aired, and For The Win wrote that knowing the kick-receive situation is a detail every head coach is expected to have locked in.

What Glenn Said on Monday

Glenn did not walk the comment back on Monday — he reframed it. "No, I actually talked about just the offense," he said, in comments reported by the New York Post and NBC Sports. "I think they were talking about sustaining drives, and my conversation with them is when the offense gets the ball back, man, we want to be able to sustain a drive and go score. Then when the defense gets back on, we want to make sure we stop them and get the ball back to our offense. That's what I was talking about when it comes to that. The conversation was talking about the offense at that time."

In other words, Glenn's defense is that "we get the ball" meant "we will get the ball at some point, and when we do, we have to finish" — a coach talking about his offense in general, not announcing the kickoff order. Whether you buy that depends on how literally you read five words said while walking off a field down two touchdowns.

Why It's Blowing Up

Three things turned a throwaway interview into a day-long story. First, the timing: the Patriots really did receive the second-half kickoff, so the clip fact-checked itself on live television. Second, the context: the Jets fell to 2-4 with a 26-19 loss, and a struggling team's coach appearing confused — fairly or not — fits the "same old Jets" narrative that New York sports radio ran with all Monday morning. Third, Glenn chose to address it head-on at Monday's press conference instead of letting it die, which gave the story a second news cycle and a direct quote to argue about.

To Glenn's credit, the sequence he described on Monday is close to what actually happened. The Jets did force a stop on New England's opening possession of the half, did get the ball back, and did score — a touchdown pass to rookie wideout Omar Cooper, who finished as the Jets' leading receiver. New York pulled within four points in the second half before the Patriots closed out the 26-19 win.

Key Facts

The game: Patriots 26, Jets 19, on Sunday, October 18, at Gillette Stadium. New York trailed 17-3 at halftime.

The quote: "The good thing is we get the ball, we get a chance to go move it and finish," Glenn told CBS's Aditi Kinkhabwala at halftime.

The reality: New England received the second-half kickoff, not the Jets.

The clarification: On Monday, Glenn said he was talking about sustaining drives when the offense got the ball back, via Howie Kussoy of the New York Post.

The record: The loss dropped the Jets to 2-4 on the season.

What's Next

Glenn will get his chance to move on quickly — one clean win does more for this story than any press-conference explanation. Until then, expect the clip to follow him into every halftime interview for the rest of the season. The fair takeaway is smaller than the meme: a coach gave a loose answer in a five-second walk-off interview, the broadcast made it look worse than it probably was, and Monday's explanation is at least consistent with how the second half actually unfolded. But in New York, five words are enough to run for days — and Glenn now knows it.

Sources

NBC Sports — Aaron Glenn: No confusion about who got the ball to start the second half

New York Post — Jets' Aaron Glenn pushes back on confusion over bizarre CBS halftime interview

USA Today For The Win — Aaron Glenn incorrectly thought the Jets were receiving the ball

ClutchPoints — Jets' loss to Patriots looks even worse with Aaron Glenn blooper

The Comeback — NFL head coach makes embarrassing mistake during in-game interview

FAQ

What did Aaron Glenn say in the viral halftime interview?

Glenn told CBS's Aditi Kinkhabwala: "The good thing is we get the ball, we get a chance to go move it and finish" — even though the Patriots, not the Jets, received the second-half kickoff.

What did Aaron Glenn say about it on Monday?

Glenn said he was not confused and was talking about the offense in general — sustaining drives and scoring when the offense got the ball back after a defensive stop.

Did the Jets score after getting the ball back in the second half?

Yes. The Jets forced a stop on New England's opening second-half possession, then scored on a touchdown pass to rookie Omar Cooper, pulling within four points before losing 26-19.

What is the Jets' record after the Patriots loss?

The loss dropped the New York Jets to 2-4 on the season.