New York (AFP) – Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets shook off their offensive doldrums and rallied for a 21-13 victory over the Houston Texans on Thursday, halting their five-game NFL losing streak. The Jets delivered a first win for interim coach Jeff Ulbrich, who took the helm when Robert Saleh was sacked on October 8.
Rodgers connected on 22 of 32 passes for 211 yards and three touchdowns, including a stunning 26-yard go-ahead TD to Garrett Wilson, who leapt split-legged and reeled it in with one hand to put the Jets up 14-10 early in the fourth quarter. Originally ruled an incomplete pass, a video review confirmed Wilson got his shin down in the back of the end zone for the TD. It was Wilson’s second touchdown catch of the game, after another one-handed grab in the third quarter. It was followed by Rodgers’s 37-yard scoring pass to Davante Adams that gave New York a 21-10 lead with less than three minutes remaining.
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The second-half surge followed a forgettable first half for the Jets. Rodgers completed just seven of 14 passing attempts for 32 yards — a first-half career low for the four-time NFL Most Valuable Player. But the real lowlight came in the final minute of the first half when rookie receiver Malachi Corley ran 15 yards for an apparent TD, only for review to show that in his premature celebration he dropped the ball before crossing the goal line.
Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud completed 11 of 30 passes for 191 yards, but with receivers Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins sidelined by injury, it was running back Joe Mixon who scored the Texans’ lone TD, a three-yard run for a 7-0 lead with 3:21 left in the first quarter. It capped a 98-yard drive that Stroud had extended a play earlier with a 14-yard third-down pass to Tank Dell.
Mixon rushed for 106 yards, but Stroud was under pressure all night, absorbing eight sacks. He briefly left the field in clear discomfort after one sack late in the first half but quickly returned to the game. Texans kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn made a late field goal to narrow the final margin, but he missed two attempts, including a 27-yarder that hit an upright.
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