Jets unable to play spoiler, suffer 19-9 loss to Rams after 13 unanswered points in fourth quarter

The Jets have started to look like a competent team over the past few weeks and that continued into this week. The offense played with confidence and tempo and the defense came up with enough big plays in the first half to give the Jets a 9-6 halftime lead.

Unfortunately, the fourth quarter issues that blighted them earlier in the season returned and the Los Angeles Rams were able to take control and consolidate their position atop the NFC West with a 19-9 win.

New York opened the scoring on a 99-yard drive after the Rams’ opening possession had stalled near midfield. Aaron Rodgers found Davante Adams at the back of the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown pass and a 6-0 lead. However, the Rams hit back in the second quarter on a two-yard run by Kyren Williams to tie it.

The Jets took a 9-6 lead into the locker room on an Anders Carlson chip shot field goal as time expired in the second quarter after another good drive had stalled at the two-yard line. Following a scoreless third quarter, the Rams tied it on Josh Karty’s 38-yard field goal with 12:44 to go.

After a Rodgers fumble, the Rams took a 16-9 lead on Matthew Stafford’s 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tyler Higbee and they basically iced the win on another Karty field goal with 5:17 remaining.

Here are the takeaways…

-Rodgers picked up where he left off over the past few games by completing seven of eight passes on the 99-yard drive. That was only the second time all season that the Jets have scored a touchdown on their opening possession. Rodgers completed 15 passes in the first half, to seven different receivers. In the second half, he wasn’t quite as efficient and had a costly fumble, but still ended up with 256 passing yards. He has now gone over 250 yards in three straight games after having previously only done so three times in the first 12 games.

-The Jets’ passing game has really picked up since the return of Allen Lazard, even though Lazard himself has not been producing. In the first half, he dropped two passes, but did catch a key first-down conversion on the go-ahead drive in the second quarter. He had just one other catch on the day.

-After going eight games without intercepting a pass, the Jets had two last week and another one this week. Safety Tony Adams, who was controversially benched a few weeks ago but is now starting again following Jalen Mills’ season-ending injury, came up with the turnover on a Stafford overthrow.

-The Jets’ run defense has been a lot better in recent weeks, but they were always going to face a tough challenge this week without Quinnen Williams. The Rams averaged over five yards per carry in the first half as Solomon Thomas moved into the starting lineup and Bruce Hector was elevated from the practice squad to rotate in with the second unit. In the second half, the run defense was a little better but Williams still ended up with 122 rushing yards.

-The Rams had a short field for their only first-half score as the Jets opted to go for it on 4th-and-1 from their own 34 and came up short on a Breece Hall run up the middle. In all, the Jets went for it five times on fourth down, failing three times, and also had a costly penalty as they lined up to go for it on another fourth down with two minutes remaining. Carlson’s missed field goal on the next play essentially ended the Jets’ hopes of a comeback.

-In many respects, offense was the best form of defense for the Jets in the middle part of the game. They held the ball for the last six and a half minutes of the second quarter and the first 9:45 of the second half with consecutive 15 and 14-play drives to keep the Los Angeles offense on the sideline. However, once they got the ball back after the Jets came up short on another fourth down, the Rams showed no signs of rust on offense as they drove downfield for the game-tying field goal.

-With Williams already out and C.J. Mosley on injured reserve, the Jets lost cornerback Sauce Gardner to a second half hamstring injury as the Jets’ depth continues to be tested on the defensive side of the ball. Even more worrisome, rookie tackle Olu Fashanu was also carted off with a left foot injury in the fourth quarter.