Hell Mary for the Jets

by Lloyd Carroll Chronicle Contributor

Thanksgiving has been cruel to the New York Jets. Twelve years ago, the Jets were humiliated by the New England Patriots, 49-19. As bad as that score was, what people remember about the game was not the shellacking the Jets received. That was common during the Bill BelichickTom Brady era. What has stood out over the years, and still defines the Jets franchise, was the “Butt Fumble,” when Jets QB Mark Sanchez lost the football by running into his own guard, Brandon Moore, and it was run in for a touchdown by the Patriots.

Fast forward a dozen years, and the NFL decides to plant a flag on Black Friday by having its first-ever game played on America’s shopping day. The Jets hosted the Miami Dolphins in the inaugural game. Few expected the Jets, with their awful quarterback corps and even worse offensive line, to beat the Dolphins. Oddsmakers had Gang Green as a ten-point underdog.

The Jets were beaten, 34-13. Losing by three touchdowns to a team heading for the playoffs has been par for the course for the Jets for years. What will be remembered from this game was the last play of the first half with the Jets trailing the Dolphins 10-6. Jets QB Tim Boyle heaved a fifty-yard “Hail Mary” pass to the end zone with two seconds left in the hopes a receiver would haul it in for a touchdown.

In most of these situations, the worst that happens is the defending team bats the ball away or intercepts it and takes a knee to end the half or the game, if it is fourth quarter. Of course, we are talking about the Jets, where the bizarre is expected. Dolphins defender Jevon Hollan d intercepted Boyle’s pass just before the Jets end zone and returned it 99 years for a touchdown.

The “Hail Mary” pass was quickly dubbed the “Hell Mary” on social media. Benched Jets QB Zach Wilson must have felt like the luckiest person in MetLife Stadium.

On the SNY Jets postgame show, former NFL stars Bart Scott and Willie Colon both stated they had never seen a “Hail Mary” pass returned for a touchdown. They also blasted the Jets receivers for not doing enough to bat the ball away from Holland or pursue him after he caught it and started running it back.

The good news for the Jets was although the game was televised nationally, it was shown on the streamer Prime Video instead of CBS, NBC, ABC or Fox. That meant less viewership for this game. The bad news is the Dolphins are being featured on the latest installment of HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” which means the Jets’ futility will be dissected again next week. This will make “Hell Mary” a worthy addition to the “Butt Fumble” in both NFL and Jets lore. Q

See the extended version of Sports Beat every week at qchron.com

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