New Era For Jets And Glenn
Photo: Michael Henriquez – NY Beacon
MetLife Stadium
By Shara Talia Taylor
The New York Jets fell to the Philadelphia Eagles, Super Bowl LIX champions, in a 19-17 loss last Friday evening in the at MetLife Stadium for their third and final preseason match up.
It was their second loss, but New York showed their tenacity and that they can compete. The Jets bounced back in the fourth quarter after a slow start in the game, but a penalty in their last possession thwarted an opportunity for a comeback victory.
“The one thing that I am proud of about these men is they were resilient,” said head coach Aaron Glenn. “They did not quit. They were excited on the sideline and they tried to will themselves to win this game.”
Jets starting quarterback Justin Fields did not play in the preseason finale, while Philadelphia starters like quarterback Jalen Hurts also sat out. Backups Adrian Martinez and Brady Cook played for New York and Kyle Allen McCord for the Eagles.
New York had a scoreless first quarter, but defense shined. Jets new rookie, defensive back Malachi Moore, showed why he was selected by the team in their first punt to the Eagles (42-yards by New York punter Austin McNamara). Moore sprinted down the field to make a tackle before Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DaVonte Smith could make a move. Jets rookie defensive tackle Payton Page then stepped up to make a quarterback sack on McCord during Eagles’ second possession of the game. Moore next intercepted McCord’s pass on the Eagles third possession.
“I definitely was excited, it being my first one,” Moore said about the interception. “That’s something I try to improve on, is just going to attack the ball in the deep part of the field, so I was glad to see that my practice paid off.”
The Jets’ defense allowed one field goal in the first quarter and one field goal in the second quarter. New York scored their first points of the game, a 41-yard field goal by Nick Folk at the end of the second quarter. The Jets trailed 6-3 at halftime.
New York’s defensive end Braiden McGregor made a sack to start the third quarter with energy, but the Jets did not score until the fourth quarter when running back Lawrance Toafili ran 19-yards for a touchdown. Martinez then rushed for a successful two-point conversion. Running back Donovan Edwards completed a 1-yard run for the Jets next touchdown, but the two-point conversion attempt failed.
The Jets had a face mask penalty on their last possession of the game. New York had 10 total penalties in the game and the Eagles had seven. “Honestly, it really comes back to the penalties for me,” Cook said about a change he would make. “So pre-snap, making sure these guys feel good about the play, the pre-snap plan, just the operation, make sure I’m commanding it.”
Cook completed 13 of 19 passes for 99 yards. Martinez completed 7 of 14 passes for 86 yards. “I threw a pretty atrocious pick,” Martinez said about what he would do differently in the game. “I’d take that back and maybe just the protection on the one strip sack, step up in the pocket there. Outside of that,I really leave my heart out on the field.”
McCord completed 15 of 35 passes for 136 yards for the Eagles. Cook and Martinez threw one interception each.
The Jets start a new season with a home opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers Sept. 7.
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