Just when the New York Jets lulled you into thinking that they might be turning a corner, their unbreakable decades-long track record of dysfunction caught up with them once again.
Gang Green squandered a five-point lead with 2:44 to go in regulation, yielding a four-yard touchdown run by quarterback Anthony Richardson with 46 seconds remaining to lift the Indianapolis Colts to a 28-27 victory over the Jets on Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium.
New York’s (3-8) miserable stretch continues as it has lost two straight and seven of its last eight games — serenaded by a steady chorus of jeers from a fed-up fan base that has seen this play too many times over the last 14 years.
“Angry, frustrated,” Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich said. “We’re not in a good place from that standpoint. There’s an element to something’s missing. It’s a good time for a bye to reassess where we are at.”
Richardson, making his first start since Week 8, ripped apart the Jets’ defense, completing 20 of 30 passes for 272 yards, one passing touchdown and two rushing scores.
Following Jets kicker Anders Carlson’s 35-yard field goal to put New York up five late, Richardson hit Alex Pierce for a 39-yard completion down the right sideline to put the Colts (5-6) into Jets territory at the 27-yard line, setting up the late score.
“I was confident the defense would get the stop,” Ulbrich said. “That’s why I opted to kick the field goal there and not go for it. But in hindsight, probably should have gone for it.”
The Jets did nothing with their final possession, as Aaron Rodgers was sacked twice with no timeouts. Since 1990, no team has started a season 3-8 and made the playoffs, which certainly feels like the final nail in the Jets’ coffin this season.
New York running back Breece Hall scored a pair of touchdowns, and tight end Kenny Yeboah recorded his first career touchdown reception in the loss. Rodgers completed 22 of 29 passes for 184 yards and two scores. The Jets entered Week 11 having not scored more than 24 points this season.
The Colts jumped out to a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter while the Jets’ offense was stuck in an early malaise.
Rodgers’ men could muster just nine yards on New York’s first nine plays of the afternoon, which resulted in punts in each of their first three drives. It was clear that the future Hall of Famer still could not throw the ball deeper down the field.
“I know Aaron would love to be playing better, but it’s not just him,” Ulbrich said. “It’s all of us.”
Richardson bounced outside on a keeper and barrelled into the end zone to put Indianapolis up two possessions less than a minute into the second quarter, capping off an eight-play, 66-yard drive.
The Jets gained nine yards on the ensuing drive, matching their afternoon’s total. Still, things went south when tight end Tyler Conklin was stuffed on a 4th-&-1 attempt near midfield after surprisingly lining up under center after going in motion.
Quinnen Williams’ third-down sack of Richardson stifled Indianapolis’ drive, which moved into the Jets’ red zone following the turnover on downs, but the Colts managed to salvage a field goal to go up 17-0 with 6:08 to go in the half.
The Jets finally put it together inside two minutes to go in the half. They got their first first down of the afternoon six seconds after the two-minute warning. With 40 seconds to go, Rodgers hooked up with Hall on a check down that turned into a 29-yard score to cut New York’s deficit to just six heading into the break.
On that touchdown pass, Rodgers passed Dan Marino for the eighth-most passing yards in NFL history.
New York was back in business at the start of the second half after a strip sack of Richardson was recovered by Javon Kinlaw to give the hosts possession at the Indianapolis 25-yard line. It took just two plays for the Jets to take the lead as Hall broke loose down the right sideline for an 18-yard score to go up 14-13.
The Colts answered behind a pair of third-and-long conversions to get into the outskirts of field-goal range. But kicker Matt Gay hit a season-high 57-yarder to put Indianapolis back in front by two midway through the third quarter.
Carlson answered right back for the Jets just inside three minutes to go in the quarter, nailing a 58-yard field goal to give Gang Green a 17-16 lead. Carlson is the fourth Jets’ kicker this season who was elevated from the practice squad late during the week after the Kansas Chiefs signed Spencer Shrader off New York’s practice squad.
The Jets extended their lead two minutes into the fourth quarter when Rodgers hit Yeboah for an 11-yard score. It was the fourth-year tight end’s third catch of the season, the sixth of his career, and his first career touchdown reception to extend New York’s lead to eight at 24-16.
Richardson hit Josh Downs for a 10-yard touchdown with 10:11 to go in the game but failed to find Mo Allie-Cox for the two-point conversion to keep the Jets in front by a slim two points. It swelled to five with 2:44 to go after Carlson hit a 35-yard field goal.
