In the New York Jets’ fifth game of the 2026 season, on a miserable rainy day at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the Jets defeated the Cleveland Browns, 17 – 12.
The game opened with the Jets on defense. They started the game well with a three and out, forcing a Browns punt.
The Jets took over on offense and Garrett Wilson went early for three receptions on the Jets’ first possession. The third went for a touchdown and an early 7 – 0 Jets lead.
The Browns came right back, putting together a long drive aided by two Minkah Fitzpatrick 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalties. The Jets finally stopped the drive inside the 10 yard line. The Browns settled for a short field goal and the Jets led 7 – 3 late in the first quarter.
The quarter ended with the Jets still holding a 7 – 3 lead with the Jets driving to their own 34 yard line. The Jets were forced to punt and the Browns put together a short drive that ended in a field goal. The score was Jets 7, Browns 6 with just over 10 minutes left in the first half.
After a Jets three and out, Austin McNamara shanked a punt just 33 yards, giving the Browns great field position at their own 37 yards. David Bailey’s second sack of the game halted the Browns’ drive and the Jets took over on offense. They looked to put something together after getting stoned following their opening touchdown drive. Unfortunately, the Jets once again went nowhere. A Jets punt gave the Browns the ball at their own 10 yards with just over a minute left in the half. A short drive by the Browns was thwarted badly in scoring position and the half ended with the Jets still leading the Browns, 7 – 6.
The Jets opened the third quarter on offense. They advanced into Browns territory before being forced to punt, continuing the Jets’ scoreless streak since the opening drive. An Austin McNamara punt pinned the Browns inside their 10-yard line to begin their first drive of the second half.
The Jets defense forced a three and out, forcing a Browns punt out of their own end zone. The Jets took over in Browns territory within shouting distance of their first score since the opening drive. The Jets took the ball inside the Browns’ 10-yard line before Kenyon Sadiq lost a costly fumble and the Browns took over at their own 7-yard line.
The Jets forced another Brown three and out, the Browns punted and the Jets took over at their own 37 yard line. A scoreless third quarter ended with the Jets still clinging to a 7 – 6 lead, driving deep into Browns territory. The Jets haven’t come far, but they’ve come far enough. Jason Sanders drilled a 54-yard field goal to give the Jets their first points since the opening drive and a 10-6 lead early in the fourth quarter.
On the Browns’ next drive, David Bailey sacked Deshaun Watson for his third sack of the game. The Jets forced a Browns punt and the Jets took the offense to their own 31 yards. After the Jets forced a punt, the Browns took over at their own 14 yard line. The Browns went on to put together a long drive that ended with a Deshaun Watson touchdown pass to Denzel Boston. The touchdown gave the Browns their first lead of the game with just over six minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Isaiah Williams made a nice return on the ensuing kickoff and gave the Jets good field position at their own 45 yard line. A pair of Garrett Wilson catches gave the Jets the ball inside the Browns’ 40-yard line, looking for the game-winning score. Oh, it shouldn’t be. Geno Smith is sacked and loses the ball. The Browns recovered the fumble and had the ball at their own 43-yard line, wanting to run out the clock with just over four minutes remaining.
The Jets defense gained a three and out, forcing another Browns punt. A high snap turned into a Browns fumble. The Jets punted the ball into field goal range at the Browns 23 yard line with less than four minutes left in the game. A few plays later, Braelon Allen broke through the line of scrimmage and took it to the house, giving the Jets a five-point lead at 22 – 17 with three minutes left. All the Jets defense has to do is keep the Browns out of the end zone and the Jets will win.
A Jets three and out forced a Browns punt and gave the ball back to the Jets before the two minute warning. A Jets first down would seal the win. The Jets played it very conservatively, running three straight times, leading to a punt and one last chance for the Browns to win the game starting at their 20 yard line with 1:48 left. The Jets defense, again on offense, turned the Browns’ offense back, ending the game with a strip sack by Deshaun Watson. Final score: Jets 17 Browns 12.
The victory brought the Jets record to 2-3. The Jets will go on the road next week to take on a suddenly red hot New England Patriots team, looking to get to .500 for the year.