Jets Country

Jets' Defense Falters, Allowing Game-Winning Touchdown in Crushing Loss to Lions

A 51-yard touchdown pass from Jared Goff to Brock Wright gave the Lions a lead with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

Max Goodman

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The Jets have been carried all season long by their elite defense, a unit that's routinely made up for a struggling offense, keeping this club in postseason contention. 

With a chance to defeat the Lions on Sunday, needing one stop on fourth down with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, New York's defense faltered.

Lions quarterback Jared Goff hit tight end Brock Wright for a 51-yard touchdown on fourth and inches, a go-ahead score and stunning turnaround that gave Detroit a 20-17 lead. New York nearly tied the game at the buzzer, but kicker Greg Zuerlein missed a game-tying field goal as time expired, the final play in the Jets' fifth loss in their last seven games. 

Zach Wilson was the hero earlier in the fourth quarter, leading New York on a touchdown drive to jump in front 17-13. In his return from being benched, Wilson threw for 317 yards, competing 18 of his 35 passes. He unleashed a few dimes down the stretch on the Jets' final possession of the game, scrambling to find Elijah Moore on a prayer to get into field goal range with one second left. 

Zuerlein couldn't convert, though.

Wilson played well early on, showing off his elite arm talent with a promising stretch of plays outside the pocket. After falling behind on a punt return for a touchdown in the first quarter—Kalif Raymond got some revenge on his former team, scampering 47 yards for the score—Wilson rattled off back-to-back deep balls in a 78-yard touchdown drive. A 33-yard connection down the sideline to rookie Garrett Wilson set the stage for a touchdown from 40 yards out to tight end C.J. Uzomah, a well-executed bootleg with Wilson throwing high across the formation. 

Later in the half, Wilson found wideout Jeff Smith on a 50-yard bomb, a tone-setting play that led to game-tying field goal at the halftime buzzer from Zuerlein.

Wilson was 8-for-14 with 185 passing yards at the break, taking care of business without making any mistakes. Meanwhile, New York's defense had held Detroit's red-hot offense without a touchdown.

At the beginning of the second half, the narrative surrounding Wilson's performance changed. Wilson made his first poor decision of the game, lobbing an interception in the direction of Moore, never noticing Jerry Jacobs looming in coverage.

The interception led to a go-ahead field goal for Detroit. Frustration reached a tipping point as Wilson failed to hit Wilson the receiver on a third-down play later in the third. The rookie wideout threw his hands up as the crowd at MetLife Stadium voiced their displeasure. 

That incompletion led to New York's second of three consecutive punts in the second half.

Later, those fans would be back to celebrating. After a missed field goal from Michael Badgley with under eight minutes remaining, the Jets took over with solid field possession, driving in the other direction with a chance to take the lead. Wilson nearly did it himself, trying a quarterback sneak from one yard out. The play was overturned upon review, but New York wouldn't be denied. On the next play, Wilson rolled out on play action, hitting Uzomah for another touchdown to take a 17-13 lead. 

That advantage evaporated when Goff found a wide-open Wright on fourth down, a catch and run that turned out to be the decisive play in Detroit's dramatic victory. New York's defense was solid all game long, but that one error at the end of the fourth quarter proved to be the difference. 

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Jets for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. He also covers the New York Yankees, publisher  of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Yankees site, Inside The Pinstripes. Before starting out with SI, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. While at school, Goodman gathered valuable experience as an anchor and reporter on NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. Goodman previously interned at MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman and connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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