CLEVELAND — The door opened and Robert Saleh walked through it, the screams and celebrations of his locker room trailing him. He stood in front of the lectern and grabbed it with both his hands. He took a deep, exhaling breath. He looked at his watch.
Saleh smiled as he looked up.
“What, did something happen?” a reporter cracked.
“Something crazy, right?” Saleh said.
It’s crazy.
The JetsFlorham Park residents knew that they were just 1:55 away of misery. They’ve been on the other side of heartbreak too many times to count. On Sunday, however, the Jets were favored by fortune. The BrownsYou will be asked to answer the following questions: Unprecedented collapseThe Jets took a 13 point lead. The Jets can bask and enjoy the joy of an incredible victory. This is a comeback for all time, one that will be remembered as one of the greatest wins in franchise history. It’s only Week 2, and that’s not hyperbole.
JOE FLACCO BABY pic.twitter.com/p3jfrUWMIn
— New York Jets (@nyjets) September 18, 2022
What happened on Sunday was about as far from “same old Jets” as you can get.
They did something the Jets hadn’t done in 13 tries: win in September. They also did something even more remarkable: NFL team has done in 21 years: They overcame a 13-point deficit in the final two minutes of a game — and won.
After a rematch, the Jets were down by 30-17 Nick ChubbWith 1:55 left, touchdown. The Browns were unable to score an additional point. The Jets were in for another week of panic and consternation, another blowout after another blowout, and a 0-2 start. Fans would be left with another reason to accept the fate of another long season.
Instead, the Jets altered the course of play: A long touchdown, a successful kick onside, another touchdown and interception later, they beat the Browns 31-30.
“Best day of the week tomorrow: Victory Monday,” said Jets defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins.
“We’re off the schneid,” Saleh said.
Go Deeper
Browns beat by Jets after they score two touchdowns in final 82 seconds
The Jets are currently 1-1. The Jets’ Week 3 opponent is the BengalsLast year, he was the Super Bowl MVP. Cincinnati is now 0-2.
“One thing I’ve learned in this league is called confirmed validity,” Rankins said. “I think once you’ve shown yourself you can do it, it’s a lot easier to believe you can do it again. Being able to have this young group of guys come into a hostile environment, things aren’t going right, we’re down 13 points, bullets are flying. And then to be able to just rally, lock in and make those plays to win big time football games — that’s going to go a long way.”
How did they manage it?
Weirdly, it started with a touchdown — a Browns touchdown.
These are the five moments that made this wild win possible, and how they came about.
1. Nick Chubb’s touchdown mistake.
The Browns just had to finish the clock. After a 12-yard touchdown, the Jets didn’t have any timeouts. Kareem HuntRun converted a first-down with 2:09 remaining to the Jets 24, Chubb was stiff-armed on the next play. D.J. ReedHe ran 12 yards to score an easy touchdown. It was his third in a dominating afternoon.
These were the moments when the Jets knew that they had a shot.
“I’ve never been so happy for a missed tackle in my life,” Saleh said.
With 1:55 remaining, the Browns had a 99.9% win chance.
When you add all of it up, this is one the most devastating losses in NFL history.
This is completely absurd. pic.twitter.com/yT4aUnqzyZ
— Jordan Strack (@JordanStrack) September 18, 2022
The Browns could’ve spent three downs running the clock down and then kicked a field goal. They scored with just 2:02 left. To top it all, kicker Cade YorkThe extra point was missed.
Jets wide receiver coach Miles Austin walked over to his position group and said: “They just gave us our only chance.”
“When he scores you’re like: OK, that’s not what you’re supposed to do,” Flacco said.
Saleh said Chubb’s mistake is “going to be one that shows up on Friday for us as teachable moments,” he said, adding that once Chubb scored “the echo in the headset is: They gave us a chance. Let’s see what happens.”
2. Corey DavisA sea of green and you are there
To give the Jets a chance of winning, they must move quickly and score on their next drive.
Backup safety was available before the offense started. Will ParksTalked to every offensive player who was within earshot.
“In those situations, in nine times out of 10, you don’t see wins come out of there,” Parks said. “The offense, I said: ‘Look, y’all gonna score quick, we’re gonna get the ball back, and we’re gonna score again. Then, game over.’”
With 1:55 remaining on the clock, the offense took the field. Flacco’s first pass was a laser, 9-yard completion to tight end Tyler ConklinAfter a dropped and fumble earlier in the game, Corey Davis made a nice catch. Flacco had already snapped the ball and dropped it back to Flacco for his second pass. Wide receiver Corey Davis was already open down the field after a miscommunication between Browns safety and cornerback.
“When I threw it I’m like: Oh my gosh … nobody is anywhere near him,” Flacco said.
Davis was shocked at how open Davis was.
“Honestly, yeah,” Davis said. “It was a good route, but I didn’t think it was that damn good.”
Davis caught the pass, and said he thought: “Man, run!”
It was a simple 66 yard trot to the goal zone. The drive took 33 seconds.
Then, FirstEnergy Stadium went silent — as if the Browns fans knew what was about to happen.
“It was a really weird feeling because of how quiet it got there,” Flacco said. “That feeling was something I’ve never felt before. The game wasn’t over.”
3. Mann is the man
On Fridays, the Jets practice side kicks. Sometimes they do it on Wednesdays. They did it on both days this week. These situations were handled by Punter Braden Man.
Brant Boyer, special teams coordinator, suggested a trick kick. Mann would kick it to one side and then switch to the other side to kick it to his left.
“It was kind of a wild play,” Mann told The Athletic. “That comes straight from Boyer. I think it was a great call.”
Parks jumped at the ball after a few bounces and hit it with his right hand. Parks formed a pile around the ball. Justin HardeeAt the bottom of it. He “got to the bottom of the pile and I don’t know what happened down there,” safety Ashtyn Davis said, “but he came up with the ball.”
Success.
Wide receiver Garrett WilsonThe celebration was held on the sidelines. He had dropped a pass on the third down in the fourth quarter.
“I went absolutely crazy,” he said. “I didn’t want my drop to be the reason we lost the game.”
“Once that happened,” Saleh said, “there was no doubt we were scoring once we got the ball.”
4. Joe Cool
Mike LaFleur is the Jets offensive coordinator and calls plays using a headset. Saleh told him before the final drive that he had “plenty of time” and not to rush anything.
“We had so much time,” Saleh said, who told LaFleur: “Don’t give (the Browns) too much time when we score.”
It’s not if, but when.
Flacco entered the field at the Browns’ 47-yard-line with 1:20 remaining after the onside kick. His first pass was not completed. Then, he began dealing: 12 yards. Michael Carter, offsides penalty on Browns, 4 yard to Conklin and 5 yards to Carter. Ty Johnson, 12 yards to Wilson. Elijah Moore, throwaway …. Wilson for a 12-yard touchdown. Greg ZuerleinThe extra point was added.
Flacco was “just a calming force,” Saleh said. “He’s been in a lot of these situations. He was cool and calm, got the ball where it needed to go and left the door open just a crack and that was enough for our guys to break through.”
After fans called for Mike WhiteFlacco replaced him last week by completing 26 out of 44 passes for 307. yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions.
Wilson was able to breathe again after the brutal fourth quarter drop. Wilson was a star on the field, catching eight out of 14 passes for 102 yard and two touchdowns, including winning the game.
“We’ve known the lights aren’t too big for him,” Flacco said.
The game wasn’t over quite yet, though.
5. Ashtyn Davis, from nowhere
The Browns won the ball with 22 seconds to spare. The Browns won the ball back with a 21-yard play. Jacoby BrissettThe team scrambled to the sideline. This allowed Jeff Ulbrich, the defensive coordinator, to substitute Davis at safety for his next defensive snap.
He read Brissett’s eyes, and jumped in front of a pass intended for Amari CooperHe had been a stoker of the Jets secondary all afternoon (nine catches and 101 yards, touchdown). Davis quickly picked it up and fell to the ground, sealing the win. At that point, Reed hadn’t even realized the Jets had won.
“When he scored I don’t know what happened,” Reed said, laughing. “I didn’t even know we were up by one. I thought it was tied. So when Ashtyn got the pick I said, ‘Why did you slide?!’”
THE FOOTBALL GAME HAS BECOME A WINNER FOR THE JETS
UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!#NYJvsCLECBS pic.twitter.com/RevBeIrHEx
— New York Jets (@nyjets) September 18, 2022
Davis, a 2020 pick in the third round, had a moment of coolness.
He instead won a Jets victory.
“I don’t even know how to describe my emotions,” Davis said. “I was obviously very happy.”
The Jets won a game that saw them trailing by 13 points with just two minutes remaining. In which the Browns ran for only 184 yards, and their quarterback completed 16 passes of his first 18, the Browns won. It didn’t matter. Their heroes included a 37-year-old quarterback (Flacco), a rookie in his second game (Wilson), a punter who might’ve lost his job with a bad game (Mann), a safety who was just called up from the 53-man roster (Parks) and another safety (Davis) who many thought would be cut after training camp.
“It’s the best day of the week tomorrow,” Rankins said. “Victory Monday.”
(Photo of Garrett Wilson by Kirk Irwin / Associated Press
