The Jets remain on Santa Claus’ naughty list three days before Christmas.
Following their first victory since Halloween against the Jaguars, the Jets (4-11) fell to the Rams (9-6) 19-9 on a cold, blustery afternoon at MetLife Stadium.
The loss was the Jets’ 10th in 12 games and eighth since Jeff Ulbrich became interim coach on Oct. 8. It is the third time out of five seasons the Jets will lose at least 11 games in a season (2020, 2021).
The Rams continue to lead the NFC West after they won five out of their last six games.
“Not to sound redundant, but this group absolutely had no quit in them,” Ulbrich said. “They are fighting. Every single human being in that locker room should be proud of their effort.
“Did we get it done, no, so it’s not good enough. But ultimately, that locker room is standing together and they are finishing.”
Aaron Rodgers had another solid outing after he completed 28-of-42 passes for 256 yards and a touchdown pass. However, his fumble in the fourth quarter put the game on ice after the Rams added a 45-yard field goal by Joshua Karty.
Breece Hall registered with 90 all-purpose yards. Davante Adams caught seven passes for 68 yards and a touchdown. But the Jets only mustered a single touchdown during the entire game.
All season, the Jets have struggled to play complimentary football for 60 minutes. Either the offense has been struggling, and the defense is good enough to win the game, or vice versa.
On Sunday, the Jets’ defense did allow 132 yards on the ground to the Rams. But they only allowed 19 points, which is below the Rams’ season average of 22.1.
Following the 99-yard touchdown, the Jets scored just three points during the final three quarters.
“I don’t know if I would say we struggled offensively,” Adams said. “I would say we struggled to score for sure, which is kind of the same thing, I guess you can say.
“In a way, it’s honestly more disappointing to be able to drive down the field, and I think it might have been against Arizona where we were able to move the ball. but just couldn’t punch it in. It has kind of been the story of the season honestly. I can’t really make sense of it though.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford finished 14-of-19 for 110 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. However, the Rams relied on their rushing attack to generate yards offensively. Running back Kyren Williams recorded 120 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries.
After going for it on fourth down five times, Gang Green did not punt the entire game. It converted on 2 of 5 fourth-down attempts.
“It was a weird game possession-wise,” Rodgers said. “Not a lot of possessions or high-volume plays.”
The Jets won the coin toss and deferred until the second half. However, Los Angeles punted the ball after its drive stalled at Gang Green’s 37-yard line.
After Rams’ Ethan Evans punted the ball to the one-yard-line, the Jets drove 99 yards to score on their opening drive for the second consecutive week. To end the drive, Rodgers found Adams for an 11-yard touchdown pass, the 499th of his career. Anders Carlson missed the extra point, so the score remained 6-0.
Rodgers and Adams tied Miami’s Dan Marino and Mark Clayton for the third-most touchdowns for a quarterback-receiver duo in NFL history.
“That drive, everyone touched the ball,” Rodgers said. “I felt like we had a couple of good runs. Tae [Adams] had a catch, G [Garrett Wilson] had a catch, Conk [Tyler Conklin] had a couple.
“After that, they just sat back in two-high [safeties] most of the game and we didn’t run the ball super efficiently and we didn’t throw it efficiently from that point forward either.”
The Jets led more than halfway through the second quarter until Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich’s gusty playcalling backfired. On 4th and 1 at the Jets’ 33-yard line, Ulbrich decided to go for it and ran Breece Hall to pick up the first down. However, the Rams defense stopped Hall before he reached the first-down marker, and the Jets turned the ball over on down.
Los Angeles then took advantage of excellent field position and scored a touchdown in just three plays. Stafford’s 18-yard screen pass to Puka Nacua set up Williams’ two-yard touchdown run, which tied the game 6-6 after Karty missed the extra point.
The Jets got the ball back before halftime, and Carlson added a 21-yard field goal, giving them a 9-6 lead at the break.
After Gang Green received the ball following halftime, the team couldn’t put points on the board. On 4th and 4 on the Rams’ 13, the Jets went for it again and came up empty after cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon broke up Rodgers’ pass to Adams.
Just like previously, when the Jets went for it in enemy territory, the Rams made the Jets pay following the turnover on downs. But Gang Green held Los Angeles to a 38-yard field goal by Karty, which tied the game 9-9.
Four minutes into the fourth quarter, disaster struck for the Jets. Rams safety Kam Curl stripped-sacked Rodgers and linebacker Jared Verse recovered the fumble on the Jets’ 21-yard-line.
“I probably should have dealt the ball,” Rodgers said. “I should have just got it quick out of the pocket and dumped it somewhere. That was a bad play.”
Three plays later, Stafford completed an 11-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Higbee, which made the score 16-9 with 10:11 remaining. Rodgers then went to the injury tent after he appeared to have injured his leg during the sack. He came back on the Jets’ next drive but was noticeably limping.
After the game, Rodgers said it was mostly his knee that was in pain, but it “feels ok.”
At the 5:17 mark in the fourth quarter, the Rams extended their lead to 19-9 after Karty’s 45-yard field goal was successful. With 1:57 remaining, the Jets tried to cut into the Rams lead, but Carlson’s 49-yard field goal was wide right.
The Jets also had another chance to get the ball late, but returner Xavier Gipson muffed the punt return and Jordan Whittington recovered the fumble and wrapped up the victory for the Rams.
In the fourth quarter, Jets rookie left tackle Olu Fashanu suffered a foot injury and needed assistance to the sideline. He eventually was carted off to the locker room and was quickly ruled out after he couldn’t put weight on his left foot.
Ulbrich said it is “too early to speculate” what Fashanu’s injury could be.
Tony Adams (ankle) and cornerback Sauce Gardner (hamstring) also suffered injuries. Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams was inactive after he tested his hamstring hours before kickoff but was scratched from the lineup.
Next week, the Jets will travel for their final road game of the season to play division rival Buffalo at Highmark Stadium.
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