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9 Observations: Jets Tumble to Seattle 27-17

Russell Wilson & Seahawks Extend Drives and Prevail on a White Out Day at MetLife Stadium

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*Updated, 6:20 p.m. ET

*The Jets tried to lighten the mood of an overcast day with a return home to MetLife Stadium and a White Out win to remember.

However, the long-drive day turned slowly but surely the Seattle Seahawks' way as head coach Todd Bowles' Jets, playing without injured WR Eric Decker, struggled to find an offensive rhythm in the second half and fell to coach Pete Carroll's visitors from the Pacific Northwest this afternoon, 27-17.

The loss ended the Jets' five-game home winning streak over the Seahawks, which wasn't much of a trend since the last home W came in 2004. But more important, the Green & White fell to 1-3 on the season and this week starting the second two-game road trip of the early season next Sunday with a short flight to Pittsburgh to play the tough Steelers.

"Sometimes you need to fight more than one battle to win a war," Bowles said. "We fought two battles two weeks in a row and we lost, but the season is not over. We're 1-3 but we have to grind. We have to get better and we're going to do that next week. We're going to get better."

Here are nine observations as the Jets' loss unfolded in the Meadowlands:

1. For OpenersThe Jets took the game's opening drive and marched impressively for 14 plays, 62 yards and 8:33 to Nick Folk's opening 34-yard field — their longest opening drive by time since going 9:03 to a TD at Washington in 2011. OC Chan Gailey mixed it up well with 3 WRs as well as 3 TEs as Matt Forte ran well and Quincy Enunwa had a couple of first-down grabs.

2. Early Seahawk StopThe Jets defense was up to the first exposure to the Seahawks offense and Russell Wilson, with Leonard Williams busting through for a first-down sack of Wilson that ultimately forced them to drop-punt from the Jets 41. But the superb 'Hawks QB wasn't feeling that knee brace at all on his next drive.

3. Wilson Zeroes InWilson engineered a 92-yard touchdown drive, just getting off passes ahead of the Jets rush to Jimmy Graham for 27 yards, to Doug Baldwin down the middle for 38 yards into the red zone, and finally to newly acquired C.J. Spiller for a spinning 8-yard grab in the end zone (Spiller's first TD vs. the Jets since he scored twice for the Bills in 2012).

4. Rescuing Home FieldThe Seahawks were providing a textbook example of how a road team takes the home team out of White Out situations, driving 92 and 85 yards for touchdowns (the second one on a Wilson-to-Tanner McEvoy 42-yarder) while the Jets were having trouble sustaining anything offensively.

Facing the prospect of going six quarters without a touchdown, the Jets struck with an artful 10-play, 80-yard drive capped by Fitzpatrick's pylon throw for Brandon Marshall past CB Richard Sherman with 13 seconds left in the first half to prune the Seattle lead back to 14-10.

5. Third-Quarter OpportunityLachlan Edwards got off a low punt but it still went for his third inside-the-20 punt, barely, and then a 10-yard hold put the Seahawks back at their 9 with 2:29 to play. The crowd was at its noise-making, white-towel-twirling best on first down and then again on third-and-3, forcing Wilson to call a hasty timeout to avoid a delay, and again after the 'Hawks came back out. Sheldon Richardson's pressure forced Wilson to throw it away and the Jets offense had a great chance after the punt to get back into it. But would they?

6. It Was Not to BeAt first it seemed the Jets might take advantage, moving close to midfield. But Sherman, the Pro Bowl corner who was beaten for the TD and then committed a pass interference on Marshall the play before, made the play for the interception as Fitz tried to go to Marshall on the exact same one-on-one left-side play. It was the game's first turnover, and Fitz's first (of three today) after throwing six INTs at KC.

7. Visitors' Quick StrikeAs opposed to their earlier marches, Wilson struck quickly after the pick, going 24 yards to TE Jimmy Graham despite LB Darron Lee's coverage, followed by 27 yards to WR Paul Richardson against S Calvin Pryor on the same left sideline to the Jets 6, and finally a play-fake toss to RB Christine Michael, who beat CB Marcus Williams to the pylon for the 24-10 lead with 12:20 to play.

"Our job is to go out there and stop people and we haven't been doing it," said Pryor. "It's not about the offense. We have to perform better as a defense. If we hold people to fewer points, there's no telling what could happen."

Top Images from the White Out in MetLife Stadium

8. Endgame FizzleThe Jets' first try at a two-TD comeback resulted in a 3-and-out. The second one, after a good defensive stand forced a punt, resulted in Fitzpatrick's second interception of the final quarter, although this one was more on rookie WR Robby Anderson, who tipped Fitz's pass into the air for S Earl Thomas to dive and cradle for the pick at the Jets 20 with 5:42 to play. Even with a 14-yard sack of Wilson by Buster Skrine, it wasn't too far out for Steven Hauschka's 53-yard field goal with 4:04 to play.

"I'm still confident in our guys, I'm still confident in our offense and the things we can do," said Fitzpatrick, who had 188 passing yards at the half but finished 23-for-41 for 261. "We just didn't put it together in the second half and that was unfortunate because we did have a little bit of momentum in the first half."

9. Peake PerformanceRookie WR Charone Peake finally got to play some offense. He had three catches for 30 yards, and then he added what would have been the play of the day, had the Jets been closer to the lead. Fitzpatrick was stripped in the pocket right before he started his throwing motion. The ball bounced forward, right into the hands of Peake, who dashed 42 yards to the end zone for the score with 2:15 to play.

It only cut the deficit to 27-17. As for talking points, it was the Jets' first return touchdown of any kind since 2013, their first fumble-return TD since Muhammad Wilkerson scored off a Wilson strip sack at Seattle in '12, and the first offensive fumble-return score since G Matt Slauson rolled into the end zone with Bilal Powell's fumble at Denver in '11.

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