JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jets have already trailed by five in the fourth quarter this season, but that's as good as they enter Sunday's game against the Jaguars with a 3-10 record. That's why they were weeks away from any thoughts of making the playoffs.
But in keeping with a season destined for seven losses by six points or less, the Jets held a solid fourth-quarter lead Sunday at Everbank Stadium.
The Jets took a 32-25 lead on Breece Hall's 1-yard scoring run with 1:05 left in the game.
Interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich employed questionable time management when he called for a run instead of taking a knee to Aaron Rodgers from the 1-yard line to eat up time, and the Jags called timeout 2 with 1:05 to play. He had two chances left. He thrusts yet another dagger into the team's heart.
The Jets' defense didn't exactly stop the Jags, allowing quarterback Mac Jones 27 first downs and 421 yards of offense.
So if you're a Jets fan who was hoping for a solid defense, you could easily be forgiven if you weren't too confident.
But that's exactly what the Jets did this time, clinching a 32-25 victory when Source Gardner intercepted Jones' pass with 37 seconds left and fell wide toward receiver Parker Washington. .
Gardner went 36 games without an interception, but his last pick came on Nov. 6, 2022, during his rookie year.
“It felt great to get that ball and give it to my mom,” Gardner said. “It was really a blessing. We all deal with adversity. I've been waiting a little bit to get drafted since my rookie year. It's been a while.
“Many people hate me [for not having more INTs]. It's no secret. It's what people do because of what I've accomplished and what I've done. So I'm glad I was able to make that play. The game was on the line and Mac Jones threw me the ball, which was great. ”
Gardner's selection was payback for what appeared to be an intentional hit below the belt by Jones during an on-field scrum early last season.
“I'm not even going to talk about what he did, but I think you all remember,” Gardner said. “I respect the game too much to just go out there and badmouth him, but it was nice to be able to give back a little bit and get a little bit of revenge.”
Gardner started the game poorly, requiring defensive holding and pass interference in the first half. And he got back on his feet.
So when Jones' pass came his way, he decided to seize the moment.
Gardner said the pick was especially special given the Jets' defense's inability to protect leads in the fourth quarter.
The last time they lost a lead was last week against Miami, where they lost 32-26.
“When I talk to defenses, I always tell them to be the reason we won, not be the reason we didn't win,” Gardner said. “I wanted to be like that too. I wanted to be that guy. [help] Please help us win the game. ”
