The Las Vegas Raiders have stunned the New York Jets on the strength of a miracle Henry Ruggs III touchdown.
- New York Jets 28 (0-12)
- Las Vegas Raiders 31 (7-5)
- NFL, Week 13, Final, Box Score
- MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ— The New York Jets thought they had finally done it. Then, a miracle happened at the Meadowlands.
Derek Carr‘s 46-yard score to burner Henry Ruggs III with five seconds remaining gave the Las Vegas Raiders a 31-28 win at MetLife Stadium.
https://twitter.com/Raiders/status/1335693296220266496
Lamar Jackson‘s decision to bite on Ruggs’s stutter cost him. With no timeouts remaining, giving up a 20-yard out is no problem here. It was situational awareness that doomed the Jets in the end.
Up 28-24 late in the fourth quarter, Gregg Williams’s defense stood tall in the red zone. Derek Carr’s final pass of the drive (fourth down) fell incomplete near the front pylon of the left end zone. But after the Jets went a quick three and out, Carr to Ruggs took shape.
Quarterback Sam Darnold came to life Sunday afternoon. Connecting with Jamison Crowder for two first-half touchdowns put the Jets up 14-7.
All was going swimmingly for Adam Gase’s squad until reality set in. Darnold and the Jets offensive slowly but surely slipped into mediocrity, allowing the Las Vegas Raiders to take the lead in the second quarter.
Clelin Ferrell turned the game in the second frame. Two sacks, one of which was of the strip variety, helped the Raiders take control. The worst part was that Ferrell beat Mekhi Becton both times.
Cle got home 💪
CBS | @Cle_Missile | #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/7iKwYZ8q8G
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) December 6, 2020
Maxx Crosby also helped the cause with a strip-sack of his own.
PUSH IT
PUSH IT REAL GOOD 🎶@Cle_Missile X @CrosbyMaxx #ProBowlVote | #LVvsNYJ | CBS pic.twitter.com/mBu3VYY6NH— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) December 6, 2020
Leading 17-13 at halftime, Carr capped an impressive opening second-half drive with a 2-yard touchdown scamper.
DC uses his wheels for six 💨@derekcarrqb | #ProBowlVote | CBS pic.twitter.com/mUZPnXrNF0
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) December 6, 2020
Darnold started hot. Going 4 of 6 on the opening drive helped lead to a 3-yard Crowder touchdown on third down.
Jamison caps off the opening drive 🙌#LVvsNYJ | #TakeFlight pic.twitter.com/bAuSrTupsF
— New York Jets (@nyjets) December 6, 2020
Early on, Raiders defensive coordinator Paul Guenther played extremely soft. Plenty of 2-deep coverages coupled with no pressure allowed Darnold to find his weapons.
Early in the second quarter, Darnold put his team up 13-7 courtesy of a 6-yard Crowder strike. (Sergio Castillo missed the extra point.)
Hope you started 8️⃣2️⃣ in fantasy.
📺 #LVvsNYJ on CBS pic.twitter.com/GZ7oOtD4Sj
— New York Jets (@nyjets) December 6, 2020
Raiders tight end Darren Waller enjoyed a monster outing. He led all receivers with 200 yards, 13 receptions and two touchdowns. Waller tallied both of the Raiders’ first-half scores, one of which beat Bryce Hall on a hitch.
D-Wall just decided to do it himself 😅
That's ✌️ in one half for 83.#LVvsNYJ | CBS pic.twitter.com/LpUeg8hr6j
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) December 6, 2020
As is usually the case, Darnold started hot. Everything looked to be trending in the Jets’ direction until the Raiders’ edge rushers started hitting home—something that hasn’t happened much this season (the Raiders came into the game 31st in the NFL in sacks).
The real killer (other than the two strip-sacks) was Darnold’s unforced interception on a pass intended for Breshad Perriman. Cornerback Trayvon Mullen simply sat on the route, yet Darnold threw it anyway.
🏝 @MullenIsland1 saw ball, got ball.#LVvsNYJ | CBS | #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/D1ibWHMXS1
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) December 6, 2020
Everything started to turn in the fourth quarter. Darnold led the Jets on a nine-play, 96-yard drive that resulted in his own number on the ground.
Big finish to a big drive.
📺 #LVvsNYJ | #TakeFlight pic.twitter.com/yDBUEByFtb
— New York Jets (@nyjets) December 6, 2020
Denzel Mims tallied his first points as a Jet on the ensuing 2-point conversion.
Sam ➡ Denzel. Three-point game.
📺 #LVvsNYJ on CBS pic.twitter.com/02L0ia9q8V
— New York Jets (@nyjets) December 6, 2020
Then, after a Raiders fumble created by Javelin Guidry, the Jets took the lead for good (until the Ruggs miracle). Ty Johnson tallied his first of the season from one yard out.
99 yards and a TD for Ty.
📺 #LVvsNYJ on CBS pic.twitter.com/MFDlKZKfaT
— New York Jets (@nyjets) December 6, 2020
Darnold finished with 186 yards, two touchdowns, one interception and two fumbles lost on 14 of 23 passing. The inconsistency that’s plagued him up to this point in the season continued after the first couple of drives.
Carr ended the game with 381 yards and three touchdowns through the air on 28 of 47 passing. Without Josh Jacobs, Jon Gruden’s team couldn’t do much on the ground. Devontae Booker led the team with just 50 yards on 16 carries.
The Jets ground game was decent, especially early. Ty Johnson filled in for an injured Frank Gore—who left after the second play from scrimmage with a concussion-related issue—and ran for 104 yards on 22 attempts. Josh Adams chipped in with 74 yards on eight carries. Greg Van Roten also left the game (foot) and never returned.
Crowder led the way for New York with 47 yards receiving on five grabs. Denzel Mims finished with 40 yards on two receptions.
Defensively, Quinnen Williams put up another solid game. He picked up his sixth sack of the season and hit the quarterback three times.
Sack No. 6 on the year for @QuinnenWilliams #LVvsNYJ | #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/gPIf6KJeMj
— New York Jets (@nyjets) December 6, 2020
The now-0-12 New York Jets will turn their attention to a familiar face. They’ll take their winless record into Seattle next week to take on Jamal Adams and the Seahawks.
