BUCCANEERS 28 - JETS 24
There comes a point in the development of a young team that the very idea of "moral victory" has to go out the window, especially when actual victory is there for the taking.
The Jets instead bobbled that opportunity. It wasn't a buttfumble, but it certainly was a major brain fart by Head Coach Robert Saleh and Offensive Coordinator Mike LeFluer as the Jets, facing a fourth and two-plus inside the Buccaneers five yard line, decided to go for it, up 24-20, rather than kick a field to extend their lead to a full touchdown.
Not only did they decide to go for it, they decided to have Zach Wilson keep it on a quarterback sneak. The result: Wilson was stopped at the line of scrimmage.
Turnover on downs.
The Jets didn't score any points on a drive where the Bucs used all of their timeouts, and the Jets were poised to end the game out right.
Instead, Tom Brady got the football back, and he did exactly what the GOAT always does. He drove Tampa Bay the length of the field the final two minutes, and stabbed the Jets in the heart once again with a 33-yard strike to Cyrill Grayson in the end zone to win it walk-off style with :15 to play.
What should have been a Jets win, turned into an excruciating 28-24 loss.
Welcome to the New York Jets, Robert Saleh.
Saleh said afterwards that there was a miscommunication. However, it doesn't explain why the Jets stayed with the call to go for a quarterback sneak after they called a timeout.
Instead Saleh is left with the worst loss in his young head coaching career, after he was just a play away possibly from the best win of his career.
The loss mars what was a solid effort by quarterback Zach Wilson, who was pinpoint accurate with his throws, especially in the first half, and had the Jets clicking most of the day offensively. He also didn't turn it over, a huge plus.
Berrios also scored the Jets opening touchdown of the game on an end around. In short the Jets had the Bucs right where they wanted them. When Brady couldn't complete a pass to Tyler Johnson at the goalline, forcing Tampa to kick a field goal, cutting the Jets lead to 24-20, New York had its shot.
Wilson had the Jets moving the ball with alacrity. He completed a big pass to Keenan Cole for a first down, and the combo running of Austin Walter and Ty Johnson were eating up chunks of yards and clock. Then came the infamous red zone opportunity that went by the wayside.
If there ever was a game this season that Jets fans will look back on and kick themselves, this was it.
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