The New York Jets secured a crucial 17-12 victory over the Cleveland Browns at MetLife Stadium, improving their record to 2-3 despite a four-game losing streak earlier this season. The turning point came late in the fourth quarter when a botched snap by the Browns’ long snapper allowed the Jets to take control of the game. Running back Braelon Allen sealed the win with a 22-yard touchdown run, finishing with 116 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-11,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
The Jets needed this like oxygen.
asserted
Jets → need → oxygen
They could not afford to lose to the Browns Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
A four-game losing streak, a 1-4 record and another Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s of irrelevance stared them in the face.
uncertain
streak → afford → face
Entering Sunday, the Jets had started a season with a 1-4 record 14 times, making the playoffs only once — in 2002, when they rallied to finish 9-7.
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they → enter → 2002
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he → take → field
tRY IT NOWThey don’t have to worry about that at the moment, not after their tense, gritty 17-12 win over the Browns, a win that lifted them to 2-3 and kept them well within their goals.
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that → try → goals
The Jets stole a game it appeared they’d allowed to leak away in the fourth quarter when running back Braelon Allen, in the midst of a career day, scored on a 22-yard run with 3:01 remaining to give the Jets a 17-12 lead.
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3:01 → steal → lead
The Jets had gotten the ball on the Cleveland 23-yard line when Browns long snapper Rex Sunahara’s high snap went through the hands of punter Corey Bojorquez with 3:52 remaining.
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snap → get → 3:52
Jets reserve linebacker Trevin Wallace recovered the gift, and Allen, who finished with 116 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries, took it from there.
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who → recover → it
The Browns had taken a 12-10 lead on a 29-yard scoring pass from Deshaun Watson to Denzel Boston with 6:15 remaining.
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Browns → take → 6:15
The extra point attempt by Andre Szmyt hit the right upright and missed.
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attempt → hit → upright
Earlier in the third quarter, the Jets had a chance to seize control when they drove to the Cleveland 11-yard line with an opportunity to take a 14-6 lead.
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they → have → lead
Enter former Jets linebacker Quincy Williams, who wasn’t re-signed after last season.
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who → enter → season
Williams blew up Jets rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq with a punishing hit, forcing a fumble recovered by Cleveland safety Ronnie Hickman with 5:49 remaining in the third quarter.
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5:49 → blow → quarter
It was the third forced fumble of the game for Williams, who had warned the Jets he was going to be a “nightmare’’ for them.
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he → force → them
The Jets defense held the Browns to three plays and a punt on the ensuing series, but still lost out on at least a field goal and a 10-6 lead at worst.
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defense → hold → goal
They took the next possession and turned it into a 10-6 lead on a 54-yard field goal by Jason Sanders 23 seconds into the fourth quarter.
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They → take → quarter
The way the Jets started on offense, it looked like a banner day after last week’s miserable performance.
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it → start → performance
The Jets had their way with the Browns defense, which could not stop Allen or cover receiver Garrett Wilson.
uncertain
which → have → Wilson
The Jets took a 7-0 lead on a 32-yard Geno Smith scoring pass to Wilson to cap that first possession, with Wilson making an acrobatic spin move around Hickman to score just 5:43 into the game.
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Wilson → take → game
Wilson had three receptions for 70 yards on the series.
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Wilson → have → series
Allen, starting in place of the injured Breece Hall (quadriceps), rushed for 32 yards on four carries.
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Allen → start → carries
That, however, is where the Jets offense began and ended in the first half, as the rest was an ugly mess.
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rest → begin → half
The Browns answered the Wilson score with a 25-yard field goal from Szmyt to cut the lead to 7-3 with 3:27 remaining in the first quarter.
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3:27 → answer → quarter
On the next Jets possession, the Browns double-teamed Wilson, bent on not letting him run free in their secondary, and quieted him.
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him → team → him
The Jets went 80 yards on seven plays on that opening possession and, on the next four possessions before halftime, ran 21 plays while producing only 55 yards.
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Jets → go → yards
The Jets killed themselves with seven penalties for 73 yards in the first half.
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Jets → kill → half
This came a week after committing 12 penalties for 76 yards against the Bears.
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This → come → Bears
They also hurt themselves with suspect pass protection, as Smith was sacked three times for 27 yards in losses.
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Smith → hurt → losses
The Browns cut the Jets lead to 7-6 on a 41-yard Szmyt field goal with 10:14 remaining in the first half, and that was the halftime score.
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that → cut → half
Wilson was targeted only one more time on those 21 plays after the opening series and finished the half with what he accrued on that first series: three catches for 70 yards.
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he → target → yards
Although Allen rushed for 54 yards on eight carries for a 6.8-yard average, Jets offensive coordinator Frank Reich curiously abandoned the running game at times.
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Reich → rush → times
Jets rookie linebacker David Bailey had the best game of his career, with three sacks, two of which came in the first half.
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two → have → half