The Jets had nothing to lose Sunday — they were mathematically eliminated weeks ago — so Gang Green decided to spend all day tempting fate against the Los Angeles Rams at the frigid MetLife Stadium, hoping to pull off an upset.
But not even rolling the dice could prevent their seemingly inevitable second-half collapse to the Rams, as the Jets lost 19-9 and dropped their already abysmal record to 4-11.
In the end, it wasn’t so much the three failed fourth-down gambles that did the Jets on this day than it was one costly Rodgers fumble in the fourth quarter.
Moments after the Rams tied the game at 9, the Jets were at their own 21-yard line two plays into the drive when Rodgers dropped back to pass in the shotgun formation but could neither find any Jets receivers open nor the opportunity to throw the ball away.
Rodgers went down hard onto the MetLife turf, losing the ball, which wound up in the hands of the Rams’ Kamren Curl for the turnover. The veteran quarterback would come up limping, but remained in the game.
Two plays later, LA quarterback Matthew Stafford connected with Tyler Higbee, playing his first game this year, on an 11-yard touchdown pass. Karty’s successful extra point put the Rams on top 16-9; the kicker would later tack on another field goal to make it 19-9 late in the fourth quarter.
The latest second-half collapse spoiled what had been a crisp game for Gang Green, who dominated possession from the start, especially after the defense stopped the Rams’ opening drive near midfield.
Rather than chance a long field goal early on, Rams head coach Sean McVey opted to punt, and LA’s special teams were able to pin the Jets inside their own one-yard line. It seemed like the right idea at the time — but the Jets had other plans.
Aaron Rodgers then reached into his old bag of tricks and led Gang Green 99 1/2 yards down the field with a vintage, methodical drive reminiscent of his glory days in Green Bay. After getting stopped at field goal range on third down, the Jets also had a chance to either take three points or chance a fourth down play, needing just two yards to keep the drive going.
Rodgers and the Jets took the gamble and it paid off, as he connected with wide receiver Davonte Adams for a first down inside the Rams’ red zone. Two plays later, Rodgers connected with his old Green Bay Packers teammate on a 11-yard touchdown pass that Adams caught in the back of the end zone, putting the Jets ahead 6-0. It was Rodgers’ 499th career TD pass, putting him on the cusp of NFL history.
Kicker Anders Carlson, however, would miss the point-after kick on an afternoon where the New Jersey winds wrought havoc on the kicking game for both sides early.
After Tony Adams intercepted Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford at the Jets’ own 24-yard line, New York’s offense wound up stalling at their own 33. Gang Green then rolled the dice again on fourth down and less than a yard, but running back Breece Hall could not get by the Rams defense, which came up big.
Los Angeles had a golden scoring opportunity deep in Jets territory, and they would not pass up. Three plays later, Rams running back Kyren Williams ran into the end zone for a touchdown. This time, however, the Rams kicker would find trouble in the blustery Meadowlands on Sunday, as Joshua Karty doinked one off the right goalpost, keeping the game tied at 6.
The Jets would keep the ball the remaining 6:22 in the second half, as Rodgers led the offense down the field and deep into the Rams’ end zone — a drive that included yet another successful fourth-down conversion. But two touchdown passes failed with just 3 seconds left, forcing the Jets to send out kicker Carlson for a 21-yard field goal attempt. The kick was successful, just staying inside the left upright, putting the Jets up 9-6 at the half.
New York began the second half with the ball, and Rodgers took them downfield into Rams territory with another methodical, time-consuming drive, taking nearly 10 minutes off the clock. Gang Green, however, came away without any points after yet another fourth-down gamble. Facing a fourth and four from the Rams’ 13, Rodgers threw to his left for Davonte Adams — but the potential touchdown was broken up near the pylon in the left corner of the end zone, forcing a turnover on downs.
Rodgers and the Jets tried to get back in the game late in the fourth quarter but were stopped at the Rams’ 26-yard line. A false start penalty backed the Jets up five yards, leading to a fourth-and-9 play.
Interim Head Coach Jeff Ulbrich then decided not to gamble, pulling Rodgers off the field and sending out the field goal unit. As one might expect from the 2024 Jets, the worst-case scenario followed — Carlson’s 49-yard kick went wide right.
To pour more salt in the wound, after the Jets defense held the Rams to a three-and-out punt afterward, Jets receiver Xavier Gipson called for a fair catch — but dropped the ball. The Rams recovered, preserving their victory.
