Five Unsung Heroes From the Jets' Upset Win Over the Rams
The end result of Sunday's Jets-Rams game, and what it means for New York's franchise going forward, will be talked about for weeks to come. Maybe even the next few years!
For just a moment, however, let's not focus solely on what the Jets' first win in 2020 means for next spring's draft and what (or who) they could have lost in the process. Here are five players that made massive contributions to New York's stunning victory, taking down the heavily-favored Rams on the road in an absolute stunner.
Quarterback Sam Darnold will get a lot of the praise and deservedly so. He had one of the best games of the year, taking care of the football, sticking to the offense's game plan (getting rid of the ball quickly to make sure Los Angeles' pass rushers weren't able to wreak havoc) and he even threw a touchdown pass, just his sixth of this year.
It wasn't only Darnold who made this upset possible.
Marcus Maye
With five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Rams had a chance to retake the lead. Instead, Jets safety Marcus Maye made a game-saving play.
On fourth-and-four, Rams quarterback Jared Goff tried to loft a ball over Maye's head to tight end Gerald Everett. Goff put the ball in a great spot for Everett to go up and make the grab, streaking toward the goal line on the near sideline. As Maye fell backward, however, he tipped the ball away for an incompletion.
That was the final play Los Angeles had on offense on Sunday as New York was able to move the chains once the Rams burnt all of their timeouts.
Maye was the star on the final play, but he was also among the seven defenders that were on the field for all 59 defensive snaps on Sunday. Regardless, the clutch pass deflection wouldn't have been relevant if it wasn't for New York's defense putting together a quality performance all game long.
"We stuck together as a defense," Maye told reporters in a Zoom call after the game. "When they started coming back and swinging back and we just stuck it out. We played together as a team as a group, all three phases. I just likely made the play on fourth down, but it was definitely a group effort team effort.
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Bryce Hall
Rookie cornerback Bryce Hall, who's been thrust into a starting role this season due to injuries across the secondary, also played in every snap on Sunday. Like Maye, Hall was able to make a play on a pass from Goff that kept Los Angeles from putting points on the board.
In the second quarter, after the Rams had started the game with back-to-back three-and-outs, Los Angeles gathered some momentum on their fourth drive. After John Franklin-Myers' neutral zone infraction on fourth-and-one, Goff rolled out on the next play, looking to keep the ball moving down the field.
Trying to zip a bullet over the middle to Robert Woods, Goff's pass was picked off by Hall with one hand. The Virginia product even brought it back 20 yards before being brought down deep in Rams territory.
New York only got three points out of the turnover, but Hall's interception set the tone early on for a secondary that's been torn apart by good quarterbacks all season long. It's a big confidence boost for Hall as well as that one-handed pick was the first interception of his young NFL career.
J.T. Hassell
Talk about making a statement while debuting for a new team.
J.T. Hassell, a second-year defensive back who played for the Cleveland Browns last season, took the field for the Jets for the first time on Sunday after being signed earlier this month.
Two quarters into his Jets debut, he made a huge play on special teams. Hassell dashed into the backfield as the ball was snapped to Los Angeles' punter Johnny Hekker. The safety dove to block the punt as it came off Hekker's foot, keeping the football in Rams territory as New York recovered.
Similar to Hall's interception, New York only came away with three, but it was part of a stretch that included 13 unanswered points to start the game.
Not a bad first impression for Hassell in his new threads, huh?
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Sam Ficken
Remember when Sergio Castillo missed three field goals against the Seahawks? Feels like an eternity ago now that Sam Ficken is back in action off the injured reserve.
Ficken reminded the Jets how important his leg is with a solid performance on Sunday in his return from a groin injury. He went 3-for-3 on field goals in the victory, nailing both of his extra point tries as well.
Sure, that's what a kicker is expected to do, but after Castillo's meltdown last week—part of a 40-3 shellacking in Seattle—it was quite a relief for this team to be able to rely on the kicking game once again.
Plus, New York only won by three in this game. Imagine if Ficken had missed one (or two) of his chip shots early on. That would've come back to bite this team big time and certainly would have changed the trajectory of this ball game.
Ficken is now 12-of-13 on the season, good for a 92.3 field-goal percentage. That's tied for 10th in the NFL so far this year (among those who have attempted 10 or more field goals).
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Braden Mann
Sticking with special teams one more time, we'd be remiss if rookie punter Braden Mann didn't get a shout-out.
Not only has Mann consistently produced this year (as the most frequently-used punter in football with 70 punts and counting), but he also made a game-saving play on Sunday.
With just over five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, New York was forced to give the ball back to the Rams after a quick three-and-out. Mann sent his fifth punt of the day 50 yards, soaring down to the Rams' 23 yard line. Then, Los Angeles' return man Nsimba Webster nearly snatched New York's first win away.
Webster made an immediate cut and flew down the field, returning the punt for 34 yards. If it wasn't for a tackle by Mann on the Jets' 43 yard line, Webster could've returned the punt for a touchdown and given Los Angeles the lead.
"I was standing on the end where the returner was coming, and there was a lot of green grass. That was an unbelievable tackle by him," Gase said after the game.
Other key contributors in the Jets' win: RB Frank Gore, LB Neville Hewitt, DT Quinnen Williams
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