EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Jets overcame a sluggish begin, a double-digit deficit and a weird sky cam delay to ship their greatest win in seven years: a 20-17 upset of the Buffalo Payments on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
The Jets continued their unbelievable season with a dominating efficiency on protection (5 sacks and two interceptions) and a bounce-back sport by quarterback Zach Wilson, offering a loud assertion to their many doubters.
One yr after a 4-13 end, the Jets (6-3) are tied with the Miami Dolphins for second place within the AFC East, solely a half-game behind the Payments (6-2).
“All people exterior of this locker room did not suppose we had an opportunity, nevertheless it’s been the identical story all season for us,” tight finish Tyler Conklin mentioned. “All people sort of thinks it should be the Similar Previous Jets, proper? Final week was, ‘Oh, the Similar Previous Jets.’ … Guess what? We’re not the Similar Previous Jets.”
The Jets went off as 10.5-point underdogs, making them the largest residence underdogs with a successful file since 2007. On cue, they fell behind, 14-3, on two landing runs by Payments quarterback Josh Allen. Their hopes had been fading after a third-quarter fumble by Wilson within the crimson zone, ruining a possible scoring drive that was disrupted by an uncommon delay.
The sport was stopped for 11 minutes due to a damaged cable on CBS’ sky cam, which brought about it to sink near subject stage. Requested what he was pondering in the course of the delay, Jets coach Robert Saleh mentioned, “It solely occurs to the Jets.”
When play resumed, the Jets dedicated a false begin. Then, two performs later, Wilson coughed it up on a sack by Von Miller.
Because it turned out, the sky cam fell on the Jets, however the sky did not. Moments later, rookie cornerback Sauce Gardner made an interception on the Payments’ 19, establishing Wilson’s 7-yard landing cross to working again James Robinson to offer the Jets a 17-14 lead.
After the Payments tied it, the Jets turned to their floor sport, speeding 10 out of 12 performs on an 86-yard drive that culminated with a 28-yard subject objective by Greg Zuerlein with 1:43 left within the fourth quarter. They completed with 174 speeding yards, together with a 6-yard landing by Michael Carter. The protection, with a sack by defensive finish Bryce Huff on the ultimate possession, slammed the door for the win.
“I do know lots of people are going to be stunned, proper?” Saleh mentioned. “I do not suppose there’s an individual stunned within the locker room.”
The Jets have received three video games after trailing by double digits, in comparison with 4-30 within the earlier 4 seasons. Underneath Saleh, they’re 5-14 in these conditions after going 0-20 in two seasons beneath Adam Gase.
“We do not flinch,” Saleh mentioned. “We’re too younger to flinch.”
A lot of the pregame focus was on the Payments’ protection, ranked first in factors allowed and second in yards allowed. The Jets took it personally, aiming to show their protection is on the identical stage.
They did. Hardly ever blitzing, they used their four-man rush to rattle Allen (18-for-34, 205 yards) into certainly one of his worst video games. Broad receiver Stefon Diggs, who had 5 catches for 93 yards within the first half, was blanked within the ultimate two quarters: No catches, three targets.
“If we’re not No. 1, that is the objective is to be No. 1,” defensive finish John Franklin-Myers mentioned of the Jets’ protection. “We will maintain enjoying and maintain dominating groups and, hopefully, it performs out.”
Maybe probably the most encouraging growth was Wilson (18-for-25, 154 yards), who set a profession excessive for completion share (72%). He was beneath intense scrutiny after final week’s three-interception catastrophe in a 22-17 loss to the New England Patriots, however he managed the sport properly and had just one turnover.
“I do not actually care what anyone says,” Wilson mentioned. “In fact, I have been coping with [criticism] my complete life. However that is an enormous workforce win.”
