The Jets Finally Got Their First Win By Beating The Rams In L.A.

The New York Jets entered Sunday at 0-13 and, at many sportsbooks, were actually favored to go 0-16 for the first time all season after getting absolutely stomped by the Seattle Seahawks a week ago. The path to a win was bleak, with the 9-4 Rams, 9-4 Browns, and 6-7 Patriots left on the schedule, but on Sunday, they finally, miraculously — or, for those hoping for Trevor Lawrence, disastrously — got into the win column with a stunning 23-20 win over the Rams as 17-point underdogs in Los Angeles.

New York marched, as they so often do, on their first drive to a touchdown, but the difference in this game was that even once they got off script, they continued to play well. Sam Darnold was mistake free, going 22-for-31 for 207 yards and one touchdown, while the ageless wonder Frank Gore had 59 yards and one touchdown on 23 carries — and picked up the game-winning first down on a catch on 3rd and 7.

On defense, they were really solid, holding the Rams to just over 300 yards of offense as they had Jared Goff looking rattled and uncomfortable and kept the L.A. ground game in check. The two biggest plays of the day came from the Jets secondary, as they got a spectacular one-handed interception from rookie Bryce Hall and a key pass breakup from Marcus Maye on what ended up being the Rams final offensive possession.

The win thrilled Jags fans and a very small segment of the Jets faithful, but mostly infuriated them by moving them into a tie with Jacksonville for the worst record in the league at 1-13 and opened up the door for them to not get the first overall pick and to end up without Clemson star quarterback Trevor Lawrence next season — as they’ve hoped for some time. Still, for the players it’s a big win and keeps them from suffering the ignominy of a winless season. It also surely thrilled sportsbooks who had taken plenty in on Jets 0-16 props, with likely a larger handle on the “Yes” given the juice they had on that earlier in the year.