Braelon Allen rushed for 116 yards and the go-ahead touchdown on 24 carries as the New York Jets dampened the hot Cleveland Browns with a 17-12 win on a rainy Sunday afternoon in East Rutherford, N.J.
Trailing 12-10 after leading the majority of the matchup, the Jets (2-3) went up for good when Allen dashed 22 yards for the winning run with 3:01 left. The Jets were set up at the Browns’ 23 three plays earlier when Cleveland punter Corey Bojorquez fumbled a snap.
Will McDonald IV strip-sacked Deshaun Watson on fourth-and-long inside the final minute to give the Jets their first victory since a Week 1 win at the Tennessee Titans.
Geno Smith was 17 of 30 for 182 yards and a touchdown to Garrett Wilson, who had seven receptions for 104 yards. Rookie David Bailey posted three of New York’s eight sacks.
Cleveland (3-2) suffered from a number of dropped passes that stalled the offense. Watson was 15-for-33 passing for 155 yards and a score to Denzel Boston. Isaiah Bond had three catches for 74 yards.
The Browns lost for the first time since a Week 1 setback at the Jacksonville Jaguars.
After stuffing the Browns on the first series, the Jets soared away on their initial possession after Bojorquez launched a 67-yarder for a touchback to set up the drive, which ended after eight plays and 80 yards.
Wilson ate up 70 of those by snagging three passes from Smith. The former Ohio State star caught the third one over the middle, spun away from Ronnie Hickman at the 20 and raced to paydirt for a 32-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead at 9:17.
Szmyt nailed a kick from 41 yards at 10:14, and the Browns remained within 7-6 at halftime.
Getting the better end of the field-position game, the Jets tacked on three points when Jason Sanders boomed a 54-yard field goal with 14:37 to play to push it to 10-6.
On third-and-9 with just over six minutes left, Boston caught a 29-yard touchdown from Watson, but Szmyt’s PAT hit the upright, leaving Cleveland with a 12-10 lead before Allen’s game-winning run.