Jets hold on for 26-21 win over Jaguars
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The Jets were missing head coach Robert Saleh and a slew of players due to COVID-19 protocols, but they still found their way to a win over the Jaguars on Sunday.
It came right down to the wire. The Jaguars had a chance to win on fourth down from the Jets’ one-yard-line, but Trevor Lawrence fired incomplete after the team had a hard time lining up for the play. They were called for an illegal shift, but the Jets declined the penalty and began to celebrate a 26-21 win.
The loss keeps the Jaguars in the driver’s seat for the first overall pick in the draft for the second straight season. They finish at New England and at home against the Colts, so there won’t be many people betting on them to climb out of that spot in the next two weeks.
Jacksonville cut the Jets’ lead to 23-21 on a Dare Ogunbowale touchdown with just over five minutes left to play, but they failed to convert on a two-point try and the Jets drove down to the Jacksonville one-yard-line as the game moved into the final two minutes. Acting head coach Ron Middleton had passed on field goals in favor of going for it three previous times in the game — the one success was a Zach Wilson touchdown pass to offensive lineman Conor McDermott — but opted to kick in that spot.
The Jaguars’ ensuing drive made that seem like a questionable call as Lawrence hit Tavon Austin, James O’Shaughnessy, and Marvin Jones before scrambling for a 26-yard gain that put Jacksonville on the edge of the end zone. The Jets escaped, however, and Middleton was able to enjoy a win in his head coaching debut.
Jets rookie Michael Carter ran 16 times for 118 yards and Braxton Berrios continued a strong season with a 102-yard kickoff return for a score. He also caught five passes from Wilson, including a key third down on the final field goal drive. Wilson was 14-of-22 for 101 yards through the air and had a 52-yard touchdown run en route to a 91-yard rushing day overall.
Lawrence was 26-of-39 for 280 yards and he lost a fumble on a sack by Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley. Ogunbowale ran 17 times for 57 yards as he took on the lead role after James Robinson tore his Achilles early in the game.
