There were a pair of key plays -- Tyrod Taylor’s 52-yard TD pass to WR Adonai Mitchell and Isaiah Williams’ 83-yard KO return -- that were highlights of the Jets' 27-24 win over Atlanta at MetLife Stadium on a rainy and chilly Sunday afternoon.
Also pivotal were the pair of defensive stops of Atlanta, two threes-and-out, inside two minutes of the fourth quarter during which the Falcons possessed the ball for a total of 30 seconds.
But it was during the final 8:46 of the game -- with Atlanta leading, 24-17 -- when Taylor's steely veteran performance, running and passing, made the difference for the Jets (3-9). He first engineered a 15-play, 65-yard drive that ate up 6:53 off the clock and led to the Jets tying the game. And then a textbook 35-second fire-drill of a drive to Nick Folk's winning field goal.
No. 1 - Tyrod Taylor's Pass, Unintended, to Allen Lazard
5:48, third-and-9 at the Atlanta 46. After a 5-yard false start penalty on rookie RT Armand Membou, Tyrod Taylor drops back to pass and is hit as he releases the ball. The wounded-duck of a pass floated fortuitously to a leaping Allen Lazard for a 10-yard gain and a first down at the Falcons' 36.
No. 2 - Tyrod Taylor Converts on Third Down
4:27, third-and-3 at the Atlanta 29. Taylor scrambles off left tackle for 9 yards and a first down at the Falcons' 20.
No. 3 - Jets Go 1 of 1 on Fourth Down
2:56, fourth-and-1 at the Atlanta 11. Taylor takes the snap from C Josh Myers, steps to his right, waits a split second and then dives 2 yards for the first down at the Falcons' 9.
No. 4 - Tyrod Taylor: 'I Put My Foot in the Ground'
2:00, second-and-10 at the Atlanta 10. After RB Breece Hall is dropped for a yard loss, Taylor finds his passing options unavailable and takes off for the end zone.
"They took away the first and second read as I stepped up in the pocket, sometimes the defense doesn't account for the quarterback, so I saw a lane and went," Taylor said about his TD run. "But 55 [Atlanta LB Kaden Elliss] did a good job of trying to cut that off and I put my foot in the ground. ... Trust in my feet, trust the progression, and it got me up, in and out of the pocket."
Nick Folk's PAT made it 24-24.
No. 5 - 35 Seconds to Victory
:35, first-and-10 at the Jets' 43. Taylor again uses his wheels to motor around right end, ending up out of bounds to stop the clock after a 14-yard ramble to the Falcons' 43.
"Being a dual threat is definitely something I take pride in," Taylor, 36, said.
No. 6 - Penalty? No Problem.
:27, first-and-15 at the Falcons' 43. After another 5-yard false start flag on Armand Membou, Taylor connects with WR Adonai Mitchell on a pass in the left flank ... 10 yards to the 38. Timeout Jets.
"He's a true X," HC Aaron Glenn says about Mitchell. "The body type is a true X [a WR who usually lines up on the side of the field opposite the tight end]. He has good speed. He can win one-on-one. I just look forward to seeing him progress as the season goes and for him coming back next year and being a huge part of what we're doing."
No. 7 - Adonai Mitchell Has Himself a Game
:17, third-and-5 at the Atlanta 38. This time Taylor again finds Mitchell on the right for 5 yards and a first down at the Falcons' 33. The Jets call their final timeout. Mitchell had his best game for the Jets since being acquired from the Colts, leading the team with 8 catches on 12 targets for 102 yards and the long TD.
"I felt like every play mattered in that game from a touchdown pass to a touchdown run, to all the little dink and dunks that happened to move the ball down the field," Mitchell said. "It was definitely a game that every little thing mattered. Every detail mattered it felt like."
No. 8 - Nick Folk's 'Cherry on Top'
:05, third-and-15 at the Atlanta 33. After a 5-yard false start penalty on LT Olu Fashanu and a pair of incomplete passes, 41-year-old Nick Folk trots onto the field and converts on the longest field-goal attempt of his 18-year career, a 58-yarder that gives the Jets the 27-24 win. Earlier in the game, Folk's miss from 55 yards ended his streak of 20 consecutive FG conversions this season.
"There's nothing like playing on Sunday in front of fans and getting a chance to help the team win," Folk said. "There's nothing like that. So, I tell everyone, I just get to put the cherry on top. You know, everyone gets to make the sundae, I just get to put the cherry on top. Just happy to help us get a win."
