A season-changing victory for the Jets went through Jeff Cumberland’s hands.
With just under two minutes to play, the Jets backup tight end could not pull in a Mark Sanchez pass. It ricocheted off his hands and into the arms of Texans cornerback Kareem Jackson’s arms to seal a 23-17 Texans victory at MetLife Stadium on Monday night.
The Jets were not expected to even be able to remain in the game with Houston, but they battled the undefeated Texans all night and were in position for a game-winning drive before Cumberland’s drop.
The Jets are now 2-3, but things do not look as bleak as they did after last week’s 34-0 loss to the 49ers. The Jets played with heart and fought the entire night.
After a big defensive stop the Jets took possession of the ball with 3:28 left on their own 16, trailing by six. They moved the ball to the 40 and then gave up a sack to Brice McCain that cost them 8 yards. On the following play, Sanchez was intercepted for the second time on the night.
Houston rolled up 378 yards on the Jets, but settled for field goals mostly. Sanchez finished the game 14-of-31 for 230 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. He was not the Jets’ biggest problem. They looked disorganized at times on offense and that resulted in substitution and timeout issues.
The Jets grabbed some momentum in the third quarter when Joe McKnight returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown to cut the Texans’ lead to 20-14. McKnight raced down the sideline and then broke a tackle attempt by DeVier Posey before plunging into the end zone.
Jets coach Rex Ryan then made a puzzling decision to call an onside kick following McKnight’s score. The play nearly worked with wide receiver Chaz Schilens getting his hands on the ball, but he could not hold on and the Texans took over at the Jets 46. The Texans moved to the ball to the 4 but the drive stalled and they had to settle for another Shayne Graham field goal to push the lead to 23-14.
The Jets cut it to 23-17 on a Nick Folk 21-yard field goal with 11:55 left in the game. The drive was aided by a 13-yard run from Tim Tebow that put the Jets inside the 10. After another failed Tebow run, Sanchez had two incompletions and they had to take the field goal.
For the second straight week, Sanchez committed a terrible turnover just before halftime. The Jets drove to the Texans’ 12-yard line with 29 seconds left in the half and a chance to tie the game at 14. Sanchez then threw a short pass to his left that Texans defensive end J.J. Watt tipped at the line of scrimmage and cornerback Brice McCain intercepted. McCain returned it 86 yards but was chased down by Bilal Powell and Jeremy Kerley before reaching the end zone.
They prevented a touchdown, and the Texans had to settle for a 27-yard field goal from Graham. A week ago, Sanchez fumbled as the Jets were driving before haltime and the 49ers kicked a field goal before halftime.
The Texans opened the game by moving the ball with ease against the on the Jets defense, picking up where the 49ers left off a week ago in their 34-0 dismantling of the Jets. They marched down the field in eight plays, covering 85 yards in 3:55. Matt Schabu hit tight end Owen Daniels for a 34-yard touchdown on a beautiful play-action pass.
Houston outgained the Jets 246-166 in the first half, and 112-31 on the ground. Arian Foster ran for 100 yards on 9 carries, an average of 11.1 yards per carry.
The Jets showed a little creativity on offense, letting Tim Tebow throw his first deep pass of the season. The second-and-10 pass was a nice pass from Tebow that new receiver Jason Hill dropped. Tebow would have a highlight later in the half when he took a fake punt three yards for a first down.
Sanchez led a game-tying drive at the end of the first quarter, first hooking up with Clyde Gates for 27-yard strike and then following that with another 27-yard pass to tight end Jeff Cumberland for a touchdown to make it 7-7.
Foster busted out a 46-yard run on the following drive as the Texans looked like they might be able to open up a lead. They had to punt, but would score on their next possession when Foster ran through them, gaining 42 yards on the drive, finishing with a 13-yard touchdown where Houston blew the Jets off the ball.