Jets beat Browns for second straight win after week of trades

After trading away two of their star players this week, the Jets won their second game of the season.

Breece Hall’s 125 all-purpose yards and six defensive sacks helped the Jets (2-7) defeat the Browns (2-7) 27-20 on a rainy afternoon at MetLife Stadium.

“Throughout the week, there’s been so much noise and it’s really not about these guys in the locker room,” Jets coach Aaron Glenn said. “These guys stayed focused.

“They block out all that crap and just go play football. We’re trying to build something and there’s got to be a foundation that needs to be established. And these guys understand that, and we’re trying to build that foundation and get to where it’s stable, then you can continue to win. That’s what we’re trying to accomplish.”

The Jets said goodbye to Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams this week after being traded separately to the Colts and Cowboys. They also traded cornerback Michael Carter II to the Eagles during their bye a week earlier.

Although the Jets may be peaking somewhat around 2026 after adding three more first-round picks and one more second-round pick in the next two drafts, Glenn said this week that they are focused on trying to beat the Browns, as well as getting their first home win and that’s precisely what they did on the day they honored one of their legendary players.

Before the game, the Jets paid tribute to former center Nick Mangold after he passed away from kidney disease two weeks ago. Jets players wore black shirts before the game with a picture of Mangold on the front and “A True Jet” on the back, along with his number 74. Former Jets tackle and Mangold’s teammate for 10 seasons, D’Brickashaw Ferguson, also spoke before the game.

Mangold’s wife, Jennifer, and their four children were on the field before the match as they served as honorary captains for the toss.

“It was cool not only to get that win, but with everything that was going on regarding him and his family and everything,” Hall said of Mangold. “The whole situation is very sad. It was cool to go out there and get a win and celebrate it the way it should be celebrated.”

Gang Green was coming off their best game of the season two weeks ago against Cincinnati in their first win of the season. During that contest, the Jets finished with a game-high 502 yards.

Against the Browns on Sunday, the Jets returned to the inept offense that has been on display for most of this season. At halftime, they only had 62 yards and -5 passing yards. They finished with 169 total yards, including 127 on the ground.

The Jets’ passing offense continued to struggle until early in the fourth quarter, when Justin Fields completed a screen pass to Hall, who scored on the 42-yard play, giving them a 24–17 lead with 14:12 remaining.

Fields has been criticized for most of this season for his hesitancy to throw the ball down the field and occasional inaccuracy. He was also blamed for the Jets’ 0-7 start to the season by owner Woody Johnson during the NFL fall meetings last month.

Against the Bengals, Fields had his best game in a Jets uniform after completing 21 of 32 passes for 244 yards with one touchdown pass. Against Cleveland, Fields finished 6 of 11 with 54 passing yards. But the Jets’ special teams, along with their rushing offense and defense, carried the team in the victory against the Browns.

“I wasn’t happy just on offense or defense in general in that first half,” Glenn said. “I thought in the second half we did some things that gave us a chance to win. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters.”

The Jets only had 13 net offensive yards in the first quarter. But that didn’t stop them from finding the end zone twice in the opening stanza.

Following a nine-yard touchdown pass from Dillon Gabriel to David Njoku to take an early 7-0 lead, Kene Nwangwu returned the kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown. Then, after a 45-yard punt by Corey Bojorquez, Isaiah Williams scored on a 74-yard punt return, which gave the Jets a 14-7 lead in the first quarter.

It was the first time in franchise history that the Jets scored a touchdown on both a kickoff return and a punt return in the same game. The last time this happened in an NFL game before Sunday’s game against the Browns was when the Ravens did it against the Bears in 2017.

Even though their offense has struggled for most of this season, the Jets’ special teams have been one of the few bright spots in a disappointing season. Kicker Nick Folk has been impeccable this season after converting all 19 of his field goal attempts. Rookie Austin McNamara entered Sunday’s game ranked sixth in the NFL in net yards (43.7).

“It really changed the game, the momentum,” Williams said of Nwangwu’s return. “Like after he scored, everyone on the sidelines was like excited.

“Right after, Coach [Chris] Banjo came up to me and said, “Now it’s your turn.” It just gave us even more confidence, like, “All right, we can go.” »

The Jets defense, especially Will McDonald, was relentless. He finished with four sacks against the Browns after entering the game with three in seven games.

“I was just saying [Glenn] I was going to be relentless,” McDonald said. “I’ve been relentless since the start of the season.

“For me and for the team too, that’s all we have to keep doing and I think we’ll be fine.”

In addition to his offensive struggles, Gang Green struggled to rush the passer this season, entering the game with 11 sacks, which was second-to-last in the league. Linebacker Quincy Williams, demoted this week, finished with five tackles and a sack.

Williams did not start the game during the Jets’ nickel packages, as he usually does, but was on the field during their 4-3 formation plays.

With the Jets leading 27-20 late in the fourth quarter, it looked like the Browns would have one last chance to tie or win the game in regulation. But linebacker Devin Bush was called for holding, giving the Jets offense a first down with 1:50 left at the 44.

Then, on a 4th-and-5 play with 58 seconds left, Cleveland’s Cameron Thomas was also called for a neutral zone infraction, and the Jets received another set of downs. They were then able to run the remainder of the time after kneeling twice to end the match.

Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson left the game during the third quarter with a knee injury and did not return. It’s the same knee injury that kept Wilson out for two games.

Jets cornerback Azareye’h Thomas suffered a head injury in the second quarter and was subsequently ruled out. After being hit while recording a tackle, Thomas remained motionless for a few minutes before heading to the sideline under his own power. Glenn told reporters that Thomas would enter the concussion protocol.

The Jets will return to action this Thursday and take on the Patriots on the road at Gillette Stadium.