The Jets returned to basics this week after losing to the Cardinals in Week 10.
But the final results remained the same.
Colts (5-6) defeated the Jets (3-8) 28-27 on a beautiful 60-degree day at MetLife Stadium. The loss was the Jets’ seventh in eight games.
Aaron Rodgers completed 21-of-28 passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns. Breece Hall finished the game with 102 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns.
At the two-minute warning, Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson completed a 39-yard pass to Alec Pierce, which put them in range to win the game in regulation. Then Richardson kept the ball on the run and scored to put Indianapolis up 28-27 for good with 46 seconds left after the Colts’ two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful.
After he was benched for the previous two weeks, Colts coach Shane Steichen named Richardson the starting quarterback for the rest of the season ahead of the Jets game. Gang Green had issues containing Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray because of his mobility.
This led interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich to demonstrate how to tackle in team meetings after they missed 20 against the Cardinals. Although the Jets’ defense was a bit better against the Colts, they did miss a few key tackles.
One of them came in the first quarter after Richardson completed a pass to Adonai Mitchell, and Sauce Gardner missed the tackle after he took a bad angle. That led to the Colts’ first touchdown after Mitchell got the ball down to the one-yard line, and Richardson eventually scored on a two-yard touchdown.
However, Gang Green’s defense was impressive in the second half. The Jets limited the Colts to just 81 rushing yards and 2.5 yards per attempt.
The Jets created a turnover after Jamien Sherwood stripped Richardson, and the team recovered the ball in Colts territory. Gang Green eventually took the lead for the first time after Hall scored his second touchdown of the day.
The Jets received the ball to begin Sunday’s game but quickly went three-and-out. Gang Green still has not scored a touchdown on its opening drive of the game through 11 weeks.
Indianapolis did, however, get points early and went up 3-0 after Matt Gay‘s 41-yard field goal.
The Colts lead went up to 10-0 in the second quarter after Richardson rushed for the ball for two yards and over Jets safety Jalen Mills in the end zone. Gay’s second field goal, this time for 47 yards, extended Indianapolis’ lead to 13-0.
The Jets finally got on board before halftime when Rodgers found Hall for a 29-yard touchdown pass that cut their deficit to 13-7.
After the halftime break, the Jets defense created a fumble after Sherwood’s sack-and-stripped on Richardson that Javon Kinlaw recovered the ball on the Colts 25-yard-line. That helped set up a Hall 18-yard touchdown run that put the Jets ahead 14-13.
Gay converted his third field goal of the day from 56 yards, and Indianapolis retook the lead 16-14 halfway through the third quarter.
Andres Carlson, who became Gang Green’s kicker after Spencer Shrader was signed off the Jets’ practice squad by Kansas City, made a 58-yard field goal late in the third quarter to make the score 17-16.
To begin the fourth quarter, the Jets had a scoring opportunity after being down at the Colts’ 27-yard line. Rodgers took advantage of the field position and found tight end Kenny Yeboah for an 11-yard touchdown reception that extended the Jets lead to 24-16. The play marked Yeboah’s first NFL touchdown in his fourth season in the league.
Just when it looked like the Jets were going to pull away, the Colts came back down and scored a touchdown after Josh Downs found the end zone on a 10-yard pass from Richardson. But Indianapolis missed the two-point conversion and the score remained 24-22.
The Jets extended their lead to 27-22 with 2:44 remaining after Carlson converted a 35-yard field goal. But the Colts took a one-point lead with 46 seconds left on Richardson’s four-yard run.
After 11 straight games, the Jets will be on a bye in Week 12. They will play their next game against the Seahawks on Dec. 1.
