After trading two of their star players this week, the Jets won their second game of the season.
Breece Hall’s 125 all-purpose yards and six defensive sacks helped the Jets (2-7) defeat the Browns (2-7) 27-20 on a rainy afternoon at MetLife Stadium.
The Jets said goodbye to Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams this week after they were dealt in separate trades to the Colts and Cowboys. They also traded cornerback Michael Carter II to the Eagles during their bye, a week earlier.
While the Jets may be peaking a bit towards 2026 after adding three additional first-round picks and one additional second-round pick over the subsequent two drafts, Jets coach Aaron Glenn said they were focused on trying to defeat the Browns and that’s precisely what they did.
Gang Green was coming off its best game of the season two weeks ago against Cincinnati in its first win of the season. During that contest, the Jets finished with a season-high 502 yards.
Against the Browns on Sunday, the Jets reverted to the inept offense that has been displayed for most of this season. At halftime, they had just 62 yards and -5 passing yards. They finished with 171 total yards, with 128 of them coming on the ground.
The Jets’ passing offense continued to struggle until early in the fourth quarter when Justin Fields completed a screen pass to Hall, who scored on the 42-yard play, which gave them a 24-17 lead with 14:12 remaining.
Fields has been criticized for most of this season for his hesitancy to throw the ball downfield and his inaccuracy at times. He was also blamed for the Jets 0-7 start to the season by owner Woody Johnson at the NFL fall meetings last month.
Against the Bengals, Fields had his best game in a Jets uniform after completing 21-of-32 passes for 244 yards with a touchdown pass. Against Cleveland, Fields finished 6-of-11 with 54 passing yards. But the Jets’ special teams, along with their rushing attack and defense, carried the team in the win against the Browns.
The Jets had just 13 net offensive yards in the first quarter. But that did not stop them from finding the end zone twice during the opening stanza.
Following a Dillon Gabriel nine-yard touchdown pass to David Njoku to take an early 7-0 lead, Kene Nwangwu returned the kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown. Then, after Corey Bojorquez’s 45-yard punt, Isaiah Williams scored on a 74-yard punt return, which gave the Jets a 14-7 lead in the first quarter.
It was the first time in franchise history that the Jets scored a touchdown on both a kickoff return and a punt return in the same game. The last time that happened in an NFL game before Sunday’s game against the Browns was when the Ravens did it against the Bears in 2017.
While their offense has struggled for most of this season, the Jets’ special teams have been one of the few bright spots in what has been a disappointing season. Kicker Nick Folk has been flawless this season after converting all 19 of his field goal attempts. Rookie Austin McNamara entered Sunday’s game sixth in the NFL in net punting yards (43.7).
The Jets’ defense, especially Will McDonald, was relentless. He finished with four sacks against the Browns after entering the game with three in seven games.
In addition to its offensive struggles, Gang Green had trouble rushing the passer this season, entering the game with 11 sacks, which was next to last in the league. Linebacker Quincy Williams, who was demoted this week, finished with five tackles and a sack.
Williams didn’t start the game during the Jets’ nickel packages, as he usually does, but was on the field during their 4-3 formation plays.
The Jets will return to action this Thursday and will play the Patriots on the road at Gillette Stadium.
