Jets Turn Touchdown Into Fumble, Still Find A Way To Beat Houston

The New York Jets continue to be the New York Jets. In every possible way.

The Jets entered Thursday night's game against the Houston Texans with their season on the line. A brutal loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday dropped New York to 2-6, sending hopes for a playoff berth crashing. But anything can happen in football, and the first step to a resurgent season would be a clean, well-played game against a heavily favored Texans team.

It didn't exactly start out that way. 

After a scoreless first quarter, the Jets found themselves with a first down just outside the red zone.  A nicely designed toss play to Malachi Corley worked to perfection, with Corley running into the end zone for an easy touchdown. Not exactly.

On replay, Corley clearly dropped the ball before reaching the end zone, resulting in points coming off the board and a disastrous touchback and turnover.

Sums up the Jets season well.

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - OCTOBER 31: Aaron Rodgers #8 of the New York Jets looks on during the third quarter against the Houston Texans at MetLife Stadium on October 31, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)

Jets Recover Against Texans In Another Ugly NFL Game

It's no secret that offense is down across the NFL in 2024, with Thursday's game providing yet another reminder of just how ugly that can look on the field. Until a defensive breakdown with just over two minutes left in the game, neither team had averaged even five yards per play. 

The passing game was particularly bad. Houston had just eight completed passes for 117 yards before a two-minute drill at the end of the game. Aaron Rodgers at least cleared 200, with three touchdowns, including a game clincher to Davante Adams late in the fourth.

Despite the dismal statistics, including nearly 150 yards of penalties, one of the few highlights of the night came on a spectacular catch by Garrett Wilson to give the Jets the lead early in the fourth quarter.

The Jets held on to finish out a 21-13 win over Houston to snap their five game losing streak and move to 3-6, with another opportunity to improve against the Arizona Cardinals coming up after the bye. The Texans fall to 6-3 before a hotly anticipated home game on November 10th against the Detroit Lions.