While the Jets kept their quarterback plan under wraps the entire week, forcing the Browns to prepare for an offense led by either Justin Fields or Tyrod Taylor, the gamesmanship maneuver didn't play to any advantage. Oddly enough, they managed to take care of business in spite of the passing game.
An inefficient Fields, who racked up a measly 54 passing yards on just 6-of-11 passing as the expected starter, was fortunately bailed out by clutch special teams touchdowns and timely rushing attacks in New York's 27-20 win over Cleveland on a rainy Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium.
The Jets (2-7) didn't check off boxes in all three phases, but their second straight win featured several plays that met head coach Aaron Glenn's demand for complementary football. The efforts across the 53-man roster also arrived just days after stunning trade deadline departures of once-foundational players.
"We're trying to build something. There has to be a foundation that has to be set. These guys understand that," Glenn said after the win. "We know we have a long way to go and have a lot of work to do on both sides of the ball. But our special teams really gave us a spark today, and that's what we need... Today was really supportive football again."
The Jets became the first team since the 2007 Chargers (h/t Rich Cimini) to record touchdowns via punt return and kick return in the same game, and they happened achieved this feat midway through the first quarter.
Kene Nwangwu contributed the first score, returning a kickoff 99 yards to help knot the score at 7-7, while Isaiah Williams broke the tie less than a minute later by evading punt coverage from 76 yards out. After 12 minutes of play, the Jets held a 14-7 lead.
"We can win the game on special teams. We don't just want to be steady," Nwangwu told SNY's Jeane Coakley. "We don't just want to be here so we don't lose. Let's win the game on teams. That's the mentality... The mood is great, but we understand there's an urgency to get better."With the game knotted at 17-17 entering the fourth quarter, Breece Hall played the role of hero, snagging a screen pass from Fields near midfield and taking it 40 yards to the house for the go-ahead touchdown. Then, on the first play of the Jets' ensuing drive, the star running back hustled for 30 yards along the left sideline for a mammoth gain. Hall finished with 125 all-purpose yards.
"It's less about learning how to win and just being tired of losing. Everybody's tired of losing," said Hall, who wasn't dealt by the Jets amid months-long trade rumors. "I wouldn't say it was a roller-coaster week... For me, it's kind of like, 'F, it.' It is what it is. I'm here to show up on Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays. The other stuff is for y'all to gossip about and for everybody else on the outside to talk about."
The final stats from Sunday don't tell the entire story. The Jets ran fewer plays than the Browns, allowed more yards and twice as many first downs, and committed the game's lone turnover.
But energy from two special teams returners and their leading rusher provided ample momentum for a Jets squad now seeking a three-game winning streak for the first time since Weeks 5-8 of 2023.