It was almost a nightmare before Christmas for the New York Jets in their home finale.
The visiting Washington Commanders stormed back from a 20-0 deficit to take a 28-27 fourth-quarter lead on Christmas Eve in East Rutherford, but the Jets avoided disaster thanks to the leg of Greg Zuerlein. The veteran kicker nailed a game-winning 54-yard field goal on fourth down with 00:05 remaining.
The heroic kick was made possible by the Jets’ defense, which forced a quick three-and-out to earn one final chance for the offense with 1:41 remaining and one timeout to burn.
Running back Breece Hall, who saw three touches on the final drive, moved New York into Washington territory on a 14-yard catch over the middle to the opponent’s 39-yard line. Quarterback Trevor Siemian followed with a three-yard rush, setting the stage for Zuerlein.
“It was fun, it wasn’t fun, then it was fun again,” said Siemian.
Hall nearly reached the century mark in both rushing and receiving on Sunday, totaling 191 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns. In addition to rushing 20 times for 95 yards and both scores, the Jets’ RB1 consistently served as a safety valve for Siemian. Targeted 16 times on passes, Hall gained 96 yards on 12 receptions.
Making his first start in 13 months, the 31-year-old Siemian finished 27-of-49 passing for 217 yards, one touchdown and one costly second-half interception in the redzone.
“I wish I would have played better in the third and fourth quarter,” said Siemian. “It’s not always pretty, but finding a way to win is special in this league and those moments in the locker room are the best.”
Receiver Garrett Wilson caught nine balls for 76 yards while tight end Tyler Conklin hauled in four targets for 36 yards. The Jets’ offense netted 381 yards (second most in 2023) and recorded season-high 26 first downs.
Facing a 27-14 deficit with 14:01 left in the game, the Commanders put together back-to-back 75+ yard drives that ended in touchdown runs from Chris Rodriguez and Antonio Gibson.
“It wasn’t necessarily complacency or anything. It was just the momentum shifted, and we couldn’t grab it,” said Jets’ head coach Robert Saleh.
The defense, the offense and the special teams units all made good on their final opportunities, however, and the Jets defeated an NFC East team for the third time this season.
Jets’ linebacker Quincy Williams accounted for a team-high eight tackles and added two pass break-ups. Slot cornerback Michael Carter logged three passes defensed. New York forced Washington starting quarterback Sam Howell to the bench in the second half on a coach’s decision. Howell went 6-of-22 passing for 56 yards and two interceptions. He had a 1.7 quarterback rating.
Zuerlein made all three of his field goal attempts and improved to a perfect 26-of-26 on field goals inside of 50 yards.
The Jets have a short week ahead of them with a Thursday Night Football appearance scheduled for December 28 in Cleveland.
