BALTIMORE — Despite a change under center, the Jets faced a familiar outcome.
Relying on a formidable defense and two rushing scores from Derrick Henry, the Ravens (6-5) triumphed over the Jets (2-9) with a 23-10 victory. The game unfolded under clear skies at M&T Bank Stadium, drawing a crowd of 70,029 spectators. The Jets, who had previously enjoyed back-to-back victories against the Bengals and Browns, now find themselves in a two-game slump.
Henry carved out 64 rushing yards along with his pair of touchdowns. Meanwhile, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson had a subdued showing, connecting on 13 of his 23 passes to accumulate 153 yards.
For the Jets, Tyrod Taylor stepped in as the starting quarterback after head coach Aaron Glenn decided to bench Justin Fields. Taylor completed 17 of his 28 pass attempts, amassing 222 yards and securing a touchdown. Breece Hall contributed 119 all-purpose yards but suffered a crucial fumble on the two-yard line in the fourth quarter when the Jets were trailing by 10 points.
This marked Taylor’s second start of the season, following his earlier appearance in Week 3 when Fields was sidelined with a concussion. Fields had been the starting quarterback for the previous seven games.
The Jets’ offensive struggles have been a persistent issue this season, with the team languishing near the bottom of the league in key statistical areas such as total yards and points per game. Fields’ cautious approach, characterized by a reluctance to attempt deep passes and create big plays, prompted Glenn to make the quarterback change in search of more dynamic offensive opportunities.
Taylor has never been shy to throw deep passes, and his play early in the game allowed the Jets’ passing game to flourish. His best drive came during the second quarter, when he led the Jets on a 12-play, 79-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown. That includes his 13-yard pass to John Metchie III, which gave the Jets a 7-0 lead.
With Garrett Wilson on injured reserve due of a knee injury, the Jets started Metchie and Adonai Mitchell, who were both acquired at the NFL trade deadline. Veteran Tyler Johnson, who has started five games this season, was surprisingly inactive against the Ravens. Metchie has two touchdown catches in his three games since joining the team.
Down 20-10, the Jets had a chance to cut the lead to three points with less than seven minutes left in the fourth quarter after Hall registered a 40-yard reception. However, on second and goal, Marlon Humphrey stripped Hall and the Ravens recovered to end any chance of a possible comeback.
Gang Green’s defense, which has surprisingly been one of the worst units in the league this season, made it difficult for Jackson and the Ravens offense to move the ball down the field in the first half.
Gang Green kept Baltimore out of the end zone during the first 30 minutes and it led 10-3, which led to boos from Ravens fans. The Ravens’ offense was also 0-for-5 on third-down conversions and was held to 73 yards in the first half.
However, it was a different story after halftime and the Ravens captizlized on a couple of key penalties. Baltimore got the ball first to begin the second half and it appeared Gang Green was about to get the ball back before a pass interference by Isaiah Oliver on 3rd and 15 gave the Ravens a brand new set of downs. That later turned into a two yard touchdown run by Henry after a 11-play, 45 yard drive and the Ravens took a 10-7 lead.
After the Jets failed to convert on fourth down on their 42 yard line, the Ravens were already in scoring position. But Tony Adams was called for pass interference after tripping Zay Flowers and that helped set up Henry’s second touchdown, which extended Baltimore’s lead to 17-7.
The Jets got the ball back with 3:11 remaining at their five yard line, but a 10-point deficit with such little time remaining was too much to overcome.
The Jets will return to MetLife Stadium next week to host the Falcons for the first of two consecutive home games.
