Frank Reich, the Jets' offensive coordinator, defended his decision to call a running play from shotgun formation on fourth-and-1 against the Packers using data from a five-year study showing that such plays convert at about 71 percent success rate compared to 67 percent for under-center runs. Despite criticism over choosing this specific type of run given Braelon Allen's size and strength, Reich emphasized his confidence in analytics guiding optimal play selection.
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### Game Summary
- Date: September 20 (Week 2 of the NFL season)
- Teams Involved: New York Jets vs. Green Bay Packers
- Score: Packers won, 20-17 in overtime.
- Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey.
### Key Events
- The Jets started strong and built a 17-7 lead by the middle of the fourth quarter.
- However, they lost control during the final minutes of regulation (second half of Q4) and went into overtime with a tied score at 17-all.
- Green Bay managed to secure victory on a field goal after catching a big play early in OT, which led them to their winning kick.
### Players' Performances
- Breece Hall: The Jets’ running back showed promise in the opening game against Tennessee by gaining 102 rushing yards and scoring one touchdown.
- Geno Smith: He had key moments, including a crucial third-and-long conversion (a 16-yard pass to Garrett Wilson) that kept the Jets' offense alive late in regulation. However, his team ultimately faltered in securing a second consecutive win.
### Betting Insights
- The Packers were favored by 3.5 points despite their loss to Minnesota.
- BetMGM offered a promotion for users betting on this match-up, providing up to $1,500 back as a bonus if the first bet placed did not result in a win (using the code POSTBET).
### Viewing Options
- TV: The game was televised nationally by FOX and locally by CBS.
- Live Stream: Viewers could watch for free via DIRECTV's five-day trial service.
### Commentary and Analysis
Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post highlighted the Jets' promising start but noted their inability to close out games, which resulted in a disappointing overtime loss despite having built a significant lead earlier in the game. The Packers’ ability to recover from an early deficit and capitalize on opportunities was key to securing their victory.
### Additional Resources
- For more detailed analysis and updates, readers were directed to follow Brian Costello's content available through Sports+ subscriptions.
This summary encapsulates key aspects of the Jets-Packers matchup, performance highlights, betting information, viewing instructions, and post-game reactions from a sports journalism perspective.
Written for “Jets vs Packers Match-Up” on 2026-10-04,
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Jets offensive coordinator Frank Reich explained on Thursday the reasoning behind several of the questionable decisions that were made on offense that led to the Jets’ 20-17 overtime loss to the Packers on Sunday.
asserted
that → explain → Sunday
On the sequence at midfield late in regulation with the score tied at 17-17 when Reich opted to run running back Braelon Allen out of the shotgun on fourth-and-1, Reich defended the call.
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Reich → tie → call
There was criticism, considering Allen is a 6-1, 235-pound bruiser, that running him from an under-center snap instead of having him start from so deep in the backfield would have been a better play.
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him → be → backfield
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asserted
he → take → field
tRY IT NOWAllen was stopped by Packers defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness for no gain, giving Green Bay the ball in great field position with the chance to win the game.
asserted
NOWAllen → try → game
The Jets defense held, but they lost in OT a short time later.
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they → hold → OT
Reich’s defense of the call was analytics, as he arrived on Thursday in his weekly meeting with reporters armed with statistical data.
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he → arrive → data
“As a play caller in those situations, everything is always on the table — under center, shotgun, pass, run,’’ Reich said.
asserted
Reich → say → center
“I’m always going to call what I think is the best play in the moment, and that’s what I did.
asserted
I → go → what
“When it doesn’t work out, sure, you’re upset, you think maybe you should’ve called something else, but you have to live with the results.
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you → work → results
I’m comfortable and confident in the calls we made.
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we → ’m → calls
’’
Reich then, “for context,’’ recited a five-year study, excluding quarterback sneaks, that shotgun runs on fourth-and-1 convert at about 71 percent compared to 67 percent under center.
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Reich → recite → center
“The gun run is actually better, in part because the threat of a pass keeps the defense from getting too tight,’’ Reich said.
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Reich → keep → defense
“We also had a five-year study showing pass conversion at 57-percent versus 71-percent on the ground.
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We → have → ground
Trust me, we’re going to throw it on fourth-and-1 sometimes too, maybe this week, maybe not.
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we → trust → fourth
“But unless you’re one of the few truly elite quarterback-sneak teams, the analytics say a shotgun direct run is the best-percentage call.
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run → ’re → teams
That’s what we had the most conviction in.
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we → ’ → conviction
We didn’t convert it, so you live with it.
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you → convert → it
Reich spoke with less conviction about the job he did at the end of the first half, when the Jets had the ball with four minutes remaining and proceeded to bumble around on a drive that led to nowhere.
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that → speak → nowhere
They had no timeouts, because they’d burned two on personnel issues earlier in the half and lost an officiating challenge on a fumble recovery.
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they → have → recovery
The drive began at their own 10-yard line with four minutes remaining and stalled out before midfield as the clock ran out.
“I’ve got to do a better job,’’ Reich said of that circumstances.
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Reich → begin → circumstances
“Coach (head coach Aaron Glenn) was very clear communicating what he wanted during the game.
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he → communicate → game
We were trying to burn some clock, ended up in third-and-two, called a run.
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We → try → run
We had called two shot plays down the field before that.
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We → call → that
They covered both, so Geno [Smith] checked it down correctly both times.
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Smith → cover → it
“We also called a play with the potential for a big 20-yard gain, they brought a blitz, and Geno correctly checked to a wide receiver screen that picked up eight or nine yards.
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that → call → yards
Then the drive ended.
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drive → end → ?
Small sample size, but I’ve got to be better in those situations.’
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I → get → situations
Reich preached moving forward to this Sunday’s game against the Lions in Detroit from what occurred against the Packers.
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what → preach → Packers
“Moving on to Detroit, one of the things I appreciate about our players, this offensive unit, and our coaching staff is the culture of just continuing to fight to get better, with a “Week one, zero” mentality.
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I → move → mentality
“We talked about this before the season started.
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season → talk → this
Once a game is over, win or lose, it’s behind us, and we move on and get better.
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we → lose → us
I think the guys have embraced that.
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guys → think → that
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