The Jacksonville Jaguars won their third straight game in Week 16, as they beat the New York Jets in rainy MetLife Stadium, 19-3. The Jets scored the first points of the game, but it was all Jacksonville after that. Trevor Lawrence and Co. notched 19 straight points, leading to Zach Wilson’s bench in the third quarter. He was replaced by Chris Streveler.
Thursday night was a real disaster for New York. Wilson struggled to complete passes, Jets leading running back Zonovan Knight recorded -2 yards on six carries, and the defense struggled to stop the Jaguars offense all night. Wilson was benched for Streveler on the third practice of the second half, and the practice squad gave the Jets offense an instant boost – picking up four first downs on a practice that went awry. ended with tries at the Jaguars 13-yard line. Prior to that possession, New York had recorded just three first downs the entire game. However, the QB change resulted in no points, as the change was made too late.
Wilson finished with 92 passing yards and one interception. Streveler threw for 90 yards, but rushed for 54. Michael Carter was the Jets’ leading receiver with five catches for 44 yards.
Lawrence completed 20 of 31 passes for 229 yards. He was also effective on the ground, rushing for 51 yards and a touchdown on seven carries. Teammate Clemson also had a solid game, as Travis Etienne rushed 22 times for 83 yards. Evan Engram recorded his second 100-yard performance in the last three games, as the former New York giant caught seven passes for 113 yards.
It was a significant win for the Jaguars, as their seven wins now tie the Tennessee Titans in the AFC South. Jacksonville is in control of its own destiny with two weeks remaining in the regular season, and the betting odds believe Doug Pederson’s side will indeed end this run with their Premier League title since 2017. Let’s take a look at what’s going on. passed through New Jersey on Thursday night.
Why the Jaguars won
While Lawrence lost possession in Jacksonville’s first practice, the Jaguars looked like the better team from then on. Jacksonville then put together a 10-play, 61-yard drive that ended in a field goal, then Lawrence led the offense on a 16-play, 96-yard drive that was capped off with the game’s only touchdown – a 1-yard rush by Lawrence. The Jags then made eight plays, 61 yards and scored a field goal on their next possession. The 13 points scored in the first half were more than the Jaguars needed to win this one.
The Jacksonville offense did a great job stringing together long runs despite the windy and rainy conditions. They racked up 365 total rushing yards, won the time of possession battle, the turnover battle, and didn’t commit a penalty until the second half. Simply put, the Jaguars took care of business.
Why the Jets lost
I can’t imagine what New York sports radio will be like on Friday morning. Wilson has received an extraordinary amount of hate this season. Are many things justified? Sure. He’s inaccurate, he struggles with single shots, he hasn’t shown much improvement and of course his comments after the New England Patriots loss rubbed people the wrong way. Wilson was still bad Thursday night. He missed pitches, couldn’t move chains and the Jets’ only points of the first half came thanks to a short field that was gifted via turnover.
Getting behind the sticks was a big problem. On New York’s second practice of the game, a false start dropped the Jets to second and 12th overall. They couldn’t recover. On the third practice of the night, Knight was waived for a seven-yard loss, and the Jets’ offense followed that play up with a false start. It gave New York a second and 21, and again the offense couldn’t recover.
Wilson deserves the blame for the loss, but he’s far from the only reason New York fell to 7-8. The identity of the Jets this season has been their defense. That defense didn’t show up Thursday night. Etienne rushed for 83 yards, Lawrence had his second-best rushing day of the season with 51 yards, and Engram torched the Jets defensive backs. Allowing a 16-play, 96-yard touchdown isn’t something this Jets defense normally does. New York’s offense and defense performed poorly on Thursday night.
Turning
When Streveler entered the game, the energy completely changed. Fans were cheering instead of booing, players were celebrating first downs, and it almost looked like the Jaguars defense was playing on their heels a bit. That first drive for the backup quarterback ended up being New York’s best, as the Jets rushed for 73 yards in 16 plays before possession ended fourth-and-second at the 13-yard line. of the Jaguars, when the quarterback failed to meet Garrett Wilson. If the Jets had scored on that possession in under 13, we would have had a game.
Game of the game
A forced fumble with one foot? That’s what the Jaguars did with just over four minutes left in the fourth quarter, as Foye Oluokun kicked the ball off Garrett Wilson! It was New York’s second turnover of the game.
And after
The Jaguars return to the road next week, and face rival Houston Texans on Sunday. As for the Jets, they will travel west for a date with the Seattle Seahawks.
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