Just when they pull you back in, the New York Jets find a new way to lose.
Greg Zuerlein missed a 50-yard field goal in rainy, blustery conditions at MetLife Stadium with 47 seconds to go in regulation, dooming them to a 10-9 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday afternoon.
“It’s the same for both teams, and everyone has to deal with it. There are really no excuses,” Zuerlein said. “I just have to make that kick.”
Holding a 6-0 halftime lead, the Jets (2-2) never found the end zone while the Broncos reeled off 10 points in the second half to pull out an unlikely second straight victory. Rookie quarterback Bo Nix hit Courtland Sutton for an eight-yard score with just over three minutes in the third quarter for the game’s only touchdown.
“Just a miscommunication on our end,” defensive back DJ Reed. “That’s pretty much what happened. We let a guy run loose.”
Aaron Rodgers drove the Jets down to the Broncos’ 29-yard line on the ensuing possession but stalled as the New York offense did all afternoon, settling for a 40-yard field goal with 13:34 to go in the fourth.
Behind running back Javonte Williams, the Broncos drove back down into field goal range to take the lead with 8:55 to go.
The Jets could not sustain a drive that went over 28 yards in each of their last three possessions, however, failing to take advantage of a late Broncos missed field goal that gave them new life with 1:27 to go.
Rodgers completed 24 of 42 passes for 225 yards in the loss, while the ground game was practically nonexistent. Braelon Allen accounted for 34 yards, while Breece Hall was stifled for four yards on 10 carries. A lack of composure certainly did not help, either, as the Jets were flagged for 13 penalties totaling 90 free yards for Denver.
“Just a lot of pre-snap penalties,” Saleh. “It’s unacceptable. That’s stuff we have to get cleaned up. you’re always going to have in-play penalties. Those are going to happen. The pre-snap and post-snap penalties, those are unacceptable.”
Their inability to produce unraveled a strong defensive effort. Each of the first seven possessions of the afternoon was a three-and-out, which featured a Garrett Wilson fumble lost on the Jets’ 30-yard line on New York’s opening possession.
Gang Green’s defense responded, fueled by a Broncos’ offensive pass interference that pushed them out of field-goal range to punt.
With 2:07 to go in the first, the defense came up with another big play to wrestle some momentum into their corner. On a 3rd-&-13 from the Denver 44-yard line, Quincy Williams clocked the ball clean out of Broncos running back Tyler Badie’s arms. Michael Carter recovered it and returned it to the Broncos’ 34-yard line to present Rodgers with his best field position of the afternoon to that point.
The Jets picked up the first first down of the afternoon when, on a 3rd-&-11, wide receiver Allen Lazard drew a pass-interference penalty in the end zone to put the ball on the goal line — a gain of 34 yards.
In that first quarter, the 21 total yards gained by both teams was the fewest in an NFL game since 1999. It was also the first time since 2000 that a quarter featured one or fewer first downs.
After being stopped on their first three attempts, the Jets lined up to go for it on 4th-&-Goal, but John Simpson jumped early, which was New York’s fourth false start of the first 15:06 of the afternoon.
Zuerlein put the Jets up nine seconds into the second quarter with a 23-yard field goal.
“Offensively, it just wasn’t up to our standards,” Saleh said. “The reality is, it was going to be tough sledding no matter what with the way the rain was coming down. What was disappointing was the self-inflicted wounds that came with it.”
Williams picked up Denver’s first first down with 10:05 to go in the second with a 12-yard rush to the Broncos’ 39-yard line. It was the first play from either team that went 10 or more yards, though the drive would end in yet another punt.
Rodgers momentarily got the passing game going in the two-minute drill. After being held to just 22 yards, he found Lazard twice for 38 yards before hitting Mike Williams for a brilliant 21-yard connection down the right sideline to put the ball on the 14-yard line with 23 seconds left in the half.
The drive stalled, however, which included a sack of Rodgers that led to a 35-yard field goal by Zuerlein to hit the break with a 6-0 lead.
It was still a significantly better half than what Nix mustered in the opening 30 minutes. The rookie passer did not complete a single pass past the line of scrimmage while completing 7-fo-7 behind the line of scrimmage for minus-7 yards.
“Our defense gave us every opportunity to win,” Saleh said.
He finished the afternoon with 60 yards on 12 of 25 passing.
