No Longer the "Same Old Jets": Jets Week 2 Recap

Credit: New York Jets

In a weekend filled with incredible comebacks across the league, the Jets provided a fourth quarter rally that no one saw coming. With less than two minutes remaining in Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns, the Jets were down 30-17. Me, being the pessimistic Jets fan like I always am, shut the game off and chalked it up as a loss. Miraculously, led by the connection between Joe Flacco and Garrett Wilson, the perfectly executed onside kick by Braden Mann, and the unwavering spirit of head coach Robert Saleh, the Jets scored 14 points in the final two minutes of the game to win their first game of the season 31-30.

What Made This Possible:

In order to achieve this unprecedented comeback, Gang Green had to seemingly catch lightning in a bottle. The door for a comeback opened as soon as Nick Chubb, star running back for Cleveland, scored with 1:55 left in the game instead of taking a knee and letting the clock run down. Because of this, the Jets and Joe Flacco got the ball back. Flacco has made a career of being cool under pressure, and performing well when games are most chaotic. In this instance, Flacco stayed true to his reputation and unleashed a 66-yard TD bomb to Corey Davis.

It then came down to an onside kick, orchestrated by the Jets 6th round pick from a few years ago, punter Braden Mann. Mann has had an up and down tenure in New York so far after being considered as the best punter coming out of college in a decade. However, his perfectly executed onside kick from Sunday may cement him in Jets history from this point on. After the kick was recovered, it was in the hands of Flacco and his new favorite target to seal the deal.

Credit: Jets X-Factor

In the Jets final drive, offensive coordinator put together a masterpiece in play calling in order to put Flacco and New York in position to win. With 22 seconds left, Flacco connected with Garrett Wilson (who went for 8 catches, 122 yards, and two TDs on the day) for the game tying score. Kicker Greg Zuerlein gave the Jets the lead with his go ahead extra point.

After Cleveland got the ball back, safety Ashtyn Davis put the icing on the cake with his game sealing interception. This clinched the first comeback win while trailing by at least 13 points in the final two minutes of a game since the Chicago Bears in 2001.

A young team like these New York Jets need to learn how to win in the NFL, and a win like this is something that can instill confidence in a team, not only for an entire season, but for seasons to come as well.

What's Next:

Next week, the Jets take on the Cincinnati Bengals, who sit at a surprising 0-2. If the Jets can take advantage of Cincy's so far mediocre offensive play calling, there's a realistic chance New York can be 2-1 heading into October.