JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jets already had five blown fourth-quarter leads this season, as good a reason as any that they entered Sunday’s game against the Jaguars with a 3-10 record and weeks removed from any thoughts of a playoff berth.
But, true to the script of their season that has been doomed by seven losses by six or fewer points, there were the Jets on Sunday at EverBank Stadium clinging to a fourth-quarter lead.
The Jets had taken a 32-25 lead on a Breece Hall 1-yard scoring run with 1:05 remaining in the game.
Interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich employed questionable clock management when, from the 1-yard line, he called for a run instead of having Aaron Rodgers take a knee to burn time, leaving the Jags with that 1:05 and two timeouts with a chance to insert yet another dagger into his team’s heart.
Sauce Gardner intercepts a pass during the Jets’ win against the Jaguars on Dec. 15.USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
Jeff Ulbrich coaches the Jets during their win against the Jaguars on Dec. 15.Getty Images
The Jets defense had not exactly been stopping the Jags, yielding 27 first downs and 421 yards of offense to quarterback Mac Jones.
So, if you were a Jets fan hoping for the defense to hold and you had little confidence, you’d be easily excused.
Yet that’s exactly what the Jets did this time, clinching the 32-25 victory when Sauce Gardner intercepted a Jones pass that was grossly overthrown toward receiver Parker Washington with 37 seconds remaining.
Gardner had gone 36 games without an interception — his last pick coming in his rookie year, on Nov. 6, 2022.
“It felt great to be able to get that ball and give it to my mom,” Gardner said. “It was truly a blessing. We all deal with adversity. I’ve been waiting for a pick for a minute … since my rookie year. It’s been a while.
Sauce Gardner celebrates after intercepting a pass during the Jets’ win on Dec. 15.USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
“A lot of people hate on me [for not having more INTs]. That’s not a secret. That’s just what people do because of the things that I’ve accomplished and the things that I’ve done. So, it was great to just be able to make that play. It was great for the game to be on the line and Mac Jones to throw the ball at me.”
The Gardner pick proved to be payback for Jones appearing to intentionally hit him below the belt in an on-field scrum early last season.
“I ain’t even gonna speak on what he did, but I’m sure y’all remember,” Gardner said. “I respect the game too much to just be out there talking trash to him, but it was great to be able to get a little payback, get a little bit of revenge.”
Gardner had a rough start to the game, called for defensive holding and pass interference in the first half. And he rebounded.
So, when that Jones pass was floating in his direction, he was determined to seize the moment.
Gardner said the pick was particularly special considering the way the Jets defense has been failing to hold on to fourth-quarter leads.
Their latest blown lead was just last week at Miami in a 32-26 loss.
“When I talk to the defense, I always tell them to be the reason why we win, don’t be the reason why we why we didn’t win,” Gardner said. “I wanted to be that. I wanted to be that guy to [help] win us the game.”
