Special teams continues to be elite for the Jets.

Nick Folk’s 56-yard field goal as time expired gave the Jets (3-9) a 27-24 victory over the Falcons (4-8) on a gloomy, rainy day at MetLife Stadium with a half-full crowd in attendance.

In wet conditions, Folk’s attempt was anything but a sure thing. The 41-year-old’s kick was a bit of a knuckler, but it was long enough to cross the uprights. After the kick was ruled good, Folk and his teammates celebrated the game-winning kick in the pouring rain.

“There’s nothing like playing on Sunday in front of your fans and getting a chance to help a team win,” Folk said. “I just get to put a cherry on top. Everyone else gets to make a sundae and I just get to put the cherry on top. Just happy to help us get a win.”

The Jets were able to overcome Falcons running back Bijan Robinson, who gave them fits all day after rushing for 142 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. Kirk Cousins, in his second start since starter Michael Penix Jr. went down for the season due to a partially torn ACL, finished with 234 passing yards and a touchdown.

In his second consecutive start of the season after Jets coach Aaron Glenn benched Justin Fields, Tyrod Taylor completed 17 of 28 passes for 172 yards with a 52-yard touchdown pass to Adonai Mitchell, which was the longest Jets play from scrimmage this season. Mitchell finished with eight catches for 102 yards in his third game since he was acquired in the trade for Sauce Gardner at the trade deadline.

The Jets offense was stagnant in the first half after Taylor threw for just 37 yards. Gang Green’s offense clearly missed Garrett Wilson, who has missed his third consecutive game after being placed on injured reserve due to a knee injury.

As a team, the Jets had just 71 yards during the first 30 minutes. Taylor and the offense opened up the passing attack in the second half, but it was the Jets special teams that carried them against the Falcons.

However, with two minutes left in the game, Taylor scored a touchdown on a 10-yard run. Folk’s extra point tied the game at 24-24 with 1:53 remaining.

“It wasn’t a perfect game by any means,” Taylor said. “We speak about our brand of football and being complementary in all three phases and I think this was a perfect game to show that offense had its moments, the defense had its moments, and special teams had their moments and we were able to put it together.”

It was a snooze fest most of the first half with both offenses struggling. Hall’s touchdown gave the Jets a 7-0 lead. Punter Austin McNamara helped set up the touchdown by pinning the Falcons inside the five-yard line. He finished with three punts inside the 20-yard line against Atlanta.

Atlanta didn’t find the end zone until nine seconds left in the second quarter after Tyler Allgeier scored on a one-yard touchdown run that tied the game at 7-7 following the successful extra point by Zane Gonzalez.

Following a first half in which their defense allowed just a touchdown, the Jets defense was anything but stellar in the second half. Just like a significant part of this season, Jets defenders missed tackles, were out of position, or both. Atlanta drove the ball 95 yards in eight plays, which was highlighted by a 42-yard reception by Robinson and a roughing the passer penalty by linebacker Marcelino McCrary-Ball, which put the Falcons inside the red zone. Robinson capped the drive with a five-yard touchdown that gave them a 14-7 lead.

With the game tied at 17-17, David Stills V made Ja-Sir Taylor miss on a tackle and Stills scored on a nine-yard touchdown that gave the Falcons a 24-17 lead with 8:52 remaining. After being one of the worst units in the NFL to start the season, the Jets defense has improved in recent weeks. But at times against the Falcons and Robinson, they reverted to the defense that struggled to get offenses off the field.

That was until the Jets forced the Falcons’ offense to go three-and-out with 1:36 left. Atlanta also had another chance to win the game in regulation, but the Jets also stopped the Falcons offense with two timeouts and 35 seconds left.

Taylor then rushed for 14 yards and threw a 10-yard pass and a five-yard pass to Mitchell, which put them in field goal range for Folk for the game-winning field goal.

Entering Sunday’s game, the Jets registered just one takeaway all season, a fumble recovery during their Week 6 loss to the Broncos. But early in the second quarter, the Jets got their second takeaway of the season after Jamal Agnew muffed the punt return and Qwan’tez Stiggers recovered the ball on the Falcons’ two-yard line. That set up Hall’s two-yard touchdown run, which was his third rushing score of the season.

Folk has also been equally as good for the Jets this season, but his 55-yard field goal fell short, which was his first miss of the season. Gang Green had an opportunity to take the lead after Isaiah Williams’ 83-yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter. But John Metchie III dropped a possible touchdown on third down and the Jets settled for a Folk field goal, which tied the game with 13:26 remaining.

But Folk would later get his redemption after his field goal at the buzzer gave the Jets the three-point victory.

“I’m one of the coaches that truly believe that special teams can change the momentum of a game,” Glenn said. “That’s the reason we spend so much time with it.

“We spend a lot of time making sure we get that part of the team on point. I believe that you need all three phases to be able to win the game, and those guys have been coming through for us, damn near every game. Our guys have a belief within our special teams that every time we get a return, we have a chance to score and I think you see that out there every time.”

The Jets will return to MetLife Stadium next weekend to host the Dolphins. Miami defeated the Jets 27-21 in their first matchup in Week 4.

https://www.courant.com/2025/11/30/jets-falcons-nick-folk-bijan-robinson/