Jets make it interesting against Chargers but fall to 0-10

The Jets are an imperfect 10.

The NFL’s only winless team played inspired football at the start, fell behind by 18 by halftime and then battled back at the end. They had a chance to tie it late but again came up empty, falling to the Chargers, 34-28, on Sunday at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

The Jets were coming off their bye and playing what was considered a winnable game against a two-win Chargers team. But they fell to 0-10 for the first time in their franchise’s 61-year history — and, for the record, were eliminated from playoff contention.

Rookie quarterback Justin Herbert shredded the Jets’ defense, throwing for three touchdowns and a career-best 366 yards as the Chargers moved to 3-7.

"It’s probably the most frustrated any of us has ever been playing football," defensive end Henry Anderson said. "All of us are very, very frustrated with how Sundays continue to play out."

After falling behind 24-6, the Jets looked like a different team in the second half. They scored touchdowns on their first three series and, down 34-26, had the ball with great field position after a holding penalty against the Chargers on a punt.

The Jets started the drive at the Chargers’ 46 with 2:48 to go. On third down, Joe Flacco was sacked, but Joey Bosa was flagged for roughing the passer. It gave the Jets a first down at the Chargers’ 33.

The Jets gained a yard on first down. Flacco was blitzed and threw the ball away on second down. The Chargers blitzed again and Flacco overthrew Denzel Mims on third down, leaving them with a fourth-and-9. Flacco threw a deep pass down the right side to Mims and there was a lot of contact, but no penalty was called on Tevaughn Campbell.

On fourth down from their 28, the Chargers ran into the end zone to kill time and took a safety. With one second left, they punted to Braxton Berrios, who was brought down after returning it 15 yards.

"We kept fighting," Frank Gore said. "We didn’t get in a rhythm early on. But we just kept fighting as a team, as an offense. We tried our best to get it done, but it just didn’t happen today."

Gore, 37, who scored his first touchdown as a Jet, hinted that this could be his last season and said he can’t imagine going out winless.

"I can’t go out like that," he said. "Hopefully we’ll get one. I can’t wait until we get it. I’ll be so happy."

The Jets started fast, as Anderson blocked a punt to set up La’Mical Perine’s 5-yard touchdown run and Marcus Maye forced a fumble by Keenan Allen at the Jets’ 1 on their first two defensive series.

Ashtyn Davis recovered the fumble at the 4, but things changed quickly. On the next play, Flacco lofted a pass intended for Jamison Crowder that was picked off by Campbell and returned for a 6-yard touchdown.

"The interception I threw was really bad," Flacco said. "I threw it way behind him. It really was just a bad physical throw."

Flacco, starting in place of the injured Sam Darnold, threw for 205 yards and two touchdowns. Mims caught three passes for 71 yards. Allen had 16 catches for 145 yards and a touchdown for the Chargers.

In the first half, Flacco completed only three passes, none to a wide receiver. But that changed after halftime.

Flacco first found Jeff Smith and converted a third down with a 16-yard pass to Crowder. On the next play, Flacco connected with Breshad Perriman for a 49-yard touchdown that made it 24-13.

Herbert answered by leading a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. The rookie rifled a bullet into a tight window to Allen for a 13-yard touchdown.

But the Jets kept battling and continued to take shots. They put together a drive featuring a tremendous 27-yard catch by Mims, two flags for defensive pass interference and an illegal-contact penalty. Gore scored on a 1-yard run to make it 31-19, but Sam Ficken, who sat out the previous three games with a groin injury, missed the extra point. It was his second miss of the day.

The defense kept the Chargers out of the end zone, even after a roughing-the-passer penalty by Jordan Jenkins on third down gave Los Angeles a first down from the 14. The Chargers ended up settling for Michael Badgley’s 23-yard field goal, which made it 34-19 with 6:42 to go.

The Jets weren’t done. They converted a fourth-and-5 with a 25-yard reception by Mims, who also made a 19-yard grab. The series ended with maligned tight end Chris Herndon catching a 6-yard touchdown pass — his first of the season — with four minutes left to make it 34-26.

Gregg Williams’ defense forced a huge three-and-out, giving the offense a chance. But they couldn’t deliver.

"We’re fighting the battle every day to stay confident and keep our heads held high," Flacco said. "We got to have faith that we have the guys to get it done and one of these days we’ll look up at the scoreboard and we’ll have a victory."