Sports

Jets bring the drama in comeback road win over the Browns

By VINCENT DAVIS

Special to the AmNews

It was over. The Jets were facing a certain defeat versus the Cleveland Browns on the road this past Sunday. After Browns running back Nick Chubb scored on a 12-yard rushing touchdown with 1:55 remaining, even with their rookie kicker Cade York missing the extra point, they seemed to have a sure win.

But what happened next hadn’t happened in 20 years. A team blowing a 13-point lead with less than two minutes to play. And it was the Browns who did it in 2001, getting run down by the Chicago Bears. The Jets caught and passed the Browns in the final seconds to take a 31-30 victory, their first of this season following a 24-9 home loss in Week 1.

Receiver Corey Davis’ 66-yard touchdown reception from veteran quarterback Joe Flacco stunned Cleveland, cutting the lead to six with 1:22 left on the clock. It was a breakdown by the Browns defense as Davis was wide open.

“When I threw the ball, I looked and saw nobody [was] anywhere near him,” said the 37-year-old veteran quarterback, who is starting in place of secondyear QB Zach Wilson, who is recovering from a preseason meniscus injury.

With no timeouts remaining, an onside kick recovery and another touchdown was still needed for the Jets to win. Miraculously, they accomplished both. “They left the door open just a crack,” said Jets head coach Robert Saleh.

The Jets recovered the kick and then Flacco drove the offense down field 53 yards in nine plays, culminating with a 15-yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Garrett Wilson, his second on the day, evening the score at 30-30 with 22 seconds to go. The extra point by Greg Zuerlein gave the Jets the lead.

The Browns had one more chance to avoid a total collapse but their quarterback Jacoby Brissett threw an interception caught by Jets safety Ashtyn Davis with six seconds to go.

“You look at the score and we’re down with 1:30 left. You know your chances aren’t too hot,” said the dynamic Wilson, who finished with eight catches for 102 yards and two TDs. “They made some miscues. That’s basically what happened.”

The Jets’ win over the Browns was just their second road victory under Saleh, who is in his second season as the Jets head coach. Now 1-1, they will host the defending AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals at MetLife Stadium this Sunday. The Bengals have started this season 0-2. A win for the Jets, who were 4-13 last season, would be the first back-to-back wins for Saleh.

Quarterback Joe Flacco led the Jets to a 31-30 comeback road win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday (Bill Moore photo)

Confident Giants move to 2-0 with the Cowboys up next

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

With a 19-16 win over the Carolina Panthers at MetLife Stadium this past Sunday, the 2-0 Giants doubled their win total from last season when they were 4-13. It is the first time they have started a season with two straight victories since 2016. The Giants will try to stay undefeated when they host the 1-1 Dallas Cowboys in New Jersey on Monday.

On the surface, the players have collectively adopted the self-assured and purpose-driven characteristics displayed by their first-year head coach Brian Daboll, who in the Giants’ season opening road win versus the Tennessee Titans boldly, and ultimately successfully, went for a two-point conversion with 1:06 remaining and his team down 20-19.

Daboll didn’t take the conservative path which proved to be a culture building moment as the Giants overcame a 13-0 halftime deficit and held on for a 21-20 victory. Facing the Panthers, he wasn’t confronted with making a similar consequential decision, but the Giants played with the same aggressiveness and swag that early on in Daboll’s tenure is defining them.

Their new defensive coordinator, Don “Wink” Martindale, who held the same position with the Baltimore Ravens from 2018-2021, had his unit in attack mode, pressuring Panthers quarterback Baker Mayfield into hurried throws and never allowing him to establish a comfortable rhythm in the pocket.

“I have a lot of confidence in Wink,” said Daboll after the game. “I think the players have a lot of confidence. They’re playing fast. Give a lot of credit to the coaches on the defensive side, but to the players that are out there executing the assignments.

“But again, Wink’s done this a long time. Wink’s not afraid of failure, and that’s really what we want for the entire organization is to not be afraid of failure, not to be afraid of the consequence. If you prepare the right way, you can live with the results.”

Even with lineman Leonard Williams, one of the anchors of the Giants’ interior, exiting the game midway through the third quarter with a sprained MCL in his right knee, the Giants defense remained sturdy. Williams has only missed one game in his eight year career with the Jets and Giants. As of yesterday (Wednesday), there was no definitive assessment of how much time Williams may miss.

Offensively, the Giants scored just one touchdown, a 16-yard pass from quarterback Daniel Jones to tightend Daniel Bellinger at 9:19 of the third quarter. But kicker Graham Gano had four field goals, including a go-ahead 56-yarder with 3:34 remaining in the game to give the Giants a 19-16 lead. For his performance Gano was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

Giants defensive lineman Leonard Williams suffered a sprained MCL in his right knee on Sunday in the third quarter of the Giants’ 19-16 win over the Carolina Panthers (Bill Moore photo)