Week Three Recap: A Heroic Blocked Kick turned Crushing Collapse, Jets lose to bucs 29-27
The New York Jets entered Week Three as heavy underdogs facing an undefeated yet injury-riddled Tampa Bay Buccaneers team, led by former Jets head coach Todd Bowles. The Jets will enter Tampa without their starting QB, Justin Fields, as he’s not been cleared from concussion protocol, and QB Tyrod Taylor will finally start at QB after serving as the backup for the past year. The Buccaneers won their first two games this season with late-game winning drives led by QB Baker Mayfield. And consider that last sentence as foreshadowing.
The game began with the offense marching downfield, showing heavy promise to score a touchdown, until an illegal formation penalty was called on rookie WR Arian Smith, which resulted in an 11-yard run by RB Braelon Allen being called back. This inevitably resulted in the Jets only walking away with a field goal. On defense, the Jets received gift after gift, with five penalties being called against the Bucs. Yet, reminiscent of last week’s 3rd and 19 against the Bills, the Jets allowed the Bucs to convert on 3rd and 29 with CB Sauce Gardner committing pass interference, giving the Bucs an automatic first down. This led to the Bucs scoring a field goal, making it 3-3. Those two drives took up the entire first quarter, and it seemed like we were in for a long game.
The Jets had been driving downfield again, but a penalty committed by LT Olu Fashanu held back the team to just a field goal, making it 6-3 Jets. Tampa turned it up and Baker Mayfield connected with Mike Evans for a touchdown to take the lead back, 10-6 Bucs. The Jets would go three and out, failing to convert on 4th and 1, which gave the Bucs the ball back at the NYJ 44. However, no team would score for the next four drives until Tyrod Taylor was sacked and then fumbled, allowing the Bucs to score a field goal. The half would end with a Buccaneers pick-six on the last drive of the first half, 20-6 Bucs.
The third quarter would continue to be more of the same with the Bucs scoring a field goal, 23-13 Bucs. Then, the Jets began to gain momentum in the fourth quarter. The Jets patently marched downfield and Taylor connected with WR Garrett Wilson for a touchdown, 23-13. The Bucs responded with a field goal to make it 26-13 Bucs.
The Jets offense did not back down and scored yet another touchdown with Taylor connecting with Allen Lazard, 26-20 Bucs. However, you can’t score points and give them right back. After a 33-yard scramble by Bucs QB Baker Mayfield, the Bucs were in a primed position to ice the game with a field goal. Until Jets EDGE Will McDonald IV blocked the kick and returned it for a touchdown. It was pandemonium! The Jets came back and took the lead, 27-26, Jets. Yet, every Jet fan realized there was still 1:49 on the clock, and Baker Mayfield was coming off two late-game winning drives. This game would make it three straight as he set up Caleb McLaughlin for his sixth field goal attempt of the day, and it was game, 29-27 Bucs.
For the third week straight, the Jets have beaten themselves again. Against the Steelers, it was the Xavier Gipson fumble, against the Bills, it was not showing up, and against the Bucs, it was blowing coverage every single time Baker Mayfield stepped out of the pocket. Although Aaron Glenn has built a competitor with the Jets, it is still sadly the “same old Jets“ because they continue to lose games in inexplicable ways. The offense looked way more competent this week, as opposed to last week’s performance against Buffalo. The defense NEEDS to be way better. For the past three seasons, they’ve been amongst the best, and now they are playing amongst the worst. We cannot afford to let plays like Will McDonald’s blocked kick go to waste by losing after such a great play. It’s incredible how the Eagles also had a game-changing blocked kick for a touchdown and were able to win their game. Different situation, but still. This Jets team is close to figuring it out. They need to play like a team and be more united. It’s way too early in the Aaron Glenn Era to already be going through this. I see people checking our draft status, and we currently sit at the first overall pick, but this yearly cycle is disheartening to see. We face Miami on Monday Night Football, and they are also struggling mightily. It’s time to get a win.
