EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. _ Sometimes you just need to survive and that's what the Jets did on Sunday afternoon in defeating the Jaguars, 23-20, in overtime at MetLife Stadium.
As improbable as it sounds, the Jets are 2-2 and just one game behind first-place Buffalo in the AFC East. They are tied for second place with the Patriots, whom they face in two weeks.
And next week, the Jets visit the 0-4 Cleveland Browns.
This game, in which the Jets blew a 10-point fourth-quarter lead, ended when Chandler Catanzaro made a 41-yard field goal with 28 seconds remaining in overtime.
The game turned on a pair of wacky fourth-quarter plays.
Trying to close the deal with the Jets owning a 10-point lead, a backward pass by Josh McCown turned the game around.
His pass bounced off running back Bilal Powell and it was scooped up by Myles Jack, who returned the ball 81 yards for a touchdown with 10:33 to play in the fourth. So now a two-score game moved to 20-17 with the Jets needing the defense to make some plays, which they did.
McCown and the Jets offense, however, couldn't seal the game in regulation.
The Jaguars got even when McCown threw his first pick of the game, but it wasn't the quarterback's fault. On third-and-6 from the Jets' 34, McCown's pass was on target, but Powell fell down and Jaguars cornerback A.J. Bouye intercepted with 3:19 remaining.
The turnover led to Jason Myers' game-tying 22-yard field goal with 46 seconds left that sent the game to overtime.
The victory validated a wonderful effort by the Jets' run game, which gained 256 yards. Powell, who started for Matt Forte (turf toe) rushed for a career-high 163 yards on 21 carries, including a 75-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. He teamed with rookie Elijah McGuire, whose 69-yard TD run in the third quarter highlighted a 93-yard day.
