Zach Wilson returned as the Jets quarterback on Sunday, replacing the injured Mike White with dreams of not only reclaiming the job he lost but reviving New York's playoff hopes in the AFC wild card race. After Week 15's matchup with the Lions, it's clear he failed on at least one account. On his own, Wilson was mercurial guiding Gang Green, flashing both big-time playmaking and head-scratching decisions. In the end, however, coaching really did him in, as the Jets' curious late-game clock management, coupled with a clutch fourth-down Jared Goff touchdown, allowed Detroit to pull off a 20-17 victory at MetLife Stadium.
Here are some additional takeaways from Sunday's third straight Lions victory (and third straight Jets defeat):
Why the Lions won
They got down and dirty in an environment that required them to do so. In cold weather, against a ground-and-pound team fighting for its playoff life, Detroit was not pretty on Sunday. But it was feisty on defense, where John Cominsky headlined a front that hit Zach Wilson 10 times and basically eliminated Zonovan Knight and New York's ground game. Jared Goff was mostly forgettable, settling for short stuff and leaning on his own backfield, but his late fourth-down toss to Brock Wright literally put them on top. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson once again deserves credit here, not only for the aggressiveness but decision-making, offsetting an otherwise slow day with situational excellence.
Why the Jets lost
If the Lions won in large part because of their late-game coaching, the Jets lost because of their failure to match such crunch-time smarts. Somehow in position to steal a victory after an improbable last-minute throw from Zach Wilson, New York bungled the clock by waiting too long to use timeouts, forcing Greg Zuerlein to try a 58-yard field goal to tie it. Before that, the Jets stayed in contention with their "D," which stood tall on third downs and the red zone, but were mercurial with the ball in their hands. Wilson flashed promise early, showcasing legitimate playmaking touch, but regressed as the day unfolded, perhaps partially because he also had zero ground support and shoddy protection.
Turning point
Basically as soon as the Jets opted to save their timeouts on their final drive. Zach Wilson nearly played hero by finding Elijah Moore after a fourth-down scramble with less than a minute to play, but by that point, time was already working against them, forcing them to rush a timeout with just one second left. New York could've conceivably let Zuerlein try a closer field goal to knot the game at 20-20 with more time left on the clock, had it spent its timeouts appropriately.
Play of the game
Down 17-13 after Wilson found C.J. Uzomah for his second TD of the day, the Lions faced a fourth-and-1 near midfield with just 1:49 left to play. That's when Ben Johnson dialed up a play-action pass, and Goff found a wide-open Brock Wright rolling left. Wright proceeded to rumble his way 51 yards for the go-ahead score, shifting the game into Detroit's favor:
What's next
The Lions (7-7), still in the NFC wild card race, will visit the Panthers (5-9) on Christmas Eve, after Carolina fell to the Steelers in Week 15. The Jets (7-7), meanwhile, will look to snap their three-game losing streak against the Jaguars (6-8), who upset the Cowboys in overtime on Sunday. Jacksonville will visit MetLife on Thursday to kick off Week 16.