Jets beat Commanders on Greg Zuerlein's field goal in final seconds
Greg Zuerlein of the Jets celebrates his fourth-quarter field goal against the Commanders with his teammates at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Woody Johnson gave members of Jets leadership an early Christmas present. General manager Joe Douglas and coach Robert Saleh will return in 2024.
Then Saleh’s team nearly suffered an epic Christmas Eve collapse against the Commanders. The Jets squandered a 20-point halftime lead but won, 30-28, on Greg Zuerlein’s 54-yard field goal with five seconds left.
Before the game, Johnson, the Jets' principal owner, told the New York Post that both men will be back despite the team’s struggles. The Jets already had clinched a losing record for the eighth consecutive year and won’t participate in the playoffs for the 13th year in a row.
“My decision is to keep them,” Johnson said. “We’ve had some very positive moves. The culture of the team is a lot better. The defense is better. The offense needs a few pieces.”
The Jets did not release a statement from Johnson or make him available to other reporters covering the team.
There had been speculation that Douglas and Saleh could be on the hot seat. Losing Aaron Rodgers four snaps into the season with a torn left Achilles tendon was something this group was unable to overcome.
Saleh said Johnson already had informed him that he will be back.
“I am always appreciative to get Woody’s support,” Saleh said. "There are a lot of things that we look back at from the season, a lot of things we know we can do a lot better. A lot of things that we have learned from. We have two more games to finish. With ’24 looming, there will be a lot of excitement to go attack this thing again.”
The Jets (6-9) envisioned competing for the AFC East title and hosting playoff games this season. Instead, they closed out their home schedule in front of a sparse crowd at MetLife Stadium.
Those who came out saw the Jets take control early, fall behind 28-27 on Antonio Gibson's 2-yard touchdown run with 4:52 remaining and escape with the narrow win.
“It was fun, it wasn’t fun, then it was fun again,” quarterback Trevor Siemian said.
The Jets scored on their first three possessions and led 17-0 just 5:23 into the game.
After Jermaine Johnson blocked a punt to give the Jets the ball at the 9, Jason Brownlee caught an 8-yard touchdown pass from Siemian. Breece Hall, sprung by an excellent block by Jeremy Ruckert, then ran 36 yards for a TD.
The Jets led 27-7 at the half, but they didn’t score after halftime against the NFL’s worst defense until Zuerlein’s game-winning kick.
“It’s a good feeling,” Zuerlein said. “Better than the alternative.”
Hall ran for two touchdowns and totaled 191 scrimmage yards. He rushed for 95 yards on 20 carries and caught 12 passes for 96 yards. Garrett Wilson had nine catches for 76 yards.
Siemian, the fourth quarterback to start for the Jets this season, completed 27 of 49 passes for 217 yards and one touchdown. He also threw an interception and fumbled once. Both turnovers led to Washington touchdowns.
The Jets twice intercepted Commanders quarterback Sam Howell, who was 6-for-22 for 56 yards and a 1.7 passer rating. Jacoby Brissett replaced him and finished 10-for-13 for 100 yards, one touchdown .and a 123.9 passer rating. Chris Rodriguez Jr. ran for two scores for Washington (4-11).
It was 27-7 in the third quarter when Quincy Williams picked off Howell and returned it to the Washington 22. The Jets had a chance to “really blow the doors open and put them to sleep,” Saleh said.
But on second down from the 6, Siemian’s pass intended for Brownlee was intercepted by Cody Barton and returned 52 yards to the Jets' 44. Washington turned that into a 15-yard touchdown pass from Brissett to tight end Logan Thomas.
On the game-winning drive, the Jets started their series at their own 33 with 1:41 left and one timeout. Siemian completed four straight passes to get the Jets to Washington’s 39. After an incompletion, Siemian ran for 3 yards.
The Jets had to use their final timeout with 12 seconds left. On third down, Siemian quickly threw it out of bounds. In came Zuerlein, who booted the winning kick.
“Never a doubt with that boy,” Wilson said.
It’s not surprising that Douglas and Saleh will be back. If anything, the timing of it was odd. The Jets still have two games left.
Everything, however, already was leaning in that direction, especially after a strong and influential voice within the organization gave endorsements to Douglas, Saleh and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.
Rodgers said Tuesday during his weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” that he believes in the Jets’ leadership and Hackett. Rodgers essentially said he wants to run it back with this group, and now the Jets will.
If there are changes, there likely will be some position coaches who are let go and replaced.
“Just to keep the continuity going with Aaron and the team we’ve got,” Johnson said. “Like I said a year ago, we need a quarterback. We had a quarterback for four plays. Since then we haven’t been able to replace him. If we have a good quarterback, it makes everybody’s job easier. It makes the line better, the receivers better.”
Other teams have been able to recover and even thrive after losing their starting quarterback. Saleh is 17-32 in his three seasons as head coach. During this time, the Jets have had no stability at quarterback and have failed to develop Zach Wilson, who didn’t play Sunday because of a concussion.
The Jets drafted Wilson second overall in 2021, benched him three different times in the last two seasons and are expected to trade him during the offseason. They will need to make sure they improve their quarterback room overall.
“I can sit here and give you the reasons why I think I’m the right coach,” Saleh said. “At the same time, there’s going to be a lot of things that I’ve got to reflect on, acknowledge and get better at — not just myself but globally — and use this offseason to make sure we’re attacking it in a way that gets toward the goal that we all believe we can get to, which is a championship.”
Turning point
The Jets trailed 28-27 in the final minute and were not yet in field- goal range when Trevor Siemian found Breece Hall for a 14-yard gain to the Washington 39-yard line. That play led to Greg Zuerlein’s game-winning 54-yard field goal with five seconds left.
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
