The Jets continue to find new ways to lose.
On Sunday, the Jets blew a 14-point lead and fell 26-21 to the Seahawks for their third straight loss and eighth in nine games.
This came despite the Seahawks making plenty of special teams mistakes and getting stopped at the goal line. The Jets are now 3-9, ensuring their ninth-straight losing season.
The Jets had a chance to retake the lead in the closing minutes but Aaron Rodgers’ pass from the Seattle 34 intended for Garrett Wilson fell incomplete in the end zone and the Jets had another loss.
Former Jets quarterback Geno Smith was not spectacular but threw a touchdown pass and led the Seahawks back from a 21-7 deficit. Another former Jet, Leonard Williams, had two sacks, a pick-six and a blocked extra point.
Both teams kept making mistakes to give the other a chance to win. The Jets committed 12 penalties, including a huge offensive pass interference on Davante Adams that wiped out a 41-yard pass in the fourth quarter. That was followed by a delay of game and soon the Jets were punting.
The defense then continued the comedy of errors on the go-ahead drive for Seattle. The Jets had 12 men on the field that made a fourth-and-6 into a fourth-1 and then backup cornerback Qwan’tez Stiggers committed pass interference on fourth-and-1 to give the Seahawks a first down and 20 yards.
The Seahawks faced another fourth-and-1 on the series and it appeared the Jets stopped Zach Charbonnet from getting the first down but Jets defensive tackle Solomon Thomas was called for a horse-collar tackle.
The Seahawks then had a third-and-6 turned into a third-and-1 when Will McDonald lined up in the neutral zone. Charbonnet would get more than the one yard, rushing eight yards for the touchdown and giving Seattle a 26-21 lead.
The two teams played an entertaining and sometimes weird first half. The Jets got on the board first when Rodgers connected with Adams for an 8-yard touchdown. The extra point was blocked and the Jets held an early 6-0 lead.
On the ensuing kickoff, Seahawks returner Dee Williams fumbled after getting hit by Jets running back Kene Nwangwu, who was elevated from the practice squad for the game. Brandin Echols recovered the fumble for the Jets at the Seattle 27. Four plays later, Rodgers threw a shovel pass to rookie running back Isaiah Davis for a 4-yard touchdown. The Jets successfully converted the two-point try and had an early 14-0 lead in the first quarter.
The Seahawks answered with a 10-play drive that ended with Smith throwing a 12-yard touchdown pass to tight end AJ Barner to cut the Jets’ lead to 14-7 early in the second quarter.
Nwangwu then continued his big day with a 99-yard kickoff return to put the Jets up 21-7. The Jets have been struggling in their return game all season, but they seem to have found something with Nwangwu back there.
Seattle’s special teams woes continued on the ensuing kickoff. Laviska Shenault fumbled the kickoff and Jets kicker Anders Carlson recovered it at the Seattle 38. The Jets moved the ball to the 9-yard line but then Rodgers had two terrible plays in a row. First, he missed a wide-open Garrett Wilson in the end zone on second down. Then, his third-down pass was tipped by Seahawks cornerback Devon Weatherspoon and intercepted by former Jet Leonard Williams, who took the pick 92 yards for a touchdown. It was the longest interception return by a touchdown by a defensive lineman in NFL history, according to ESPN.
The Jets blocked the extra-point attempt by Jason Myers and the lead remained 21-13. Myers hit a 54-yard field goal with 4:20 left in the half.
Things calmed down a bit in the third quarter but the Seahawks drove inside the Jets’ 1-yard line after two long throws to D.K. Metcalf and a pass interference penalty in the end zone on safety Chuck Clark. But the Seahawks could not punch it in. Quincy Williams sacked Smith on fourth down to end the threat and keep the Jets ahead.
In a game where it felt like both teams were trying to hand the other the win at times, Breece Hall then fumbled it and the Seahawks recovered. The Seahawks converted it into a 43-yard field goal from Myers with 13:11 left in the game, making it a 21-19 Jets lead.
