So… here was the situation.
The New York Jets had the ball at their own 38-yard line, down 20-17 to the Detroit Lions with 58 seconds left in the game. Quarterback Zach Wilson was doing Zach Wilson things, completing insane third-reaction passes and missing on four-yard screen passes. But Wilson completed a 10-yard pass in this case to rookie receiver Garrett Wilson, putting the ball on the Jets’ 48-yard line.
And then, the Jets let the clock run down to 31 seconds left on the clock. With all three of their timeouts in the pocket of head coach Robert Saleh. Wilson threw an incompletion to receiver Braxton Berrios. Then, Wilson was sacked, taking the ball back to the 40-yard line with 25 seconds left.
Only then did the Jets call their first time out. After an incompletion to receiver Elijah Moore, Wilson made this crazy 20-yard completion to Moore, which put the ball at the Detroit 40-yard line.
Zach Wilson, holy moly. pic.twitter.com/P17a2UO0LH
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 18, 2022
But as you can see, the clock was the Jets’ enemy at this point. They called their second time out of the half with one second left in regulation, and asked kicker Greg Zuerlein to boot a 58-yard field goal to take the game into overtime.
Unfortunately for the Jets, Zuerlein could not comply.
GREG ZUERLEIN SOLD IN CRUNCH TIME, LIONS HANG ON FOR THE WIN ‼️ @Lions pic.twitter.com/DEsNNTFEKv
— Top Bunk Sports (@Topbunksports) December 18, 2022
It was a brutal loss for Gang Green, who fall to 7-7 on the season. The Lions are also 7-7, a record they’ve achieved by winning three straight games, and six of seven games, after a 1-6 start to the season.
