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Garrett Wilson makes standout TD catch, Jets beat Texans 21-13 to snap 5-game skid

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — If you like Odell Beckham Jr. transcends, Garrett Wilson may have taken your place among the NFL’s greatest catches.

With one hand, of course.

Wilson made one dazzling 26-yard touchdown catch early in the fourth quarter, the New York Jets snapped a five-game losing streak by beating the Houston Texans 21-13 on Thursday night.

“I just threw one up there and he made an incredible catch,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. “That was a big play. … That’s a game-changing play.”

Rodgers had three touchdown passes, including another earlier one-handed score from Wilson and a 37-yard throw to the recently acquired Davante Adams, and the Jets (3-6) won for the first time in four games under interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich .

With the Jets trailing 10-7 and facing third-and-19 from the Texans 26, Rodgers threw the ball toward Wilson in the end zone. The star wide receiver jumped and extended his right hand with both legs spread in the air – resembling the Michael Jordan “Jumpman” logo.

The play was initially called an incomplete pass, but Ulbrich challenged.

“Oh, my God,” Ulbrich said. “I mean, I was talking to the referee when they reviewed it. I was like, ‘Just for posterity’s sake, you should say this is so, so that it goes down in history.’

A video replay review confirmed Wilson’s shin was in the end zone and a touchdown was called to give the Jets a 14–10 lead with 12:54 remaining.

It sent the fans at MetLife Stadium into a frenzy after having little reason to cheer until that point.

Wilson’s catch was reminiscent of former Giants great Beckham’s one-handed grab against Dallas in 2014.

“For it to even come up in that conversation, I’m blessed,” Wilson said. “I am honored.”

It also helped make up for a Jets touchdown that didn’t happen when he was a rookie Malachi Corley made a mental mistake that wiped out his first NFL score.

With the Jets at the Texans 19 early in the second quarter, Corley took the toss from Rodgers and raced down the right sideline. Corley raced into the end zone, but just before he crossed the goal line, he dropped the ball from his right hand in celebration.

A video review showed he had not reached the end zone before dropping it. So Corley was credited with an 18-yard run and a fumble. And because it rolled out the side of the end zone, it was a touchback and a turnover.

“First of all, you can’t do that.” Ulbrich said about what he told Corley. “Second, you owe us.”

Rodgers finished 22 of 32 for 211 yards. His 37-yard touchdown pass to Adams, who was previously cleared after being checked for possible head injuries, put the Jets up 21-10 with 2:56 left. It was Adams’ first touchdown catch since being acquired from Las Vegas earlier this month.

Ka’imi Fairbairn made a 29-yard field goal with 39 seconds left to make it an eight-point game, but Adams recovered the onside kick and the Jets were able to take a knee and seal the victory.

C.J. Stroud was 11 of 30 for 191 yards for the Texans (6-3), who were playing with injured receivers Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins. It was the first of three consecutive primetime games for Houston, with a Sunday night home game on November 10 and a Monday night meeting in Dallas on November 18.

“It’s embarrassing to come here in a primetime game and be so embarrassed, that’s never fun,” Stroud said. “We need to be better in many areas and that starts with me. There are plays I have to make, throws I have to make.

Fairbairn missed two field goals for Houston. With the Texans trailing 14-10, Fairbairn made it a one-point game when he kicked a 43-yarder – but Eric Watts was called for unnecessary roughness on the attempt, so Houston opted to take the penalty and keep the ball keep.

The Jets took a defensive stance and the Texans were forced to attempt a 27-yard attempt, but Fairbairn cleared his kick off the left upright to keep the score at 14-10.

Joe Mixon’s 3-yard touchdown run capped a 98-yard drive for the Texans, who took a 7-0 lead late in the second quarter.

The Jets tied it on their opening possession of the second half when Rodgers completed a 21-yard pass to Wilson, who grabbed the ball with one hand and ran into the end zone for the tying touchdown.

Riley Patterson, who signed to the active roster hours before the game to replace the injured Greg Zuerlein, hit the left upright on the extra point, but the ball went in and went over the crossbar.

Fairbairn’s 54-yarder put the Texans ahead again, 10-7 with 4:11 left in the third quarter.

“The most frustrating thing is we were the better team,” Houston right tackle Tytus Howard said. “Especially in the second half, we let that game slip away from us.”

Slow start

Rodgers was 7 of 14 in the first half for just 32 yards — his fewest in the first two quarters with 10 or more attempts in his career. His previous low was 37 on 12 attempts against Denver on Nov. 1, 2015, while with Green Bay.

“I played about as bad as I could in the first half,” Rodgers said, “and knew it had to get better from there.”

Injuries

Texans: Texans LG Kenyon Green was ruled out at halftime after suffering a shoulder injury.

Jets: LG John Simpson left in the second quarter with a groin injury and did not return. …Backup OL Jake Hanson also left shortly before halftime with a hamstring injury. …CB Michael Carter II left with a back injury.

Next

Texans: Host Detroit on “Sunday Night Football” on Nov. 10.

Jets: At Arizona on Nov. 10

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AP N.F.L.: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL