EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Long runs, bad breaks, big plays and wacky moments. This one had them all.
Chandler Catanzaro kicked a 41-yard field goal with 28 seconds left in overtime, lifting the New York Jets to a 23-20 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
"Crazy is right," Jets quarterback Josh McCown said with a grin. "I’m glad we were on the right side of it, though."
After Catanzaro split the uprights, he and his teammates celebrated wildly in the middle of the field — but then had to wait a moment because there was a penalty flag on the field. The officials ruled there actually was no penalty on the play — giving the surprising Jets (2-2) the win.
"What you saw there was a complete team effort," running back Bilal Powell said.
Powell rushed for a career-high 163 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown , and rookie Elijah McGuire had a 69-yard score and finished with 93 yards rushing as the Jets ran all over the Jaguars (2-2).
But New York blew a 10-point, fourth-quarter advantage — and then had to hold on in the extra period.
"We fought back," coach Todd Bowles said. "We had the lead and gave it away. Guys didn’t get down. They didn’t blink."
On fourth-and-5 from the Jets 25, Lachlan Edwards boomed a 70-yard punt that was misjudged by Marqise Lee, who had the ball bounce away from him before he recovered. Jacksonville was called for an illegal block in the back on the play, putting the ball at the Jaguars 3.
Jacksonville went three-and-out, but on the punt, Paul Posluszny was called for unsportsmanlike conduct for taunting as the Jets’ Dylan Donahue went down on the Jaguars sideline with an elbow injury. It put the ball on the Jacksonville 25, and after two 1-yard runs, Josh McCown spiked the ball to set up Catanzaro’s field goal.
"Those long runs, my stupidity at the end of the game," Posluszny said, "you can’t win with stuff like that."
McCown finished 22 of 31 for 224 yards with an interception and the Jets outgained the Jaguars 471-311 in total yards, including 256-175 on the ground.
Blake Bortles was 15 of 35 for 140 yards with a TD and an interception.
"We’ve got to find ways to make plays offensively and score touchdowns and put games like that away," Bortles said.
It appeared the Jets were heading for a win-sealing drive after a 41-yard pass to Robby Anderson got them to the Jaguars 14. But McCown tossed a backward pass to Powell and the ball bounced off the running back’s shoulder pad — ruled a fumble — and Myles Jack recovered and went 81 yards for a touchdown to cut the Jaguars’ deficit to 20-17 with 10:20 left in the fourth quarter.
"I wasn’t ready for it," Powell said, "but we bounced back from it."
With 3:19 left in regulation and New York still leading by three, A.J. Bouye picked off McCown after Powell slipped right in front of the cornerback and gave the Jaguars the ball at the Jets 35.
Leonard Fournette took a short pass from Bortles and scored a 23-yard touchdown — but it was wiped out by a holding call on Arrelious Benn.
Four plays later, Kony Ealy knocked down a pass from Bortles on third-and-goal from the 4, and the Jaguars settled for Jason Myers’ 22-yard tying field goal with 46 seconds remaining.
FLYING JETS: McGuire had given the Jets a 17-10 lead with 10:02 left in the third quarter with his 69-yard TD run. It marked the first time in franchise history that the Jets had two touchdown runs of 60 or more yards in the same game.
BOOM-BOOM-POWELL: After Fournette’s 10-yard TD catch midway into the first quarter gave the Jaguars a 7-0 lead, the Jets answered right back on their next play from scrimmage. Powell went up the middle and appeared to get tripped up as he leaped over Jaguars linebacker Telvin Smith, but smartly got up — after not being touched by Smith — and took off for a 75-yard touchdown. It was upheld by video review, resulting in the Jets’ longest touchdown run since Bruce Harper went 78 yards in 1983.
FAKE PUNT: The Jets used some trickery to try to take a halftime lead when Edwards faked the punt on fourth-and-21 and passed to cornerback Marcus Williams, who gained 30 yards on the play to put the ball at the Jaguars 22. After a delay of game penalty on Edwards — who was celebrating the previous play — cost the Jets 5 yards, Catanzaro was wide left on a 45-yard attempt that kept it tied.
ANTHEM: The Jets players all linked arms during the anthem, as they did last week. Acting owner Christopher Johnson was among them once again. All of the Jaguars players took a knee a few moments before the anthem, as they announced they would. They all stood during the singing of the anthem by Heather Hill, the daughter of the late Winston Hill, a member of the Jets’ Ring of Honor.
STILL STRUGGLING: The Jaguars were road favourites after being underdogs for the last 44 games away from home. Jacksonville still hasn’t won consecutive road games since 2013.
UP NEXT:
Jaguars: at Pittsburgh next Sunday.
Jets: at Cleveland next Sunday.
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