Jets vs. Lions score, takeaways: Jared Goff's late TD pass lifts Detroit as Zach Wilson comeback falls short

Zach Wilson returned as the Jets quarterback on Sunday, replacing the injured Mike White with dreams of not only reclaiming the job he lost but reviving New York's playoff hopes in the AFC wild card race. After Week 15's matchup with the Lions, it's clear he failed on at least one account. On his own, Wilson was mercurial guiding Gang Green, flashing both big-time playmaking and head-scratching decisions. In the end, however, coaching really did him in, as the Jets' curious late-game clock management, coupled with a clutch fourth-down Jared Goff touchdown, allowed Detroit to pull off a 20-17 victory at MetLife Stadium.

Here are some additional takeaways from Sunday's third straight Lions victory (and third straight Jets defeat):

Why the Lions won

They got down and dirty in an environment that required them to do so. In cold weather, against a ground-and-pound team fighting for its playoff life, Detroit was not pretty on Sunday. But it was feisty on defense, where John Cominsky headlined a front that hit Zach Wilson 10 times and basically eliminated Zonovan Knight and New York's ground game. Jared Goff was mostly forgettable, settling for short stuff and leaning on his own backfield, but his late fourth-down toss to Brock Wright literally put them on top. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson once again deserves credit here, not only for the aggressiveness but decision-making, offsetting an otherwise slow day with situational excellence.

Why the Jets lost

If the Lions won in large part because of their late-game coaching, the Jets lost because of their failure to match such crunch-time smarts. Somehow in position to steal a victory after an improbable last-minute throw from Zach Wilson, New York bungled the clock by waiting too long to use timeouts, forcing Greg Zuerlein to try a 58-yard field goal to tie it. Before that, the Jets stayed in contention with their "D," which stood tall on third downs and the red zone, but were mercurial with the ball in their hands. Wilson flashed promise early, showcasing legitimate playmaking touch, but regressed as the day unfolded, perhaps partially because he also had zero ground support and shoddy protection.

Turning point

Basically as soon as the Jets opted to save their timeouts on their final drive. Zach Wilson nearly played hero by finding Elijah Moore after a fourth-down scramble with less than a minute to play, but by that point, time was already working against them, forcing them to rush a timeout with just one second left. New York could've conceivably let Zuerlein try a closer field goal to knot the game at 20-20 with more time left on the clock, had it spent its timeouts appropriately.

Play of the game

Down 17-13 after Wilson found C.J. Uzomah for his second TD of the day, the Lions faced a fourth-and-1 near midfield with just 1:49 left to play. That's when Ben Johnson dialed up a play-action pass, and Goff found a wide-open Brock Wright rolling left. Wright proceeded to rumble his way 51 yards for the go-ahead score, shifting the game into Detroit's favor:

What's next

The Lions (7-7), still in the NFC wild card race, will visit the Panthers (5-9) on Christmas Eve, after Carolina fell to the Steelers in Week 15. The Jets (7-7), meanwhile, will look to snap their three-game losing streak against the Jaguars (6-8), who upset the Cowboys in overtime on Sunday. Jacksonville will visit MetLife on Thursday to kick off Week 16.

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Greg Zuerlein is no good from 58. The Jets' heroic comeback attempt comes up short. Lions barely hang on for a 20-17 win.

 
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Down three, with 14 seconds left, the Jets are forced to go for it on fourth-and-18. And somehow Zach Wilson pulls it off, scrambling right and zipping it across his body to Elijah Moore, who gets past the sticks and down with one second left. Jets take a hurried timeout and send out Greg Zuerlein for a 58-yard game-tying field goal try. Buckle up.

 
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Good Zach Wilson showing up in spurts here on the final drive:

 
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The Lions' fourth-down magic:

 
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Amon-Ra St. Brown with a clutch route and catch on third-and-short to move the chains with just over three minutes to play. A minute later, Jared Goff hits Josh Reynolds just short of the sticks, and it sets up fourth-and-inches. Perfect play call from Ben Johnson on that play, with Goff play-action faking into a perfect dump-off to a wide-open Brock Wright, who proceeds to take it the rest of the way -- 51 yards! -- for the score. Wow. Massive call and execution, and Detroit is back on top, 20-17.

 
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Here's the second Uzomah TD to put New York on top:

 
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Officials overturn the Zach Wilson QB sneak. Wilson's left elbow can be seen touching the ground just before the goal line, and it's unclear exactly where the ball was at that moment. So it's third-and-goal for New York instead, and the Jets dial up a perfect play-action fake, with Wilson dumping a TD to a wide-open C.J. Uzomah. That's Uzomah's second score of the day, and it puts Gang Green up 17-13 with less than five minutes to play.

 
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Michael Carter takes a hard-nosed carry to put the Jets at the Lions' 1-yard line, and then Zach Wilson has a great second effort on the ensuing QB sneak to push the ball over the goal line for the go-ahead score. Officials reviewing the TD as we speak.

 
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Wow. Zach Wilson delivers a perfect strike to Garrett Wilson while backed up in the pocket. Wilson with incredible concentration to secure the grab while going down backward, and drawing pass interference in the process. Jets with a prime opportunity to take the lead as we enter the final six minutes of action.

 
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Lions turn to ground-and-pound to preserve their narrow lead, with D'Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams sharing the load. Now up to 20 combined carries with a half-quarter to play. Once again, however, Detroit struggles to finish a drive. On third-and-five, pushing toward the Jets' 30, they can't complete one over the middle. Michael Badgley comes on for a 54-yard field goal try afterward and can't make it, so it's still a 13-10 game.

 
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Another drive, another wasted opportunity for the Jets. Zach Wilson's throws have increasingly been zipping off the grass here at MetLife. After that promising first half, he's been pedestrian at best. Doesn't help that the ground game just hasn't been there, but the QB is now 12 for 25 through the air. The good news for the home crowd: the Jets front has given Detroit its own issues, limiting the Jamaal Williams-D'Andre Swift pairing to 57 yards, and Jared Goff to less than 200 yards passing, up to this point.

 
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Jets get creative on third-and-1, dialing up a direct snap to Tyler Conklin under center, and the tight end successfully runs a QB sneak. But they're still having trouble putting the ball through the air consistently. And moving it on the ground. Zonovan Knight, meanwhile, has gotten absolutely nothing. 12 carries for 21 yards for their RB1, who entered looking to continue a hot run as New York's top ball-carrier.

 
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Basically a dead-even game so far, and not just on the scoreboard, where the Lions lead by just three points as we tick into the second half of the third quarter. Detroit has 11 first downs to New York's 10, each side has failed in the red zone (combined 0 for 4), and the time of possession has evened to within three minutes. The difference is, Detroit had a special-teams TD.

 
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All that goodwill Zach Wilson may have earned back in the first half? At least some of it might be gone, with the QB lackadaisically lobbing one up for a pick to give Detroit the ball deep in enemy territory:

 
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Zach Wilson coming-out party! Less than 30 seconds to go in the half, and the QB unloads a bomb down the right side; Jeff Smith comes back working against Jeff Okudah to haul in the 50-yarder. Then zips one to Wilson working the sideline a few plays later, pulling New York into scoring range with 12 seconds left. Tries Wilson a third time immediately afterward, and the ball is nearly perfect, but the wideout can't get his hands on it while battling coverage. Could've been a pinpoint TD. Instead, New York has to settle for three, knotting the game at 10-10. But boy does the Jets' QB look like a different guy.

 
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Intentional grounding and a Romeo Okwara sack kill the Jets' offensive progress, so it's another punt. Lions will have another shot to pad their lead before halftime, albeit from deep in their own territory. Wonder if they dial up another shot for Jameson Williams at some point. He beat his man deep earlier but couldn't haul in an underthrow. No catches yet today.

 
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Zach Wilson certainly looks the best we've seen him all year. Lots of time left, but he's operating with more authority and, most importantly, hitting the simple throws. Already two short-area connections with Elijah Moore, who infamously disappeared early this year with Wilson under center. The second-year QB is now 6 of 8 for 120 yards and a touchdown, and has been nearly flawless since throwing a near-pick on New York's first possession.

 
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Lions retake the lead on a field goal, but they're now 0-for-2 in the red zone. Gotta deliver there. This one may well be low-scoring depending on how the Jets' offense performs, but Zach Wilson and Co. looked far more explosive their last time out. Lions' only issue, besides penalties thus far, has been finishing long drives.

 
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Jamaal Williams scampers into the end zone for a would-be TD, but it's called back for holding. Detroit already up to five penalties in this one. They haven't had an issue holding and moving the ball, dominating time of possession (15:47 to 6:05), but the discipline (or lack thereof) has cost them.

 
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Jared Goff had Jameson Williams deep and uncorked it but couldn't put enough on it, so the Jets break it up. Lions elect to go for it on fourth down two plays later, and this time Goff is on point, hitting Amon-Ra St. Brown in the flat to move the chains. Ben Johnson continues to excel running the show for Detroit's offense.

 
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Nice deep ball from Zach Wilson on the roll-out. Had all kinds of open space to run moving right, but found a wide-open Garrett Wilson downfield. Then, on the very next play, he does it again, this time rolling left on the play-action and unloading one to the far side for C.J. Uzomah. It's a 40-yard strike, and we've got a tie game. Wilson far more comfortable on that drive, and it's 7-7.

 
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Nothing working for the Jets on offense yet, except the Lions giving them yards on penalties. Two different infractions keep New York in possession. Zonovan Knight not finding a ton of room running between the tackles. And Zach Wilson has been a bit rushed in the pocket. In two series, he's been hit twice, sacked once and nearly tossed a pick.

 
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Kalif Raymond single-handedly making up for the Lions' first red-zone hiccup, putting Detroit on the board first:

 
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Well that was fast! The Lions are on the board after Kalif Raymond rockets into the end zone on a 47-yard return, immediately following the Jets' three-and-out. So they make up for their failed goal-line opportunity and lead it 7-0. Resilience!

 
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Our first look at a Zach Wilson-led offense since the QB lost his job to Mike White: the Jets get stuffed and lose yards running from their own end zone, Wilson takes a decent downfield shot to Garrett Wilson, who can't draw a flag or pull in the ball; and then, on third-and-11, he throws a near-pick on a slant. Three-and-out, and Detroit should have good field position with its next possession.

 
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Jets all over the Lions on fourth-and-goal, keeping this one scoreless: 

 
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Wow. What an opening drive for the Lions, and what a stuff by the Jets to cap it. Detroit marches 73 yards on 14 plays, milking more than eight minutes off the clock, but they get zero points out of it, with New York slamming into Jamaal Williams on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line. Lions went four straight runs from the opposing 7-yard line and couldn't get in. Appreciate the aggressiveness from Dan Campbell on fourth, but you'd think at least one play-action pass might've been in the cards.

 
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@nyjets via Twitter
December 18, 2022, 5:00 PM
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December 18, 2022, 4:41 PM
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