Garrett Wilson might have taken the spotlight away from Odell Beckham Jr. with an incredible one-handed catch.
Wilson made an amazing 26-yard touchdown catch early in the fourth quarter, helping the New York Jets end a five-game losing streak by defeating the Houston Texans 21-13 on Thursday night.
“I just kind of lobbed one up there and he made an unbelievable catch,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. “That was a huge play. … That’s a game-changing play.”
Rodgers threw three touchdown passes, including another one-handed touchdown by Wilson and a 37-yard throw to recently acquired Davante Adams. The Jets (3-6) celebrated their first win in four games under interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich.
When the Jets were down 10-7 and faced with a third-and-19 from the Texans’ 26-yard line, Rodgers tossed the ball toward Wilson in the end zone. The star wide receiver jumped and reached up with his right hand, looking like the Michael Jordan “Jumpman” logo.
Initially, the play was ruled an incomplete pass, but Ulbrich challenged the call.
“Oh, my goodness,” Ulbrich said. “I mean, I was talking to the ref when they were reviewing it. I was like, ‘Just for the sake of posterity, you have to say that’s in just so it goes down in history.’”
A video review confirmed that Wilson’s shin was down in the end zone, leading to a touchdown that put the Jets ahead 14-10 with 12:54 left in the game.
The fans at MetLife Stadium went wild after having little to cheer about until that moment. Wilson’s catch reminded many of former Giants star Beckham’s famous one-handed grab against Dallas in 2014.
“For it to even come up in that convo, I’m blessed,” Wilson said. “I’m honored.” This moment also helped make up for a Jets touchdown that didn’t count when rookie Malachi Corley made a mistake that canceled out his first NFL score.
With the Jets at the Texans’ 19-yard line early in the second quarter, Corley took the toss from Rodgers and raced down the right sideline. He reached the end zone but dropped the ball from his right hand to celebrate just before crossing the goal line.
A video review showed he had not entered the end zone before dropping the ball. So, Corley was credited with an 18-yard run and a fumble. Since the ball went out of bounds in the end zone, it was ruled a touchback, resulting in a turnover.
“First of all, you can’t do that,” Ulbrich said about what he told Corley. “Second of all, you owe us one.”
Rodgers completed 22 of 32 passes for 211 yards. His 37-yard touchdown pass to Adams, who had just been cleared after a possible head injury, put the Jets up 21-10 with 2:56 remaining. It was Adams’ first touchdown catch since joining the team from Las Vegas earlier this month.
Ka’imi Fairbairn kicked a 29-yard field goal with 39 seconds left to cut the lead to eight points, but Adams recovered the onside kick, allowing the Jets to take a knee and secure the win.
C.J. Stroud was 11 of 30 for 191 yards for the Texans (6-3), who were missing injured receivers Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins. This was the first of three consecutive prime-time games for Houston, with a Sunday night home game on November 10 and a Monday night game at Dallas on November 18.
“It’s embarrassing to come out here in a prime-time game and get embarrassed like that is never fun,” Stroud said. “We have to be better in a lot of areas and that starts with me. There are plays I’ve got to make, throws I’ve got to make.”
Fairbairn missed two field goals for Houston. With the Texans down 14-10, Fairbairn kicked a 43-yarder to make it a one-point game, but Eric Watts was penalized for unnecessary roughness on the attempt, so Houston chose to accept the penalty and keep the ball.
The Jets held strong defensively, forcing the Texans to try a 27-yard field goal, but Fairbairn hit the left upright, keeping the score at 14-10.
Joe Mixon scored a 3-yard touchdown to finish a 98-yard drive for the Texans, giving them a 7-0 lead late in the second quarter.
The Jets tied the game on their first possession of the second half when Rodgers threw a 21-yard pass to Wilson, who caught the ball with one hand and ran into the end zone for the touchdown.
Riley Patterson, who was added to the active roster just hours before the game to replace the injured Greg Zuerlein, hit the left upright on the extra point, but it deflected inside and went over the crossbar.
Fairbairn’s 54-yard kick gave the Texans a 10-7 lead with 4:11 left in the third quarter.
“The most frustrating part is that we were the better team,” Houston right tackle Tytus Howard said. “We let that game get away from us, especially in the second half.”
