On Sunday, the Jets finally played in their first Sunday Night Football game since 2011 as they hosted the Chiefs.
In a game with celebrities like Taylor Swift, Ryan Reynolds, and Paul Rudd in the house, Gang Green and Kansas City put on an exciting show in primetime.
However, it was the Chiefs that came away with the close victory.
Chiefs (3-1) edged the Jets (1-3) 23-20 for their third consecutive victory after losing in Week 1 to the Lions.
Patrick Mahomes had an inauspicious game as he completed 18 of 30 passes for 203 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He also rushed for 52 yards.
Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco finished with 115 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.
With Aaron Rodgers in attendance after he suffered an Achilles injury in Week 1, Wilson had his finest moment in a Jets uniform as he completed 28 of 39 passes for 245 yards and two touchdowns. He finished with a quarterback rating of 105.2. Garrett Wilson also finished with nine catches for 60 yards. However, his fumble late in the fourth quarter put the game away on ice for the Chiefs.
“I thought he was really good,” Jets coach Robert Saleh said about Zach Wilson. “Gave us a chance to win the game, brought us back. If he plays like that, we are going to win a lot of football games.”
With 7:30 left in regulation, Wilson fumbled the snap from Connor McGovern in the shotgun formation. Chiefs defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton recovered the fumble as the Chiefs took over and never gave the ball back.
The Jets did have an opportunity to get the back to their offense as cornerback Michael Carter II intercepted Mahomes for a third time on a third-and-20 on the Jets 40. However, the play was negated by a holding call on cornerback Sauce Gardner as it was a questionable holding call.
Saleh was livid about the penalty as he raced down the field to voice his displeasure to the officials. He also later received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after Mahomes ran for 11 yards on third down, which put the game on ice.
“The receiver ran into me, it was a collision and it was the same thing that was happening all game and they didn’t throw no flags,” Gardner said about the penalty. “Pat threw the ball outside to the receiver and he [Carter] was there and made and then the ref threw the flag.
“Me personally, it is like when you play basketball and one-on-one and you go up to lay the ball up and you wait to see if you miss and you say ‘foul.’ I can’t believe that. That was just crazy because I don’t even think they threw the ball my way at me the first three quarters and then they started throwing checkdowns.
“I don’t know what to say.”
Throughout his career, Wilson’s play has been heavily criticized as he’s been primarily erratic. Also, his decision-making has been questionable recently, as Wilson has been holding the ball too long and overthrowing receivers. However, he showed the poise and decision-making Jets coaches and players have often raved about during practices throughout training camp and early this season.
After throwing for 327 yards, one touchdown in three interceptions in losses to the Cowboys and Patriots, Saleh remained committed to Wilson as his starting quarterback even after signing veteran journeyman Trevor Siemian to the practice squad. His confidence in Wilson paid off as the 24-year-old helped the Jets rally from an early 17-0 early deficit at home.
“I felt like Hack [Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett] did an unbelievable job today, mixing it up and taking shots and spreading it around,” Wilson said. “I thought he was keeping us on our toes, I thought we had a good plan and I was seeing it really well.
“I would say we need to keep building on this, but I need to be better on the details. They were multiple plays I needed to be better on. That one throw to [Tyler] Conklin that should have been a touchdown and not ending in a field goal. It’s the little things that wins games and if I want to be great, you have to have those and I need to be better on those.”
The Jets won the coin toss and deferred to begin the night. Kansas City immediately drove down 57 yards to the 19-yard line before having to settle for a 37-yard field goal by Harrison Butker to give the team an early 3-0 lead.
Following a Jets three and out, the Chiefs got the ball right back and found the end zone. After a missed tackle by defensive lineman Micheal Clemons, Pacheco went 48 yards for a touchdown, which gave them a 10-0 lead in the first quarter.
Kansas City continued to pour it on in the first quarter as Patrick Mahomes found Noah Gray for a 34-yard touchdown reception, which increased the lead to 17-0. That was the 10th consecutive possession Kansas City scored on a streak that began during last weekend’s game against the Bears.
Gang Green got its first points of the game in an unconventional way. Right tackle Jawann Taylor grabbed defensive end Bryce Huff’s facemask, which resulted in a safety. They got a free kick and parlayed that into a 31-yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein.
The Jets continued to benefit from that safety, which ultimately swayed momentum in their favor. Mahomes threw an interception to Ashytn Davis in Chiefs territory, giving the Jets a short field to work with. That helped Gang Green’s first touchdown of the night as Wilson completed a one-yard pass to tight end C.J. Uzomah that made the score 17-12.
Kansas City responded with points to extend its lead to 20-12 at halftime, as it had to settle for a 37-yard field goal after its drive at the Jets’ 19 stalled.
To begin the second half, Wilson completed a 25-yard pass to tight end Tyler Conklin, which helped the Jets get into field goal range. Then a 23-yard catch by tight end Jeremy Ruckert helped set up a Wilson 10-yard touchdown pass to Allen Lazard. Wilson converted the two-yard conversion on a scramble, which tied the game.
Kansas City retook the lead 23-20 with 10:51 left in the fourth quarter following a 26-yard field goal by Butker.
On the next drive, the Jets marched down the field after pass plays to Garrett Wilson and Tyler Conklin. However, Zach Wilson dropped a snap in the shotgun formation as Wharton recovered on the Jets 47-yard-line to put the game away.
“We just have to focus on the positives,” Jets wide receiver Allen Lazard said. “It was obviously a few mistakes out there that we wish we could get back. We gotta clean those up and everything.
“But regardless, win, lose or draw, we still have a lot of games to be played and a lot of football out there for us to go win.”
The Jets will be on the road for the second time this season next weekend as they will face the Broncos. The Chiefs will play on the road for the second consecutive week as they will play the Vikings.
Antwan Staley
Source link