Jets grades: Late touchdown drags down defense's score
Lions tight end Brock Wright carries the ball to the end zone against Jets cornerback D.J. Reed and linebacker C.J. Mosley for a touchdown during the fourth quarter of an NFL game Sunday at MetLife Stadium. Credit: AP/Seth Wenig
OFFENSE: C-
Zach Wilson was a mixed message in his return as the starter. The good? He threw for 317 yards and two touchdowns, including a 40-yarder to C.J. Uzomah in the second quarter and a 1-yarder to Uzomah to give the Jets the lead with 4:41 left. Wilson led a field-goal drive in the final 25 seconds of the first half and got the Jets in position for a 58-yard try at the end after hitting Elijah Moore for 20 on fourth-and-18 from the Jets’ 40 on the previous play.
But Wilson also barely completed 50% of his passes (18-for-35), got flagged for intentional grounding, missed some open receivers and underthrew Moore for an interception that set up a field goal early in the third quarter. The running game managed only 50 yards on 22 rushes — just 2.3 per carry.
DEFENSE: D
The unit would have received a B. The Jets led 17-13, and the defense had allowed only two field goals (the punt coverage team had yielded Detroit’s lone TD) without the injured Quinnen Williams. Then no one covered Brock Wright on a fourth-and-1 at the Lions’ 49 with two minutes left. The tight end turned Jared Goff’s short pass into a 51-yard, game-deciding score.
The defense didn’t force a turnover for the third straight week. It didn’t have a sack and totaled just five hits on Goff. Cornerback D.J. Reed broke up three passes.
SPECIAL TEAMS: D
Never a good game when a special teams unit allows a touchdown return. Braden Mann punted out of his own end zone in the first quarter, sending it 46 yards. Kalif Raymond ran it back 47 yards for the TD.
Greg Zuerlein kicked a 34-yard field goal and was 2-for-2 on PATs, but he missed wide left on the one from 58 for the tie as time expired.
COACHING: C
Zuerlein had to kick from long distance with one second left on the clock. But Robert Saleh finished the game with one timeout left in his pocket, not a good keepsake. Perhaps the Jets could have used that one and gotten closer.
