The Jets battled back from a 17-point deficit Sunday, scoring 21 points in the fourth quarter to nearly complete a comeback victory over the Buccaneers. The team took a 1-point lead with less than 2 minutes remaining, but the Jets ultimately fell, 29-27, as Tampa Bay converted a field-goal attempt as time expired. Here are three takeaways from the game.
QB Tyrod Taylor Dominates in Fourth Quarter
Stepping in for an injured Justin Fields, QB Tyrod Taylor efficiently commanded the Jets' offense early, leading the team to FGs on the first two possessions. It was in the fourth quarter, though, that the veteran signal caller really found a rhythm. Taylor orchestrated two scoring drives to bring the game within reach late, completing 12-of-15 passes for 117 yards and a 138.8 passer rating.
The first scoring drive began with a 6-yard scramble before Taylor completed 4 consecutive passes for 34 yards to take bring the Jets into Tampa Bay territory. RB Braelon Allen then picked up 17 yards on the ground on two consecutive runs before Taylor connected with WR Tyler Johnson for a 12-yard gain. Taylor's only incompletion of the drive followed as he attempted to find RB Breece Hall, but he responded with an 11-yard touchdown pass to WR Garrett Wilson on the ensuing play.
Taylor overcame 2 sacks on the next drive to take bring the Jets deep into Tampa Bay territory again, and he completed a 4-yard touchdown pass to WR Allen Lazard in the back of the end zone on fourth down. The score cut the deficit to 6, and the Jets trailed by 26-20 with less than 4 minutes remaining.
"We talked about that at halftime as far as some of the calls that we do that he liked, we wanted to make sure we get those in and we got them in at a more rapid pace," HC Aaron Glenn said. "Just like any quarterback, once those guys get into a rhythm, they start to see the game a lot quicker and things really slow down for them, and I thought that's what happened to him in the second half."
Check out the top photos from the Jets Week 3 game against the Buccaneers Sunday.
WR Garrett Wilson Joins Elite Company
WR Garrett Wilson recorded 10 catches for 84 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's loss, and the fourth-year receiver now has 2 games in his Jets career with 10-plus catches. Wilson's first game with 10-plus receptions was against Minnesota in Week 5 of the 2024 season when he recorded 13 for 101 yards and a touchdown.
With yesterday's performance, Wilson joins former Jets George Sauer, Wayne Chrebet and Brandon Marshall as the only receivers to have 2 games with 10-plus receptions during their careers with the Green & White. If Wilson logs another 10-plus reception game, he will join Keyshawn Johnson, Bake Turner and Art Powell as the only receivers to reach the milestone on three separate occasions. Al Toon and Hall of Famer Don Maynard top the list for the Green & White with 10-plus receptions in 8 and 5 games, respectively.
HC Aaron Glenn: 'There Are Some Things Defensively That We Have to Do a Better Job Of'
HC Aaron Glenn emphasized the resiliency of the Jets as they battled back to take a 1-point lead in the fourth quarter, but he stressed the importance of cleaning up some things defensively.
"One thing, we have to tackle better," Glenn said. "I can't give you a true number of what it was, but we had a number of missed tackles in that game that we have to improve on.
"The one thing that you see when it came to the tackling was that we were on the ground quite a bit, and those moments we were diving instead of running through tackles. So, it comes back to emphasizing that, and listen, you can always improve in those things. That's why you practice."
The Green & White were unable to stop the Buccaneers from putting together a game-winning field-goal drive in the final moments of the game, and the unit gave up 22 points in the loss. The Jets' defense has now surrendered 86 points through three games.
"We have to a better job there," Glenn said. "The most important thing when it comes to defense is limiting points, and that's one thing that we are struggling with right now and we have to do a better job of that. … I have total confidence in our defensive staff. I have total confidence in how our guys are going to continue to operate from here on out because of the fact that I know who we've got, I know how our guys are built, and we just have to continue to do those things that help us win games."
