Lions gearing up for chess match vs. familiar Aaron Glenn-led defense

ALLEN PARK — The Detroit Lions know Aaron Glenn.

And the Lions know Glenn knows, and Glenn knows the Lions know.

For the first time since he left to become a head coach, Glenn will return to Ford Field, this time as an opponent, when his New York Jets play the Lions on Sunday, Sept. 27. Glenn, who spent four seasons as Detroit 's defensive coordinator, is intimately familiar with the Lions, and vise versa.

"There's things that he knows we want to hang our hat on," Lions coach Dan Campbell said Wednesday, Sept. 23. "I mean, that's just gonna be there. And (there's) things that I know that he wants to hang his hat on. ... But then there'll be these other things. Because we know that, he knows that, there'll be these wrinkles that get thrown in. It'll be everything from a front to a pressure to a third down, you get a couple of these other looks that they haven't put on tape yet."

Campbell and Glenn were together on the same coaching staff each year from 2016-24, first overlapping with the New Orleans Saints (2016-20) before Campbell in 2021 was hired to lead the Lions and brought Glenn with him to coordinate the defense.

There were lows during Glenn's time with the Lions. But Campbell stuck by him, culminating in Detroit's defense ranking seventh in points allowed in 2024 (20.1), when the team won a franchise-record 15 contests before losing to the Washington Commanders in the divisional round.

"When things go well, that's one thing," Campbell said of why he never wavered on Glenn. "When things get a little rocky, that's where you really find out what your conviction in something is, and in someone. Solving issues, confidence in themselves, the ability to teach, the response from the players. When you check all the boxes, even if things don't always look the way you want them to look, you don't just let go of good coaches. ... You've got to look through all the other stuff and really look at the substance behind it."

The Jets struggled in Glenn's first season but have been strong on defense through two games in 2026, including a Week 1 win over the Tennessee Titans and an overtime loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 2. They rank first in average yards allowed per game (197), seventh in average points allowed (15) and are tied for fourth in EPA allowed per play (-0.25).

Lions associate head coach and wide receivers coach Scottie Montgomery pointed out the influence he sees from Brian Duker, who is in his first year as defensive coordinator with the Jets and was previously with the Lions as an assistant under Campbell and Glenn from 2021-23.

"There's a lot that we know, but there is evolution on both sides. ... So, now we're in a situation to where we've got to deal with a little bit of what we know, and then the unknown," Montgomery said of Glenn's defense. "Looking at the way the first two games went, you can definitely see the uptick in this team, whether it be not only because of talent, but scheme fitting together, their talent being in good situations.

"He uses their secondary in some very manipulative ways, playing a lot more two-shell than we've seen him play. But also on third down, not being afraid to come play you in man-to-man coverage so that when you do get in those situations, he does have some unpredictability there, like a lot of other teams that we've faced."

Asked about the potential for this being a trap game (the Lions are favored by 6½ points), Campbell pushed back, not only pointing to his team's loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 17, but also its understanding of the type of effort a Glenn-led defense can produce.

"Our players know exactly what's coming in here because the defensive coordinator was here for (four) years," Campbell said. "Turn on the tape. ... This is gonna be a knockout, 60-minute brawl. It's gonna go down, and we've got to be on point. We can't beat ourselves, we've got to make the plays that are there, and everybody's got to do their job. I don't see that (as a trap game), and our players, I can't imagine they see that."

▶ Kickoff: 1 p.m. Sunday, Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

▶ Series: Detroit leads, 8-7 (Last meeting: Lions won, 20-17, on Dec. 18, 2022 in East Rutherford, New Jersey )