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Garrett Wilson’s one-handed TD grab leaves Jets in awe

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – Trailing in the fourth quarter with his team’s season teetering on the brink, wide receiver Garrett Wilson delivered OBJ 2.0 – a spectacular one-handed catch in the end zone that lifted the New York Jets to a 21 point. 13th win over the Houston Texans Thursday night at MetLife Stadium.

Wilson’s 26-yard touchdown, his second of the game, was the talk of a jubilant locker room after the game. Some players said it reminded them of Odell Beckham Jr.’s iconic catch. for the New York Giants 10 years ago in the same stadium (same end zone, different side).

Others described it as Michael Jordan-esque. Wilson even looked like the Jumpman logo in the air, with his legs split and his right hand high in the air as he picked off Aaron Rodgers’ third-and-21 pass for Texans cornerback Kamari Lassiter.

“He looked like he was Jordan,” defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw said. “Unbelievable.”

Initially declared incomplete because Wilson came down just one foot, the Jets won a replay challenge after officials ruled his left shin landed in the back of the end zone. According to the rules, one shin is equal to two feet.

“Oh, my goodness,” interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said. “I mean, I was talking to the referee when they reviewed it. I thought, ‘Just for posterity’s sake, you should leave it up so it goes down in history.’ It would match Odell’s catch. It was amazing.”

Wide receiver Davante Adams said he didn’t see the replay until after the game. He joked with Wilson about the catch, saying it looked so similar to the Jumpman logo that he might have to change his endorsement allegiance.

“I told him he might get kicked out of Adidas after that,” Adams said. “He looked like he was riding the Jumpman with me. We’ll see. I’m going to talk to some people about that. “I’m not going to say they’re going to replace the logo, because Mike. Maybe I don’t like it when I say that, but that was a tough catch.”

It was not only acrobatic, but important, as the Jets (3-6) snapped a five-game losing streak to secure their dim playoff hopes. After a terrible first half, the Jets scored a touchdown on their final three drives, marking a virtual must-win.

Wilson, who suffered a critical slump in a Week 7 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, finished with nine catches for 90 yards. His first touchdown, a 21-yarder, was also a one-handed grab. That was nice too, but his second touchdown could prove to be a turning point in the season.

“I thought, ‘That’s a good one, that’s a good one. And it has to count,'” Wilson said. “I remember telling them all, ‘You all gassed me too soon. This has to count, let’s all chill.’ Once it counted, I was like, ‘Yeah, okay, now you guys can tell me everything.'”

Wilson was 14 years old when Beckham made his legendary catch against the Dallas Cowboys. Wilson was at his family’s home in Texas, watching with his father.

“Man, it was different with Odell,” he said. “He came down three feet. The ball was going to land out of bounds and it was Odell, man. It was Odell against the Cowboys. That was him. So for that to even come up in that conversation, I’m blessed .I am honored.”

Wilson’s touchdown gave the Jets a 14-10 lead with 12:54 left in the fourth quarter. The clincher came when Rodgers (22-for-32, 211 yards) threw his third touchdown pass, this one a 37-yarder to Adams — his first receiving touchdown since being traded from the Las Vegas Raiders.

Rodgers admitted he was “terrible” in the first half, throwing for just 32 yards, matching a career low. The low point came when rookie wide receiver Malachi Corley fumbled the ball out of the end zone for a touchback on his first NFL carry — a huge blunder.

Corley, who received the ball on a jet sweep, had a clear path to the end zone but released the ball before crossing the goal line. He celebrated as if he had scored his first touchdown, but a replay review confirmed he came up short.

Rodgers called it a “silly” play. Corley didn’t stick around to talk about it and left before the media were allowed into the locker room. Ulbrich admitted that he was “absolutely frustrated, to be honest – and angry at the same time. But what a great opportunity for this kid to learn and grow from. I promise you that in ten years, if he’s still in this competition, that will never happen again.”

The Jets trailed after a sloppy and listless first half, but then Wilson scored. And scored again, with a catch they will talk about for a long time.

“Yeah, that’s up there,” Wilson said. “Just considering the stage is on – it’s in the NFL. But when I was in Little League, man, I had some catches now. Really, man. So it felt like I went back to those days just a little bit .”