Nick Folk plays the hero with 56-yard field goal as Jets beat Falcons
Nick Folk of the New York Jets celebrates after kicking the winning field goal against the Atlanta Falcons at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. Credit: Getty Images/Elsa
The Jets gave the fans who braved the rain and cold — and this lost season — something to cheer about before they left MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
Old reliable Nick Folk, 41, kicked a 56-yard field goal with no time remaining — the longest game-winning field goal in franchise history — to give the Jets a 27-24 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
The Jets (3-9) showed resilience in coming back to win a back-and-forth game, scoring the final 10 points in the final 1:53.
Folk redeemed himself after an earlier 55-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide right for his first miss of the season. His game-winner wasn’t a boomer, either. It was a low line drive that stayed inside the left upright and had just enough height on it to get over the crossbar.
“Everyone gets to make the sundae and I just get to put the cherry on top,” Folk said. “Just happy to help us get a win.”
It was the 20th game-winning field goal of his career. He had been perfect on 20 field-goal attempts — including five kicks of at least 50 yards — and 15 extra points entering Sunday.
The Jets showed fight to pull out the win and needed some big plays from their special teams. Qwan’tez Stiggers recovered a muffed punt at the 2-yard line to set up the Jets’ first touchdown. Isaiah Williams had an 83-yard kickoff return that led to a field goal by Folk early in the fourth.
“When you have moments like this in games like this, it confirms what we’re doing on the day-to-day is right,” Tyrod Taylor said. “If we all believe, we can put special wins together. I love to see the resilience that’s in this locker room. Regardless of circumstances, no one wavers.”
Taylor completed 19 of 33 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for a 10-yard touchdown as the Jets tied the score at 24 with 1:53 left.
Breece Hall rushed 19 times for 68 yards and a touchdown. Adonai Mitchell, acquired from the Colts in the Sauce Gardner trade, set career highs with eight catches for 102 yards and his first touchdown.
Bijan Robinson rushed for 142 yards and a touchdown for Atlanta. Kirk Cousins was 21-for-33 for 234 yards and a TD. Tight end Kyle Pitts caught seven passes for 82 yards.
After Taylor’s tying touchdown, the Jets forced a three-and-out. After they went three-and-out, the defense stepped up again, getting the Falcons off the field after three plays and giving the Jets one final shot.
The Jets’ series began at their own 43 with 35 seconds left. Taylor ran for 14 yards on first down, and after Armand Membou was flagged for a false start, Taylor hit Mitchell for 10 yards. On third down, Taylor connected with Mitchell for a 5-yard gain.
Another false start pushed the Jets back to the 38. Taylor’s next two passes were incomplete before Folk’s winner.
“Man, it was just good to see it go in,” Aaron Glenn said. “For those guys to gut this win out and get this win, because it’s more to me than just the win that I’m looking at. I look at these guys never quit.”
The Falcons scored touchdowns on their last possession of the first half and their first series of the third quarter to take a 14-7 lead. On the latter TD, Robinson ran it in from 5 yards out, capping a 95-yard drive that was helped by a roughing-the-passer penalty on Marcellino McCrary-Ball.
The Jets tied it 38 seconds later when Mitchell caught a 52-yard TD pass from Taylor.
“It was definitely a game that every little thing mattered, every detail mattered,” Mitchell said. “So, yeah, it was good. Overall, feeling felt good, man.”
The Falcons went ahead 17-14 on Zane Gonzalez’s 52-yard field goal with no time left in the third quarter.
Williams took the following kickoff 83 yards to the Falcons’ 15, but the Jets didn’t get in the end zone on that possession. After Metchie dropped a third-down pass that would have given the Jets a first down, they settled for a 32-yard field goal by Folk that tied it at 17 with 13:23 left.
Atlanta took a 24-17 lead on the next series. David Sills caught a 9-yard touchdown pass from Cousins as Ja’Sir Taylor whiffed while trying to tackle Sills. The Jets had another defensive breakdown on the drive that resulted in a 31-yard catch-and-run by running back Tyler Allgeier.
On the next series, the Jets got some rare luck. On third-and-9 from the 46, Taylor attempted a long pass down the left side to Mitchell but got hit as he threw it. It floated toward the middle of the field, and a leaping Allen Lazard caught it for a 10-yard gain and a first down.
Taylor converted a third down and a fourth down with his legs before scrambling for the tying score. And for one of the few times this season, the Jets were able to finish.
“It felt amazing,” Taylor said. “It wasn’t a perfect game by any means, but we speak about our brand of football and being complementary to one another, all three phases, and I think this was a perfect game to show that.”
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
