Raiders 38, Jets 33: Gay's 53-yarder caps a comeback at MetLife
Las Vegas erased a nine-point halftime deficit and snapped a four-game skid on a field goal with 31 seconds left.
The Las Vegas Raiders spent most of Sunday chasing the New York Jets, then took the lead for good only in the closing minutes. Matt Gay's 53-yard field goal with 31 seconds left gave Las Vegas a 38-33 win at MetLife Stadium, ending a four-game losing streak, according to the Associated Press.
A game of swings
The Jets struck first and kept scoring. AP reports that New York scored on each of its first six possessions and led 23-14 at halftime. Jason Sanders kicked four field goals in total, and Geno Smith threw touchdown passes to Isaiah Williams and Adonai Mitchell, the latter a fade on fourth-and-1 from the 12-yard line.
The Raiders answered in bursts. Kirk Cousins hit Brock Bowers for a touchdown on third-and-goal in the first quarter, and Dylan Laube returned a kickoff 95 yards for a score to put Las Vegas ahead 14-13 early in the second. AP notes it was the first kickoff returned for a touchdown in the NFL this season.
The second half
Cousins opened the third quarter with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Bowers, his second of the day. Braelon Allen's 21-yard run restored a 30-21 Jets lead, but Cousins scored on a 1-yard run with 4:14 left in the quarter to cut it to two. With 11:33 left in the game, he found Jalen Nailor from 2 yards out to give Las Vegas a 35-30 lead; Ashton Jeanty's 45-yard catch-and-run on a screen had set the score up.
New York answered with a Sanders field goal from 31 yards with 4:31 remaining, helped by a 47-yard catch from Mitchell, to make it 35-33. The Raiders then ran down the clock before Gay's kick. On the Jets' last attempt, Jeremy Chinn intercepted Smith's throw into the end zone with 14 seconds left.
The numbers
Cousins finished 19 of 26 for 247 yards with three touchdown passes and a rushing score, per AP. Mike Washington Jr. carried 25 times for 83 yards. For the Jets, Smith was 20 of 32 for 290 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, and Allen ran 21 times for 147 yards and a score. Fox Sports' box score lists the same passing lines and credits Mitchell with a career-high 142 receiving yards.
What it means
Las Vegas improves to 4-4 and gets a road win that stops a slide. The Jets drop to 2-6 and have now lost three straight. A defence that allowed 33 points and watched a double-digit lead slip away will be the main question for New York as it travels to Kansas City next Sunday. The Raiders visit the San Francisco 49ers.
AP also reports that Raiders cornerback Darien Porter left the game with a groin injury after the first defensive play and did not return.