Dec 15, 2024; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson (5), quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8), and tight end Jeremy Ruckert (89) celebrate a touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images
The New York Jets are capable of winning a football game in the fourth quarter, after all.
A monstrous nine-reception, 198-yard, two-touchdown game from wide receiver Davante Adams sparked the Jets to a 32-25 victory over the Jaguars in Jacksonville to improve to 4-10 on their lost season.
Coming off a 109-yard game in Week 14, Adams and quarterback Aaron Rodgers have been turning back the clock to the days when they were one of the most dynamic duos in all of football with the Green Bay Packers.
“Yeah [it felt like old times],” Rodgers said. “Tae is a fantastic player.”
Gang Green had to overcome what has become the familiar sight of coaching malpractice to hold on to the win. With the game tied at 25, a 41-yard completion to Adams gave the Jets the ball at the Jaguars’ 1-yard line with 1:22 left in regulation.
Rather than run the clock out and force the Jaguars to burn their remaining timeouts, interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich called a run play up the gut for Breece Hall, who scored with little resistance with 1:05 remaining.
Luckily for New York, Sauce Gardner picked off Jacksonville quarterback Mac Jones inside the final minute to clinch a rare victory and to pick up his first interception since 2022.
“A lot of people hate on me, that’s not a secret,” Gardner said. “That’s just what people do because of the things that I’ve accomplished and the things that I’ve done. It was great to just be able to make that play.”
In each of the Jets’ previous three games, they carried a lead into the fourth quarter but found comically new ways to lose. It appeared as though that might be the case again on Sunday when Jones hit Brian Thomas Jr. for a 19-yard touchdown to give the Jaguars a 22-17 lead with 10:58 remaining in the game.
But for the first time in what felt like this season, Rodgers looked confident throwing the deep ball and connected with Adams over the top and down the middle of the field for a 71-yard score to put New York up three.
“It’s been incredible. For a guy to come in when he did without real time on task with this locker room and to have the impact he’s had, I’ve never seen it ever,” Ulbrich said of Adams. “He’s a consummate pro. He’s a force multiplier… elevates those around him… We’re fortunate to have him.”
Cam Little drew the Jaguars level with 1:51 to go to tie the game.
Rodgers had a second solid week as speculation about his future with the Jets continues to swirl. He completed 16 of 30 passes for 289 yards and three touchdowns.
His first touchdown of the afternoon immediately canceled out Jacksonville’s opening drive, hitting Garrett Wilson for a 22-yard score on their first possession.
A pair of field goals from Little gave the Jaguars a six-point lead, 13-7, at halftime while Rodgers struggled to find his footing. He completed just 3 of 8 passes for 55 yards in the game’s opening 30 minutes.
The teams traded field goals to open the third quarter before Rodgers connected with Adams for the receiver’s first score of the day — a one-yard score 4:33 before the start of the fourth quarter to take a 17-16 lead.
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