On Halloween night, it was fitting that the Jets’ matchup with the Texans would be a horror show.
Penalties, injuries and poor tackles were a constant theme as the Jets found themselves once again embroiled in a battle that went all the way in the fourth quarter.
However, the Jets ultimately came out on top and gave interim coachingh Jeff Ulbrich his first victory as Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdowns in the second half to bounce back from a first half in which the Jets recorded just 69 net yards on offense.
The game remained scoreless for much of the first half, but only after the Jets gifted the Texans when rookie receiver Malachi Corley ran around for an apparent touchdown on one end, but was ruled to have inexplicably dropped the ball before crossing the goal line. Houston took advantage Joe Mixon‘s short touchdown run to lead 7-0 at halftime.
The Jets took control after a pair of spectacular second-half touchdown passes from Rodgers to Garrett Wilson led 14-10 and then, after a missed field goal by the Texans, Rodgers connected Davante Adams on a 37-yard touchdown pass with 2:56 remaining to earn the victory.
The Jets will have their sights set on getting back to 5-6 in Week 12, with two tough but winnable games against the Cardinals and Colts ahead, but there is still plenty to clean up after an extremely uneven performance.
Here are the takeaways…
– The Jets had to scramble to fill spots on the offensive line when both starting guards — John Simpson And Jake Hanson — were injured. Max Mitchell and first-round rookie Olu Fashanuboth of whom are tackles by profession, had to come on.
– The Jets’ defensive approach was disappointing as Mixon had a huge game with the ball with 106 yards. Sauce GarnerUlbrich’s tackle drew criticism from Ulbrich throughout the week, but Gardner was far from the only one to blame. Gardner, who had two defensive penalties but also made a key pass, was injured in the final minute and limped off.
– Quinnen Williams had a monster game, with 1.5 sacks, four quarterback hits and two tackles for loss. Since then, he seems to have taken his game to another level Haason Reddick‘s arrival. The pair combined for a last-minute sack as the Jets ultimately had eight sacks.
– When the Jets needed someone to take them to the next level, Wilson made two incredible one-handed catches for his two touchdowns. On the second in particular, Rodgers essentially threw a jump ball on third-and-19 that Wilson had no right to. Rivals catch that Odell Beckham‘s famous one-hander for the Giants against the Cowboys as one of the best in MetLife Stadium history, if not NFL history.
-The Jets haven’t really used Corley all season, but when they cut him short, it worked out perfectly. Dropping the ball before crossing the goal line was an incredible mistake, and somehow symbolic of the Jets’ woes this season.
– Defensive end Erik Watts was also guilty of a rookie error when his personal foul on a field goal attempt gave Houston another set of downs in the red zone, with the Jets leading by just four in the fourth quarter. However, this turned out in the Jets’ favor as they managed to make the stop and the Texans were then forced to attempt another field goal, which was missed.
– It didn’t count, but Rodgers showed surprising mobility and fire during a third-down battle in the red zone. He clearly wasn’t lying when he said he’d felt better physically over the past week. The conversion was called back for a hold, but then he hit Wilson for the go-ahead on the next play.
– Nothing is routine for the Jets and that was summed up when the replacement kicker Riley Patterson lined up for his first kick — an extra point after New York’s first touchdown. This tripped up, but in a rare moment of luck for the 2024 Jets, it went through and tied the game.
– Adams finished with a team-high 91 yards on seven catches and made the game-tying play on third down and an earlier big fourth-down catch, finally showing what the Jets had hoped for when they made the trade to get him earlier this year month to be taken over. This success ultimately came after some early miscommunications between him and Rodgers and a botched pass. Adams also recovered an onside kick to ice the win.
Highlights
What’s next
The Jets look to make it two straight wins when they travel to Arizona for this Sunday’s 4:25 PM game at the Cardinals in Week 10.
