In the 2024 New York Jets season opener, the Jets defeated the Washington Commanders 20-17 on a warm and sunny day in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The Jets fell behind early in the first half. The Jets played with their reserve players and the Commanders with their starters. The Commanders opened the game with a quick drive down the field and scored a touchdown.
The Jets’ offense struggled early, allowing three runs twice before quarterback Andrew Peasley came in and led the Jets on a drive that culminated in a beautiful fade pass in the end zone to Jason Brownlee for a touchdown and tied the game at 7-7. Both teams scored more field goals in the second quarter, making the score 10-10 at halftime.
In the third quarter, the defense was in trouble as neither team could get anything going on offense. At the start of the fourth quarter, the score was still 10-10.
The Commanders opened the fourth quarter with a long drive that ended in a touchdown and gave them a 17-10 lead. The Jets brought in fourth quarterback Adrian Martinez and he responded with a drive that culminated in a long pass to Brandon Smith that ended in a touchdown run by Israel Abanikanda, making the score 17-17.
Martinez led the Jets on one final drive, culminating in another long pass to Brandon Smith. The drive culminated in an Austin Seibert field goal with less than 30 seconds left on the clock, giving the Jets a 20-17 lead. One final drive by the Commanders came up empty and the Jets emerged victorious.
Preseason results are not very meaningful, but it’s always better to win than lose, and the Jets won today. With the win, the Jets are 1-0 in preseason. In a week, the Jets will face the Carolina Panthers. A week later, preseason is over and the final cuts begin. How did it get so late so quickly?
