Pop-up fumble! Mysterious turnover sums up Washington's woeful start vs. Jets
Whatever the opposite of the "Immaculate Reception" is, Washington's Jamison Crowder pulled it off Sunday afternoon against the Jets. Well, "let it go" might be a better description, as Crowder was in the midst of a strong punt return when ... whoops.
Jets safety Ashtyn Davis recovered the fumble at midfield, which negated what had been a fairly sweet 24-yard run by Crowder. It was one of the few, if not only, highlights for Washington. The Jets went up 17-0 in less than 10 minutes of game clock, and later turned Crowder's fumble into a field goal.
But despite the early mistake and trailing by as many as 20 points, Washington nearly pulled off a miraculous comeback behind the second-half brilliance of backup QB Jacoby Brissett.
Alas, the Jets won 30-28 on after kicking a field goal in the closing seconds.
Both teams combined have fewer wins — nine — than most division leaders, meaning this is the definition of a play-out-the-string game. While changes may be afoot in Washington after this season, the Jets are playing with a touch of fire in the wake of news that head coach Robert Saleh will be back next year. It's been pretty much the definition of a lost season for the Jets since Aaron Rodgers went down on the fourth play of the year, and they received an early Christmas gift from the Commanders.