Zach Wilson was cheered as he came onto the field and he led a 30-point second half in one of the best performances of his career as the Jets stunned the Houston Texans 30-6 to snap a five-game losing streak and move to 5-8 on the season.
The Jets end their three-game homestand on a very positive note and keep their slim playoff hopes alive. At the very least, it gives Wilson a boost of confidence as he throws for over 300 yards over a Texans team that entered Sunday 7-5 and in a playoff position.
Here’s our quick notes and thoughts from the big win for the Jets in Week 14.
Final score: Jets 30, Texans 6
Game notes
- Whether he was playing ticked off or whatever the case may be, Zach Wilson gave one of his best performances ever at a time when the Jets really needed it. Wilson finished 27 of 36 for 301 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
- Wilson also did so under constant pressure. He was sacked four times and, as noted by The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt, had 15 pressures allowed by his offensive lines.
- Wilson still went 8 of 11 for 81 yards when pressured.
- The Jets started opening up the playbook and letting Wilson rip it in the second half after a very quiet first half from both teams. In fact, every single drive in the first half by both teams — save for the final drive that ended the half — ended in a punt.
- Once the Jets got rolling the second half, they really got rolling. In the end, the Jets had three players with over 50 yards receiving, two with over 80 and one (Garrett Wilson) break the century mark.
- Garrett Wilson caught nine passes for 108 yards. He sits at 853 yards with four games left. He’s looking at back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons despite all the shuffling at the quarterback position in his first two seasons.
- The defense deserves a huge shoutout today. What a performance against a Texans offense that was buzzing entering this game. Houston was banged up entering the game however with wide receiver Tank Dell suffering a season-ending broken leg last week against the Broncos. They would then lose Nico Collins with a calf injury.
- The biggest injury concern came in the fourth quarter as Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud left the game and was evaluated for a concussion. Davis Mills entered the game.
- In total, the Jets sacked Texans quarterbacks five times — Stroud four times; Mills once — and held them to just 95 total yards passing on 11 of 28 passing.
- New York outgained Houston 347-135. And for a chance, the Jets were fairly effective on third down while their defense was lights out. New York: 6/15, Houston 1/12
- All in all, a day the Jets absolutely needed given everything that had been going on, particularly in the last six days. The Jets end a five-game losing streak and move to 5-8 on the season. The playoffs are still very unlikely, but they did pull within two games of a wild card spot with the win over the Texans coupled with losses by the Steelers and Colts, who play each other Saturday so one of them is falling to 7-7.
- For those tracking the draft, the Jets were holding the No. 8 pick following the early window.
- Three of New York’s final four games are on the road. They visit Miami next week to seek revenge from the ugly showing on Black Friday. Following that is their home finale on Christmas Eve against the Commanders before traveling for their final two against the Browns and Patriots.
It was over when...
…the Jets went up multiple scores. The Jets’ second touchdown of the game — a nine-yard run by Xavier Gipson — put the Jets up 14-0. With how the defense was rolling, that was all New York needed in this one. They would add 16 more points for good measure.
3 stars of the game
No. 3: The entire defense – 135 total yards and just six points allowed, five sacks and ten passes defended (three from D.J. Reed)
No. 2: Garrett Wilson/Breece Hall – 194 of the 301 passing yards. Hall added 40 rushing yards on ten carries, putting both over 100 total yards.
No. 1: Zach Wilson – 27 of 36, 301 yards, two touchdowns
Play of the game
.@Gipson22X puttin' numbers on the board‼ 🏃♂️#HOUvsNYJ on CBS pic.twitter.com/0mBxahy8j1
— New York Jets (@nyjets) December 10, 2023
We’ll go back to Gipson’s touchdown on an end-around. With Jason Brownlee out, the Jets needed someone to step up. Gipson may have only had two touches, but he certainly made one of them count. As it turned out, his touchdown put the game out of reach because the Texans went nowhere on offense.
What's next?
The Jets head down to South Beach for a rematch with the Miami Dolphins. The Fail Mary was the lowlight of the 34-13 loss on Black Friday. The Jets will be looking for revenge and will try to keep their ever-so-slim playoff hopes alive.
