SANTA CLARA, Calif. _ It shouldn't have been this hard. But when is it ever easy with the Jets?
After trailing the 49ers by two touchdowns for most of Sunday afternoon, Todd Bowles' team mounted a fourth-quarter comeback, capped by a game-tying 50-yard field goal by Nick Folk with 38 seconds remaining in regulation. And then in overtime, Bilal Powell took over.
Subbing for the injured Matt Forte (knee injury), Powell ran 19 yards for the winning TD in the Jets' 23-17 victory over the 49ers at Levi's Stadium.
Powell finished with 145 yards on 29 carries and scored both of the Jets' touchdowns. Bryce Petty, who was making his first start since Bowles gave him the job for the final four games of the season, played well after a slow start. He completed 23 of 35 passes for 257 yards. The second-year quarterback was sacked six times.
The win improved the Jets' record to 4-9. But with each victory down the stretch, they cost themselves a shot at a higher draft pick.
The Jets defense showed up in overtime, stopping Carlos Hyde on a fourth-down run. Three plays after Petty connected with Robby Anderson for a 26-yard completion to the 49ers' 25, Powell ran for the winning score.
It was Powell who gave the Jets life in the fourth quarter with a 5-yard touchdown run with 5:04 left. The score cut San Francisco's lead to 17-12 and set up Petty to do something the Jets hadn't pulled off in six years.
The quarterback ran it in on a two-point conversion _ the first for the Jets since Mark Sanchez connected with Braylon Edwards against the Patriots in 2010. The Jets had failed on their previous six two-point conversion tries.
After the Jets' defense held, Folk connected on his long field goal to tie the score at 17 with 48 seconds left in regulation.
For a second straight game, the Jets played poorly in the first half. Petty got off to a bumpy start. Making matters worse were injuries to several players, including Forte, who was declared out in the first quarter because of a knee injury.
Cornerback Buster Skrine left with a concussion in the first half, safety Marcus Gilchrist was carted off in the third quarter with a right knee injury and tight end Brandon Bostick suffered an ankle injury and did not return.
The Jets entered the game allowing only 90.4 rushing yards per game, fourth best in the league. But the unit was gashed by 49ers running back Carlos Hyde, who rushed for 193 yards on 17 carries.
While 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick started off hot _ 7-for-7 for 95 yards and a TD _ Petty and the Jets offense struggled to find a rhythm. On the Jets' second play from scrimmage, Petty telegraphed a throw to Quincy Enunwa. His first pass attempt was intercepted at the Jets' 15 by cornerback Jimmie Ward, who returned it 8 yards. On the very next play, Kaepernick connected with Hyde on a 7-yard touchdown pass to give the 49ers a 7-0 lead. And on their next offensive drive, the 49ers scored again, this time on a 4-yard TD run by Shaun Draughn.
The deficit would have been worse had 49ers kicker Phil Dawson not missed two field goals in the first half. But his miscues set the stage for the Jets' comeback.
