The Jets rested nearly all of their main contributors on Saturday afternoon, but several of their young players made the most of the opportunity to make some plays in the team's 20-17 win over the Washington Commanders.
Reserve kicker Austin Seibert made the game-winning field goal with 21 seconds remaining after number three quarterback Adrian Martinez drove the Jets into field goal range late on a deep throw to Brandon Smith and a 13-yard scramble on 3rd-and-long.
Washington drove downfield for an opening-drive touchdown as Jayden Daniels scored on a three-yard keeper. The big play on the drive was a 42-yard pass to Dyami Brown, who made a contested catch over Jarrick Bernard-Converse.
New York hit back on undrafted rookie Andrew Peasley’s touchdown pass to Jason Brownlee on a drive highlighted by some strong running from another rookie, Braelon Allen. Although the Commanders recaptured the lead on a second-quarter field goal, the Jets tied it up as time expired on Greg Zuerlein’s 57-yard field goal. Peasley went 8-of-11 for 73 yards and a touchdown in his first pro action.
After a scoreless third quarter, Michael Wiley’s one-yard touchdown run gave the Commanders a 17-10 lead with 12 minutes remaining. However, Martinez drove the Jets downfield with a couple of downfield completions and Israel Abanikanda’s two-yard plunge tied the score with seven minutes to go.
Here are some takeaways...
-The Commanders dominated the first quarter, marching downfield for an opening drive touchdown and outgaining the Jets by 80 yards to six. However, New York won’t be too concerned about that because Washington had most of their starters in. For the Jets, the only projected starter on either side of the ball that played was center Joe Tippmann.
-Although he was in coverage on Brown’s big catch, Bernard-Converse was one of the standouts during the first half. He was targeted on a handful of other plays, all of which were incomplete. He ended the half with four tackles, including a run stop on the edge, and a pass breakup as he made a strong case for the number four cornerback role.
-Although he had an early false start, top draft pick Olu Fashanu held up well and had a key block on the edge to spring Allen’s 24-yard run in the second quarter. Allen racked up 54 yards on just six carries and had a first-down catch negated by a penalty. What was noticeable about Allen was how he fell forward for a few extra yards whenever he was able to get to the second level.
-The other rookie running back, Isaiah Davis, wasn’t as productive as Allen, but still showed off his wheels with a 24-yard catch and run on 3rd-and-long to set up Brownlee’s touchdown.
-The Jets predictably made an effort to get the ball in rookie receiver Malachi Corley’s hands as he caught four passes and returned two kicks in the first half. He had a couple of first downs, but his most impressive play saw him instinctively scoop up a deflected pass that wasn’t even intended for him to spin away and get the first down.
-As for the rookies on defense, Qwan’tez Stiggers blew up a run in the backfield but gave up a couple of catches, including one where he was in a good position but slipped. Safety Jaylen Key, unlike the other draft picks, played into the second half but at least was productive with six tackles, although he dropped a possible interception in the third quarter. Of the undrafted rookies, defensive linemen Braiden McGregor, Eric Watts and Leonard Taylor III each had their moments, with Taylor registering a fourth-quarter sack.
-Tippmann and Will McDonald were the two most significant non-rookies that weren’t rested. For as long as he was in the game, Tippmann didn’t have any issues snapping the ball, which had been a concern early on in camp. As for McDonald, he flashed once in brief action with a spectacular spin move to get a hit on the quarterback, although it was frustrating to see him called for what looked like a harsh roughing the passer penalty on the play.
-In the return game, Corley nearly brought one of the kickoffs out to the 40 but the Jets didn’t otherwise have much success. Undrafted rookie Brandon Codrington had a spectacular punt return in the fourth quarter though, as he wriggled away from a handful of defenders to gain 12 yards.
