The Jets’ (3-9) woes continue after they lost 26-21 to the Seahawks (7-5) on a cold sunny day at Metlife Stadium.
Gang Green has lost eight of their last nine games. They are also 1-6 since Jeff Ulbrich became the interim coach on Oct. 8.
Aaron Rodgers completed 21-of-39 passes for 185 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Breece Hall, who was dealing with a knee injury entering Sunday’s game, recorded 60 yards on the ground but had a costly fumble in the third quarter.
In his return to MetLife Stadium, Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith completed 20-of-31 passes for 206 yards and a touchdown. Sunday was the first time Smith played the Jets at MetLife Stadium. In 2013, the Jets drafted Smith in the second round of the NFL Draft out of West Virginia, where he spent four seasons with the team.
The Jets had one final chance to win the game with less than two minutes left down 26-21, but Rodgers’ pass intended for Garrett Wilson went incomplete and the Seahawks held on for the five-point win.
In recent weeks, the Jets defense has had issues tackling ball carriers in losses to the Cardinals and Colts. In the first half, the Jets defense allowed just 124 total yards.
However, the Seahawks made the necessary halftime adjustments and registered 116 yards during the third quarter. The Jets’ offense also struggled in the third quarter, gaining only 46 yards total. Gang Green had a potential scoring opportunity, but Hall fumbled on the 50-yard line, and the Seahawks recovered and got three points off the turnover.
In the fourth quarter, it was a comedy of errors for the Jets. Too many men on the field gave the Seahawks a 4th and 1 opportunity, but a pass interference call on Qwan’tez Stiggers gave Seattle a first down.
Then, when it seemed like the Jets stopped the Seahawks on a 4th and 1 play on the 34-yard line, a horse collar penalty on Solomon Thomas extended Seattle’s drive. Will McDonald’s neutral zone infraction also helped the Seahawks get to the eight-yard line, and Zach Charbonnet scored a touchdown to take a 26-21 lead.
Gang Green committed 12 penalties for 83 yards.
After the two teams exchanged punts to begin the game, the Jets got on the scoreboard on their second possession. On a drive that started at the 20-yard-line, Rodgers completed an eight-yard touchdown pass to Davante Adams, which put them up 6-0 after Anders Carlson’s extra point was blocked.
Following the kickoff, the Jets got the ball right back following a fumble by kick returner Dee Williams, and Jets cornerback Brandin Echols recovered the ball on the Seahawks’ 27. Gang Green cashed in on the drive after Rodgers completed a shovel pass to rookie Isaiah Davis for a two-yard touchdown, which increased its lead to 14-0 after Hall converted the two-point conversion.
Seattle responded in the second quarter after Smith completed a 12-yard pass to tight end AJ Barner, cutting the Jets’ lead to 14-7.
Gang Green increased its lead 21-7 after Kene Nwangwu, who was elevated before the game from the practice squad, registered a 99-yard kickoff return for the touchdown. He signed up with the Jets practice squad in September after spending his first three seasons with the Vikings.
Laviska Shenault Jr. muffed the kickoff on the immediate kickoff, and Carlson recovered the ball for the Jets on the Seahawks’ 38. However, Rodgers threw an interception to defensive tackle Leonard Williams, who returned it 91 yards for a touchdown. Jason Myers’ extra point was blocked, so the game remained 21-13.
Seattle later added a field goal, making the score 21-16 right before halftime after Myers converted a 54-yard field goal.
After neither team scored in the third quarter, Myers’ 43-yard field goal trimmed the Jets lead to 21-19 early in the fourth quarter. After a flurry of penalties by the Jets, Charbonnet scored on an eight-yard touchdown run to give Seattle a 26-21 lead with 5:31 remaining.
The Jets will travel to South Florida in Week 14 to play the Dolphins for the first time this season. The two teams will also meet at MetLife Stadium in the season finale on Jan. 5.
