Jets Hang On to Beat Browns For Second Straight Win
It was the kind of performance, fresh off last week's upset over the Rams, that has Jets fans wondering where this team has been all season long.
For the second week in a row, after starting the season with a franchise-worst 13-game losing streak, New York has taken down a team that's poised to play deep into to the postseason.
The Jets secured their first win at MetLife Stadium this year, holding off a late comeback from the Cleveland Browns in a 23-16 victory.
At one point in the second half of this game, New York had a 17-point lead. That's a one-win team storming ahead by three scores with 20 unanswered points against a club with double-digit victories contending for a division title.
That said, that lead dwindled down to just four after the Browns surged back in the second half. New York was able to hold on by making two monumental stops in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
Cleveland got the ball back with just over four minutes to go and all the momentum. Instead of marching down the field to put themselves in a position to take the lead, however, defensive end Tarell Basham forced a fumble on Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield to get the ball back deep in Browns territory.
Then, on a fourth-and-inches in the red zone, Basham forced Mayfield to fumble again as the quarterback tried to sneak forward for the first down. Although the Browns recovered the fumble beyond the yard to gain, by rule the ball was placed back at the spot of the fumble. Therefore, Cleveland turned the ball over on downs and the Jets took over in victory formation.
With the win, the Jets are now 2-13 on the year. While two wins in a row is a tremendous way to wrap up the season, New York clinches the No. 2 pick in next spring's NFL draft with the victory (and the Jaguars' loss to the Bears).
Should quarterback and presumptive top prospect Trevor Lawrence declare for the draft after his season at Clemson, Jacksonville will have a shot to take him with the first overall selection.
New York started slow, punting on its first two drives. Just when it seemed like the Jets had returned to their offensive struggles that have lingered all season long, head coach Adam Gase pulled out some trickeration.
With less than a minute remaining in the first quarter, wide receiver Jamison Crowder lobbed a touchdown pass to fellow wideout Braxton Berrios deep down the right sideline. Crowder got the ball in the backfield on a reverse before launching the football down the field for his first career completion.
Don't worry, Jets quarterback Sam Darnold would get involved too. Building off his impressive showing last Sunday in Los Angeles, Darnold threw for two touchdowns of his own—one to Crowder and another to tight end Chris Herndon.
Darnold finished with 175 passing yards in the victory, avoiding an interception for the third game in a row.
Although Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield had 300-plus yards through the air—impressive considering Cleveland was missing several key contributors due to COVID-19—New York's defense did a tremendous job containing the Browns' offense.
Cleveland entered play on Sunday with the third-best rushing attack in the NFL. Against the Jets' defense—a unit plagued with injuries—they managed only 45 yards on Sunday. In fact, through halftime, the Browns had only four rushing yards.
Plus, a unit without star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, along with a handful of other key contributors, was able to sack Mayfield four times. Again, Basham was the star with two key forced fumbles late in the fourth quarter. He led the Jets with three hits on Mayfield.
Follow Max Goodman on Twitter (@MaxTGoodman), on Facebook (also @MaxTGoodman), be sure to bookmark Jets Country and check back daily for news, analysis and more.
