The New York Jets secured a much-needed 21-13 victory over the Houston Texans on Thursday night, snapping a five-game losing streak and reviving their playoff hopes.
The win was sparked by a 21-6 second half in New York’s favor. It was a major turnaround from a poor first half that led to the team getting booed into the locker room.
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The most egregious first-half blunder belonged to rookie wide receiver Malachi Corley. The Jets got Corley wide open on an end-around were set to score the game’s first touchdown, but Corley celebrated too early, dropping the ball before he crossed the goal line. It resulted in a touchback, and New York ended up going scoreless in the first half.
I THINK HE DROPPED IT BEFORE SCORING pic.twitter.com/PQkG990Emq
— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthew_CFB) November 1, 2024
Interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich revealed his message to Corley after the inexcusable mistake.
“First of all, you can’t do that. Second of all, you owe us one.”
Ulbrich added that he believes the play will be a tremendous learning experience for the rookie.
“What an amazing opportunity for this kid to grow from,” Ulbrich said. “I promise you ten years from now, when he’s still playing in this league, that will never happen again.”
Ulbrich also spoke about the Jets’ overall effort as a team, praising their “resiliency” after a rough start to the game.
“Really cool game for this team, man,” said interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich. “For them to have the resiliency to come back and play the way they did against a really good opponent, proud of them.”
The win marked Ulbrich’s first as the Jets’ head coach.
“It’s special from the standpoint of this team. I feel like one of my strengths is blocking out the outside noise. This team took a lot of shots externally, really proud of them.”
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers and wide receiver Davante Adams connected for a touchdown, their first together with the Jets. Adams delivered his best game as a Jet, finishing with seven receptions for 91 yards.
“That’s a relationship that’s way deeper than the three or four weeks they’ve been together,” Ulbrich said.
It was their first touchdown as a duo since 2021.
The Jets look to build on their momentum next Sunday as they head to Arizona for a Week 10 showdown against Kyler Murray and the Cardinals.
