Miracle at The Meadowlands Jets Version

 After all the anticipation, the buildup, the hype, the Hard Knocks, it lasted four plays. A New York Jets season that was supposed to be different began in a way every Jet fan thought to themselves “of course this had to happen to us, why can’t we have nice things!”  

Enter Zach Wilson. The season basically ending on a medical cart ride back to the Jets locker room with the Golden Boy aboard. Or so we thought.

Following the air being sucked out of MetLife Stadium on the first drive of the game for the green and white, the defense put on their hard hats. Writing much of the same script as last season—putting the offense on their backs and carrying them to the finish line. Every opportunity to make a play defensively it happened. And when the offense needed to answer the bell; the reigning Rookie Offensive Player of Year, Garrett Wilson, delivered with perhaps the greatest catch for the Jets since MetLife Stadium opened. Tack on kicker Greg Zuerlein making all three of his field goal tries including one with 1:48 to go in the game and all that was needed was one more stop…

Not only did the Bills march down the field to tie the game with essentially no time on the clock to force overtime. Not only did Tyler Bass knock home the game tying field goal from 50 yards out, but he did so by banking the ball off the left upright.

Overtime.

Oh no.

It can’t end like this. Not after Rodgers got carted off,  or the Jets defense show casing their bid as the best defense since the 2000 Baltimore Ravens, or the absolutely absurd grab by Wilson to tie the game originally. Not like this!!!!!!   

After the obligatory march to the center of the field for the overtime rule explanation that nobody listens to, the Bills win the toss and get the ball with a chance to have Breece Hall, Dalvin Cook, and Garrett Wilson watch on the sidelines unable to make a play to try to help the Jets win.

Of course, this is how this is going to end.

With the Jet faithful drenched, distraught, and depressed walking with their tails between their legs back to the parking lot after watching Josh Allen, the other worldly generational quarterback, do what generational quarterbacks always to do when it matters most, march down and deliver the death blow in Overtime by throwing a deep touchdown.

Nope.

Not on this day.

The Bills would get the ball at their own 25-yard-line after a touchback, and walk back five yards due to a false start penalty. Allen would then miss a throw to Dawson Knox. James Cook would gain a measly three yards. Buffalo would hurry to the line and DJ Reed would make his biggest play of his day breaking up a pass intended for Stefon Diggs.

The Jets playmakers would actually get to the touch the ball with the furry of a thousand suns behind them cheering from the stands. Well, one playmaker would get his hands on the ball.

Undrafted free agent rookie returner Xavier Gibson would field the Sam Martin punt with his heels on the Jets 34-yard-line. Gibson made a Bill miss. Then another one. Gibson made a cut and hit the after burners as he spun past Sam Martin and trotted into the end zone for a game winning punt return touchdown—sending  MetLife Stadium and Jet fans across the country into a frenzy as the Jets win an unfathomable game in Overtime.

This never happens. Well, it does—but only to the Jets. The script is never flipped. Not after all hope was lost with Rodgers laying on the turf with three minutes and fourteen seconds elapsed total in the game. Or after an offense run by Zach Wilson tallied 143 yards of total offense in the first half and witnessed a stereotypical Wilson interception to set up a Bills field goal before halftime sending the Jets into the locker room down 10 points. All the odds seemed to be stacked up against an offense that without the leagues four-time MVP looked exactly how it did all of last season, stagnant.

In a passing league, the Jets had 100 less passing yards than the Bills did. Buffalo had the ball for almost six minutes more than the Jets did. Didn’t matter. The Jets made the Bills one-dimensional only allowing 61 rushing yards to players not named Josh Allen, while holding Buffalo under 100 rushing yards in the game while forcing Allen to throw three interceptions. The defense gave the opportunity for special teams to win this game and the unit that gets largely overlooked on a weekly basis came through.

Jets fans rejoice. Cheer and holler like you did when you first saw the news of Aaron Rodgers being traded to the Jets. Because while number eight didn’t factor in the win—this win was for him. It was for the fans and the organization to prove that this Jets team is not the “same ‘ole Jets.” And for one night on National TV, they weren’t.

Even though for much of the game it may have looked like that was the case, tonight, they were a different team. Maybe that is due to bringing Aaron Rodgers aboard. Maybe that has something to do with returning young playmakers on both sides of the ball. Maybe for one night luck was partially flipped in our favor. Whatever it was; it was a miracle.

Hopefully a miracle that lasts all season long and just the start to something special. A sign that times are changing for those “same ‘ole Jets” and a new age is arriving.

For a night you cannot break our spirit. Don’t worry about impending morning MRI news. Enjoy an unbelievable win and 1-0 start to a season that was filled with promise when Aaron Rodgers proclaimed he wanted to play for the New York Jets back in March. For a night, the dream of unthinkable glory is still alive. And for one night thanks to an undrafted rookie the chase to give the Super Bowl III Trophy some company is still on.

What a wild roller coaster of a night of football. Incredible.