Zuerlein’s kick clinched the Commanders’ sixth straight loss after the Jets blew a 20-point halftime lead and improved Washington’s chances of securing a top-three pick in next year’s draft. Former Maryland kicker Chad Ryland’s last-minute 56-yard field goal to lift the Patriots to a win over the Broncos on “Sunday Night Football” was another gift, as it moved Washington ahead of New England and into third-pick position with two regular season games to go.
For a change, the long-snapping wasn’t the problem for Washington’s special teams, as Tucker Addington, who was signed to replace the erratic Camaron Cheeseman last week, was perfectly adequate in his debut for the burgundy and gold. The rest of special teams coordinator Nate Kaczor’s unit was a bigger nightmare than the words “some assembly required” at midnight on Christmas Eve.
The Jets blocked a punt on Washington’s second possession after Jermaine Johnson blew past Terrell Burgess, who somehow entered the day leading all special teams players in Pro Bowl votes. The Commanders’ Jamison Crowder lost a fumble after a 24-yard return in the second quarter, and Tariq Castro-Fields committed an encroachment penalty on a punt later in the first half to give New York a fresh set of downs. The Jets capitalized on Castro-Fields’s miscue to take a 27-7 lead.
Hail: Chris Rodriguez Jr.
Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. missed his second consecutive game with a hamstring injury, leaving the rookie Rodriguez and Antonio Gibson to pick up the slack in the running game. Rodriguez made the most of his opportunity. The sixth-round pick out of Kentucky rushed for a career-high 58 yards on 10 carries, including his first two NFL touchdowns. Rodriguez demonstrated his strength on his first score, carrying a host of Jets defenders the final five yards on a 12-yard run with a push from his teammates. Rodriguez also showcased his athleticism by hurdling a defender on a 16-yard run that set up Washington’s go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Howell’s receivers didn’t do him any favors. Curtis Samuel dropped Howell’s first pass of the game and Logan Thomas let Howell’s second pass slip through his hands and into the grasp of Jets safety Tony Adams for an interception. Samuel tripped at the top of his route on the play that resulted in Howell’s second interception midway through the third quarter, which led to Howell being benched in favor of Jacoby Brissett for a second straight week. But Howell’s supporting cast was only part of the problem. The second-year quarterback, who has regressed in the second half of the season and needed a bounce-back performance in the worst way, completed only 6 of 22 passes for 56 yards. Brissett moved the ball at will against New York’s defense, leading three straight touchdown drives.
Hail: The Christmas spirit
New York and Washington were in a giving mood, as they combined for five turnovers. Sunday’s game featured an elite uniform matchup for Christmas Eve, with the Jets in their all-green duds and the Commanders in burgundy and white. It made for a festive scene at MetLife Stadium, even though the on-field product was generally unsightly. The Commanders fell to 7-4 in games played on Christmas Eve, while the Jets, who were 1-6 on Dec. 24, won for the first time on the day before Christmas since Joe Namath passed for 343 yards and four touchdowns in a 42-31 win over the Chargers in 1967.
Fail: Fantasy managers who benched Breece Hall
Who could blame people like my pal Cory for not starting the Jets’ running back in the fantasy football playoffs? Hall hadn’t rushed for more than 50 yards since early October and was limited to 18 yards from scrimmage in last week’s 30-0 loss to the Dolphins. The former Iowa State star had a career day against Washington’s porous defense, rushing for 95 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. He also had a career-high 12 catches for 96 yards on 16 targets as the favorite outlet valve for Jets quarterback Trevor Siemian, who, as CBS analyst and former Washington free agent bust Adam Archuleta mentioned several times throughout the broadcast, failed to complete a pass of least 10 air yards.
Down 27-7 at halftime to the league’s worst offense and New York’s fourth quarterback of the season, the Commanders appeared headed for their most embarrassing loss in years. Instead, Ron Rivera’s defense forced a punt or a turnover on the Jets’ first six possessions of the second half as Brissett and the offense mounted a comeback.
“It’s about being a professional, and that’s what these young men showed — that they are professionals,” Rivera said afterward. “They’re not going to quit, they’re not going to roll over, they’re not going to die. I couldn’t be more proud of the group … that came out, especially in the second half, and fought and played and gave it everything they had. They have pride, they have grit.”
The Commanders and Jets combined for 22 penalties, 41 incompletions and several injury timeouts, all of which contributed to a slog of a game. At 3 hours, 30 minutes from opening kickoff to final whistle, the meaningless contest took 33 minutes longer than the Falcons’ Taylor Heinicke-led win over the Colts. Where’s Rob Manfred when you need him?
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