Are Garrett Wilson and Davante Adams the WR duo Aaron Rodgers needs at the end of his career? Jets are starting to find out

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.Y. — Trailing by three points early in the fourth quarter, Aaron Rodgers made a decision.

If the weakside safety were to falter, New York Jets quarterback Garrett Wilson would take a chance.

So Rodgers dropped back and sailed a pass 47 air yards to his receiver, who would ultimately be just 0.8 yards from the defender, according to Next Gen Stats.

Wilson extended his right arm in the air so spectacularly that his teammates soon compared him to Michael Jordan's JumpMan or Odell Beckham Jr.'s famous one-handed catch in the same stadium, or both.

As Wilson brought his left hand forward to secure the ball, his left foot hit the end zone, his right foot still well above his hip. The Jets' 2022 first-round pick fell to his left side, hesitant to celebrate as he wondered if he had adjusted to the NFL's sometimes seemingly changing definition of a catch.

Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich challenged the decision because of an incomplete pass.

“Just for posterity’s sake, you have to say it’s in,” Ulbrich told the official, half-jokingly. “Just so it goes down in history.”

It turned out that posterity alone was not necessary. The replay confirmed that Wilson's left shin hit the end zone.

Rodgers to Wilson, 26 yards, touchdown.

“A game-changing play,” Rodgers said.

The weaknesses of the first half faded from their memories as the momentum of a star athlete playing in the crucial minute swept through the touchline. For the first time in more than three quarters, the Jets had the lead.

The Jets defeated the Houston Texans 21-13 on Thursday night, ending a five-game losing streak and securing their first win in four tries during Ulbrich's tenure.

They improved to 3-6 to stay alive in the playoff race and found an offensive rhythm unlike what the franchise had seen in a season and a half of the Rodgers era.

A crowd at MetLife Stadium that had booed and cheered heavily in the first half broke out into JETS chants as the night wore on. In the home locker room, which had fallen silent after the prime-time loss to the Buffalo Bills earlier this month, the speakers now turned up as dejected looks were replaced with smiles and confusion with confidence.

A win over a productive but shaky Texas team isn't the Jets' ultimate goal. But winning had to start somewhere, and even Rodgers admitted how disheartening another loss would have felt.

“The season was on the line there, so to speak, in the second half,” Rodgers said. “Of course mathematically we wouldn’t have been eliminated. But mentally it would have been very, very difficult to get to 2:7. Hopefully it gives us confidence so we can beat anyone because we feel like we can. The way we played offensively in the second half is the way we were waiting for this offense to wake up.

“It was almost perfect, what I needed. That's the standard I have to play at. There were a lot of really incredible performances.”

At halftime, all of that was in doubt.

After Rodgers struggled mightily in the first half, the Jets found themselves on the brink

Rodgers didn't sugarcoat his 7 of 14 pass attempts for 32 yards before halftime.

On the first play, Rodgers sorely missed his long-time friend and receiver Davante Adams. Rodgers aimed a hitchhiker at Adams, but sailed the pass out of bounds.

Moments later, Rodgers threw to Adams, who wasn't looking.

This wasn't the chemistry two players expected after nine years (though not consecutive) of their partnership. That wasn't the caliber of play that a four-time MVP quarterback and a six-time Pro Bowl receiver wanted to deliver.

Rodgers joked with Adams that they were “drawn” after every play.

“Even though we really weren’t because, God, the first one was so bad,” Rodgers said. “I played as poorly as I could in the first half and knew I had to get better from there. … I mean, I was terrible.”

Rodgers was in good company when he played poorly, as several receivers dropped passes from him and running back Breece Hall fumbled (the Jets recovered). Rookie receiver Malachi Corley nearly scored a 19-yard touchdown on a jet sweep before replay review determined Corley's celebratory ball toss just before crossing the plane was a touchback, not a touchdown.

Add to that the Jets defenders' missed tackles and the special teams that gave the Texans a first down after hitting the kicker hard, and Jets fans had every reason to be afraid beyond Halloween.

Thomas Morstead's 75-yard punt to the two-yard line was the highlight of the Jets' first half.

But the Jets had said to themselves: disaster would come. How will we react?

For the first time in six weeks, they found answers.

After two quarters with five punts and a fumble, the Jets scored touchdowns on three straight drives to put the game away.

Hall continued to find rhythm. But this time, so did Rodgers.

The first half of seven of 14, 32 yards turned into a second half of 15 of 18, 179 yards and three touchdowns.

Wilson's acrobatic JumpMan was his second integral touchdown, his first a 21-yard touchdown on the first drive after halftime that the Jets knew could dictate their momentum.

Wilson ran a drag route and saw Rodgers spying on him “at the last second.”

Texans safety Jalen Pitre dove for the ball, lunged, and cleared the way for Wilson to make another one-handed grab 14 yards to the end zone.

The Jets defense continued to take advantage of a porous Houston offensive line, holding them to a field goal and clearing the way for the Jets to finally take the lead.

But then Rodgers and Wilson were a yard short on third down.

So Rodgers trusted Adams 17 yards down the left sideline and the fourth-and-1 turned into the continuation of a drive.

Wilson would end this one.

And when Rodgers was down four points with 3:02 left and Adams ran for a 37-yard touchdown, he was on third-and-3.

The receiver's first hit as a Jet (after he went for a neurological exam and then was cleared to return) gave New York the margin of victory.

What's next for the Jets team trying to stop the spiral?

The stakes in this Jets victory are complicated.

There are broad implications for the team five days before the trade deadline. And there are consequences for Rodgers, especially about a month before he turns 41.

The Jets' expectations for the first season are still far from being achieved. The 6-2 Buffalo Bills are still 3.5 games ahead of the Jets in the division, while the Miami Dolphins are just half a game behind New York.

The Athletic's playoff predictor puts the Jets' chance of making the playoffs at 17%.

And yet, only one of the Jets' eight remaining regular-season opponents this weekend is over .500. If the Jets get back on track and a number of injured players get healthy in the 10 days they have now and bow out two weeks later, it's not impossible to imagine a talented roster bouncing back.

Expect the team's record and approach to influence Ulbrich's chances of coaching a group of players who respect him greatly through 2025.

Meanwhile, Rodgers has to decide how much longer he wants and can play.

Against the Patriots last week and in the first half on Thursday, he looked 40 years old. The cayenne pepper and water mixture he called his “fountain of youth” didn’t work in quarters one and two.

But Rodgers was more nimble in the second half, his decision-making and accuracy sharper too. He vigorously defended himself against a play in the red zone that was ultimately called back for a penalty, but still energized him.

“It was the third down, I looked reasonably athletic, I didn’t hurt myself,” said Rodgers.

Then he became thoughtful.

“I wanted to bring joy and passion to the game,” Rodgers said. “It was a frustrating season at times. But I love this game. This game did everything for me. And tonight a little perspective, a little gratitude.

“A little more passion in the second half.”

Could this extra passion continue into the second half of the season? The Jets will hope so.

When Rodgers was asked whether the next eight games could be his last as a professional, he didn't comment.

Is he thinking about it?

“No,” he said after a pause and a smile.

For now, the Jets and the quarterback bet, which has been inching closer to defeat, can enjoy the franchise's first win in a long time.

The high-priced quarterback, receiver and edge rusher that New York acquired over the last 18 months was instrumental in this victory.

Players felt like they understood the culture they wanted to create, even if they wished it had come about sooner.

“Bottle the feeling we have and take it,” Adams said. “Not feeling high after a win; the feeling of what it feels like to execute something, click and be on the same page.”

Wilson, still processing his highlight-reel catch, agreed.

“We definitely wanted to get back into the win column,” he said. “Having five losses in a row feels like you would expect. It doesn't feel good. The most important thing is that we are better and it was time to prove it.

“We want to start our run. And the only way to do that is to win one.”