EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ (AP) Braelon Allen ran 22 yards for the go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter after New York recovered a fumbled punt and the New York Jets ended a three-game streak with a 17-12 victory over the Cleveland Browns on a rainy Sunday.
Rookie David Bailey had three of New York’s Deshaun Watson’s eight sacks, and Geno Smith threw a touchdown pass to Garrett Wilson on the Jets’ first drive, helping end the Browns’ three-game winning streak.
The Browns had one last chance when they got the ball back with 1:41 left and no timeouts. But New York’s defense, as it did throughout the game, stiffened and sealed the game when Will McDonald completed a strip-sack of Watson on fourth down and recovered the fumble.
Smith finished 17 of 30 for 182 yards and the TD to Wilson, who had seven catches for 104 yards, and Allen ran for 116 yards and the game-winning touchdown on 24 carries.
This one wasn’t pretty, with steady rain falling throughout the game as the remnants of Hurricane Isaias blew through the Northeast. But the struggling Jets (2-3) managed to bounce back after giving up a lead in the fourth quarter.
Watson, who was 15 of 33 for 155 yards, threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to rookie Denzel Boston to give the Browns (3-2) their first lead. Andre Szmyt missed the extra point, giving Cleveland a 12-10 lead with 6:15 left.
The Browns got the ball back moments later when Carson Schwesinger recovered a strip-sack from Smith and Adin Huntington.
But the Jets forced a three-and-out, then their special teams came through when Rex Sunahara’s high shot went through the hands of punter Corey Bojorquez — perhaps with an assist from the rain — and bounced behind him as several players chased him and Trevin Wallace recovered for New York.
Three plays later, Allen took a handoff, found a crease on the left side and raced 22 yards for a touchdown that gave the Jets a 17-12 lead with 3:01 left and sent the poncho-wearing fans in the MetLife Stadium stands into a frenzy.
The Jets forced a three-and-out on the Browns’ first drive — notably after Chicago had no punts against New York last Sunday in a 23-12 victory.
Smith and the offense got to work quickly, mixing tough runs from Allen with three catches from Wilson, the last of which came when he completed a short pass, made a nice spin after a tackle attempt by Ronnie Hillman and headed toward the end zone, punctuated by a dive over the goal line for a 32-yard touchdown.
The Browns were driving on their second possession and facing first-and-10 from the Jets 25 when Watson threw a deep pass to KC Concepcion, who appeared to make a catch — just as Minkah Fitzpatrick put a crushing hit on the receiver, making contact with his helmet and knocking the ball away.
Concepcion found himself face down on the turf and appeared to be unconscious. He eventually left under his own power, but was quickly kicked out of the match.
A 13-yard penalty on Fitzpatrick for hitting a defenseless receiver put the ball at the Jets 12, but the defense limited the Browns to a 25-yard FG by Szmyt.
Szmyt added a 41-yarder with 10:14 left in the second quarter to make it 7-6.
The Jets looked poised to increase their lead with just under six minutes left in the third quarter when Kenyon Sadiq caught a 6-yard pass from Smith, but Quincy Williams – against his former team – forced a fumble that Hickman recovered at the Cleveland 7.
New York scored for the first time since its opening drive on Jason Sanders’ 54-yard field goal 23 seconds into the fourth quarter, giving the Jets a 10-6 lead.
Browns: RB Raheim Sanders left early in the fourth quarter with a hip injury. … RT Tytus Howard injured his knee in the fourth.
Jets: Sadiq was evaluated for a head injury after his fumble and was ruled out in the fourth quarter with a concussion.
Browns: Host Baltimore next Sunday.
Jets: Play New England next Sunday.
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This story has been corrected: Watson throwing a 29-yard TD pass to reflect the score change on Watson’s run earlier in practice.
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