The only good thing the Jets could say after Sunday’s game with the Jaguars is they walked out of MetLife Stadium with a win.
The Jets played a lackluster game, but benefited from three fourth-quarter Jacksonville turnovers to escape with a 28-23 victory. The Jets allowed 436 total yards, ran for only 29 and came out of the game banged up.
Now, they face former coach Rex Ryan and the Bills on Thursday night.
“We won, that’s the biggest thing,” coach Todd Bowles said. “Obviously, there were some sloppy things that we’ve got to clean up, but we’ve got to move on to Buffalo right now. We’ve got a short week.”
The Jets jumped out to a 14-3 lead in the first quarter and looked like they would pull away, but the Jaguars gave them trouble for 60 minutes. The Jaguars trailed 21-16 in the fourth quarter and looked primed to take the lead before veteran linebacker Calvin Pace recorded a strip sack of Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles with 5:16 left to play.
“It was a momentum-changer,” cornerback Darrelle Revis said. “They were driving and made a couple of big plays on that drive. Then, the momentum shifted for us a little bit and gave us a break. That was pretty big on Calvin’s part.”
The Jets could not turn that turnover into points, but on Ryan Quigley’s punt, the Jaguars handed the Jets a gift again with Nick Marshall muffing it for Jets tight end Kellen Davis to recover. Three plays later, Ryan Fitzpatrick hit Brandon Marshall for a 20-yard touchdown to put the Jets up 28-16 with 2:41 left to play.
The Jaguars were not dead, though, going 72 yards in 25 seconds with Bortles hitting Bryan Walters for a 20-yard touchdown that made it 28-23 with 2:16 left in the game. The Jaguars got the ball one more time, but Bortles threw his second interception of the game to Marcus Williams.
Getting the win is huge for the Jets, who improved to 5-3 and are in the thick of the AFC wild-card race, but they could not feel too good about this performance. The 2-6 Jaguars could have won this game. Bortles sliced up the vaunted Jets defense, throwing for 381 yards. Wide receivers Allen Robinson (six catches, 121 yards) and Allen Hurns (five catches for 122 yards) both had big games. Jacksonville had seven plays that went for more than 25 yards.
“We do have to play better than we did today,” cornerback Buster Skrine said.
On offense, the Jets got nothing going in the running game. Chris Ivory scored two touchdowns, but was held to 26 yards on 23 carries, the lowest total in NFL history with that many carries, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick had his first turnover-free game when he played the entire game, showing no ill effects of the torn ligament in his left thumb. Fitzpatrick may have surgery on the thumb this Friday, but is not expected to miss any games if he does.
“It’s still kind of up in the air,” Fitzpatrick said. “I have to get surgery at some point.”
Now, it is time for the reunion with Ryan, who brings his 4-4 Bills to MetLife on Thursday night. The media and fans will have a ton of fun with this matchup, but the Jets players and coaches downplayed the significance Sunday night.
“We’re trying to win two games in four days. It’s not facing him. It’s facing the Bills,” Bowles said. “They’re a division rival. We’re trying to win the game.”
Jets wide receiver Eric Decker lives near Ryan in Tennessee. He saw him this offseason and knows Ryan will be fired up for this game after being fired in December after six seasons with the Jets.
“Oh, he’s fired up for sure,” Decker said. “He’s coming back to New York. I guess he is in New York, but a comeback playing the Jets here, his is old stomping ground. Obviously there’s some motivation. But I don’t think that’s going to change how he coaches throughout the week.”
The Jets could be short-handed for Thursday’s game. Kicker Nick Folk injured his right quad during pregame warm-ups and did not kick Sunday. He will undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the extent of the injury. Cornerback Antonio Cromartie (left thigh), center Nick Mangold (neck) and safety Dion Bailey (ankle) all left the game. With a short week to recover, it will be tough for them to play Thursday. The Jets also were without guard Willie Colon (knee) and safety Calvin Pryor (ankle).
Sunday’s game was not pretty, but the Jets will take it.
“A win’s always good,” said Marshall, who recovered an Ivory fumble and an onside kick in the fourth quarter. “We wish we had a better performance, but we have the short week here. We’ve got to enjoy it for a couple of hours and bounce back for Buffalo.”