EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ—Twas the night for at least some plausible deniability when the crowd went “booooo.” After all, on this night, Oct. 31, “boo” can mean more than one thing.
As poorly as the New York Jets played in the early going, the only boos that mattered were those related to the spookiness of Halloween—and, of course, of Houston Texans fans. Despite chants of “sell the team” in the first half, Aaron Rodgers and the Jets offense awakened in the second half to stun many with a 21-13 victory.
Week 9 Final
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A 37-yard Davante Adams touchdown reception late in the fourth quarter put separation between the Jets and Texans, pretty much cementing the victory for the black-wearing home team.
🚨RODGERS TO ADAMS TOUCHDOWN 🚨#HOUvsNYJ on @NFLonPrime pic.twitter.com/e2Mpue8pp8
— New York Jets (@nyjets) November 1, 2024
Although Adams enjoyed the clincher, the real start of the game was his younger running mate. Garrett Wilson caught two touchdowns on the night, the second of which came in highlight-reel fashion.
(after review) HOLY ONE-HAND GARRETT FREAKING WILSON TOUCHDOOOOOWN❕❕❕#HOUvsNYJ on @NFLonPrime pic.twitter.com/htLVwK7TA6
— New York Jets (@nyjets) November 1, 2024
Wilson finished the night with 90 yards and two touchdowns in nine receptions. His first score was also a one-hander; it just wasn’t nearly as spectacular as his second.
ONE-HANDED GARRETT WILSON TOUCHDOWN 🚨#HOUvsNYJ on @NFLonPrime pic.twitter.com/rvDWanuax5
— New York Jets (@nyjets) November 1, 2024
Insanely, the Jets should have had four touchdowns on the night, but the first one was overturned after further review. Rookie Malachi Corley inexplicably dropped the ball before crossing the goal line.
TD @CorleyMalachi!!#HOUvsNYJ on @NFLonPrime pic.twitter.com/PSt7uVeRru
— New York Jets (@nyjets) November 1, 2024
The man throwing these balls found something in the second half. After a rusty first half, Rodgers engineered a tremendous drive to commence the second half, resulting in the Jets’ first touchdown of the night.
All told, Rodgers threw for 211 yards and three touchdowns on 22 of 32. Adams led the Jets in receiving with 91 yards on seven balls.
On the ground, Breece Hall had running room all night. Despite not having Alijah Vera-Tucker all night and John Simpson for stretches (as Olu Fashanu and Max Mitchell filled in at guard for Simpson and Jake Hanson), Hall finished with 74 on 15 carries.
On the other side, Joe Mixon ran pretty well, particularly after the first quarter. Consistently finding cutback lanes, Mixon went for 106 and a touchdown on 24 carries.
C.J. Stroud, playing without Nico Collins and Stefon Diggs, was off all night. Garbage time helped his numbers, as it also helped Houston’s point total, but Stroud finished with just 191 yards and an inefficient 11 of 30 passing.
Jeff Ulbrich’s first NFL win also featured his defense, a unit that rushed Stroud well. All told, New York sacked Stroud eight times in the game (Jamien Sherwood and Micheal Clemons each collected two, whereas Haason Reddick, D.J. Reed, Quinnen Williams and Solomon Thomas each put up one).
The 3-6 Jets will take the weekend off before getting back to work, preparing for a road game in Week 10 against the Arizona Cardinals.
