With the Washington Commanders trailing 27-7 midway through the third quarter, head coach Ron Rivera had seen enough and benched quarterback Sam Howell for the second consecutive week.
Enter Jacoby Brissett.
After a Cody Barton interception, the veteran signal-caller took advantage of excellent field position on his first drive, throwing a dart to tight end Logan Thomas for a 15-yard touchdown to cut New York’s lead to 27-14.
Here’s that touchdown pass.
Another TD strike for @JBrissett12 🎯
📺 #WASvsNYJ: CBS pic.twitter.com/Nc2D8wFPOU
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) December 24, 2023
After the defense forced a punt, Brissett and the offense went back to work. Brissett marched the Commanders down the field and into a goal-to-go situation. From there, rookie running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. scored his second touchdown of the day, cutting the Jets’ lead to 27-21 with around nine minutes remaining in the game.
Washington’s defense again forced a punt.
Brissett led yet another scoring drive for the Commanders, but mostly behind a defensive penalty and the running game. This time, Antonio Gibson scored a short touchdown, and suddenly, after Joey Slye’s PAT, the Commanders had the lead.
New York had two more opportunities, and kicker Greg Zuerlein took advantage of the Jets’ final chance, drilling a 54-yard field goal with five seconds remaining to give New York a 30-28 victory.
