– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY — Just a few hours before many around the world start opening their presents, New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh and the front office received one of the best Christmas gifts, especially given the rough go of it during the past few seasons: job stability.
Greg Zuerlien then made sure to provide some glad tidings before nightfall, all while assuring the Jets did not turn a very nice first half into the naughtiest of losses.
Zuerlein booted through a 54-yard field goal with five seconds remaining to save New York’s blushes, as the Jets blew a 20-point second-half lead before securing a 30-28 victory over the Washington Commanders inside MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Breece Hall carried the Jets offense with 189 total yards and two touchdowns while Trevor Siemian, the fourth different starting quarterback for New York this season, threw for a touchdown in winning his first start in the National Football League since 2017.
News broke early this morning that Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas would return to their posts for the 2024 season after a meeting with owner Woody Johnson, and though the players did not have knowledge of said meeting, the team raced out to a 17-0 lead — helped by a comedy of errors by the Commanders within the first 10 to 15 plays from scrimmage — after only 5:23 seconds elapsed from the clock. The lead eventually grew to 27-7 late in the second quarter before Washington reserve quarterback Jacoby Brissett led came in to lead three second-half touchdown drives (aided by the profligacy of two Siemian turnovers that led to points), necessitating a last-second drive from New York to hold on for dear life.
All of the Jets’ scores in the first half came at the hands of the Commanders’ recklessness, with Washington looking like a team that would have rather stayed at home on Christmas Eve. It wasn’t the “12 Days of Christmas,” but the list of Washington errors could have been read out loud to a Yuletide melody.
On the first drive of Christmas (Eve), my true love gave to the Jets: a tipped pass from Sam Howell that was intercepted by Tony Adams on the second play from scrimmage, leading to a Greg Zuerlein field goal and a 3-0 lead…
…and a partridge in a pear tree.
On the second drive of Christmas (Eve), my true love gave to the Jets: a blocked Tress Way punt by Jermaine Johnson, which was turned into an 8-yard touchdown pass from Siemian to Jason Brownlee on third-and-goal to open up a two-possession lead.
…and a partridge in a pear tree.
At least the Commanders did not turn over the ball on their next possession, but another special teams gaffe, an illegal touch of a Way punt, gave the Jets the ball at the Washington 42 to start their next drive. Two plays later, Hall ran off left tackle and broke free for a 36-yard touchdown run.
The 17 points in the quarter marked the most points the Jets have scored in the first 15 minutes of a game since 2014.
New York did its best in joining the Commanders in the spirit of giving, getting stopped on a quarterback sneak — with tight end Tyler Conklin lining up under center to take the snap — on a fourth down late in the first quarter. But Washington returned the gift to sender early in the second quarter, when Jamison Crowder returned a Jets punt 24 yards to midfield, only to fumble it away along the far sideline and have the Jets recover. Zuerlein’s second field goal, and a 20-0 lead, capped the ensuing drive.
The coup de grâce of incompetence was to come still. After cutting the lead to 20-7, the Commanders forced the Jets to punt. But that punt never happened, as an encroachment penalty on Tariq Castro-Fields turned the punting situation into an automatic first down, as it was fourth-and-3. Siemian proceeded to complete three passes, two to Garrett Wilson, for a combined 39 yards to move Nwe York into the red zone. Hall then broke off a run down the right sideline, reaching the ball out and breaking the plane inside of the pylon for his second score.
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