For most of Sunday afternoon, the New York Jets looked poised to move to 2-0 for the first time since 2015. The Jets controlled most of the game against the Green Bay Packers at MetLife Stadium, but made some crucial errors down the stretch to cough up their 10-point fourth-quarter lead.
The Packers scored 13 unanswered points to win 20-17 in overtime, with Trey Smack kicking a 26-yard field goal to complete the comeback.
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Green Bay struck first on a 6-yard touchdown pass from Jordan Love to MarShawn Lloyd in the second quarter, but the Jets answered with a 5-yard touchdown run from Braelon Allen. Geno Smith connected with Garrett Wilson for a 5-yard score in the third quarter to give New York a 14-7 lead.
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The Jets appeared to have delivered the knockout blow early in the fourth quarter when they recovered a Lloyd fumble at the Green Bay 18-yard line. But the offense couldn’t move the ball and settled for a 32-yard Jason Sanders field goal, extending the lead to 17-7 with 11:04 remaining.
That’s when everything started to unravel.
A 38-yard pass-interference penalty helped Green Bay march down the field before Love found Christian Watson for a 3-yard touchdown. The Jets failed to pick up a first down on their next possession, and Skyy Moore returned the ensuing punt 63 yards to the New York 19-yard line. Smack kicked a 34-yard field goal four plays later to tie the game.
New York still had a chance to win in regulation. After Breece Hall gained just one yard on third-and-2, the Jets faced fourth-and-1 at midfield with 1:20 remaining. Aaron Glenn kept his offense on the field rather than punting, an aggressive decision to try to win the game. It’s hard to fault Glenn for trusting his offense to gain one yard, but Braelon Allen was stuffed. Green Bay failed to capitalize, sending the game to overtime.
The Jets received the ball first in overtime and the possession was a complete disaster. The Packers sacked Smith on consecutive plays, the offense committed a false-start penalty and New York faced a third-and-30 from their own 10-yard line before eventually punting on fourth down.
Green Bay then moved 58 yards on four offensive plays, aided by an unnecessary roughness penalty against Jarvis Brownlee Jr., before Smack ended the game on the fifth play of the drive.
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Penalties were a problem for both teams throughout the game. Green Bay was flagged 14 times for 133 yards, while New York committed 13 penalties for 156 yards. That’s an absurd 27 accepted penalties for 289 yards.
But the timing of the Jets’ two biggest penalties proved especially costly: the 38-yard pass-interference call aided Green Bay’s fourth-quarter touchdown drive, while Brownlee’s 15-yard penalty moved the Packers into position for the winning field goal.
Smith completed 27-of-41 passes for 247 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. It wasn’t a spectacular performance, but it should have been good enough given how well New York’s defense played.
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That’s what makes the loss particularly brutal for the Jets. New York outgained Green Bay 285-199, held the Packers to 1-of-9 on third down, won the turnover battle and possessed the ball for nearly 11 minutes longer. Love threw for just 145 yards, although he threw two touchdowns and avoided turning the ball over.
The Jets had the game won and a chance to send the MetLife Stadium crowd home believing in a 2-0 team. Instead, they gave the game away and sent their fans home wondering how they managed to blow another one.
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