Jackson, Ravens beat Jets 42-21 to clinch AFC North title

• AP
• Dec 13, 2019

BALTIMORE (AP) Lamar Jackson threw five touchdown passes, scurried into the NFL record book and guided the Baltimore Ravens to their second straight AFC North title and 10th consecutive victory, 42-21 over the New York Jets on Thursday night.

Baltimore (12-2) took control with touchdowns on its first three possessions and Jackson made it 28-7 in the third quarter with a 24-yard scoring pass to rookie Marquise Brown following a turnover by New York (5-9).

That was enough to assure the Ravens another division title after they clinched a playoff berth four days earlier in Buffalo. With a victory next week in Cleveland, the Ravens will be assured the top seed in the AFC, a distinction that comes with home-field advantage leading up to the Super Bowl.

Jackson ran for 86 yards (on eight carries) to break Michael Vick's single-season record for a quarterback. Jackson has 1,108 yards rushing. Vick had 1,039 for Atlanta in 2006.

On this night, however, Jackson did most of the damage with his right arm. He completed 15 of 23 passes for 212 yards and increased his NFL-leading total of touchdown passes to 33, tying the franchise season record set by Vinny Testaverde in 1996.

After Jackson's pass to Brown, many in the crowd of 70,545 chanted ''MVP! MVP!'' There was a reprise of the mantra late in the third quarter when Jackson hit Seth Roberts for a 33-yard touchdown. The score came after Jackson connected with tight end Mark Andrews for a 36-yard completion on a fourth-and-1 from the Baltimore 29.

Jackson celebrated the first down by dancing downfield with his arm pointing toward the New York goal line. Not once throughout his exceptional performance did Jackson show any sign of being slowed by a quadriceps injury that made headlines in the days leading up to the game.

The Jets, meanwhile, hardly looked like a team that had won four of their previous five games. Sam Darnold threw two touchdown passes to Jamison Crowder but the second-year quarterback also tossed an interception and lost a fumble.

The first turnover ruined a potential scoring drive near the end of the first half and the latter miscue immediately preceded Jackson's TD pass to Brown.

Darnold went 18 for 32 for 218 yards.

The Jets' other touchdown came on a blocked punt in the fourth quarter.

New York's defense came in ranked second in the NFL against the rush, but the unit was no match for the league's top running game. The Ravens amassed 218 yards on the ground, including 76 by Mark Ingram.

Jackson broke Vick's rushing mark on Baltimore's opening possession while guiding the Ravens on an 84-yard march. The dual-threat quarterback ran three times for 27 yards and completed all three of his passes for 41 yards before Ingram ran in from the New York 6.

Jackson supplanted Vick in the record book with a 5-yard run from the Jets 11.

It was more of the same on Baltimore's second drive. A 29-yard run by Ingram and a 25-yard impromptu jaunt out of the pocket by Jackson preceded a 5-yard touchdown pass to rookie Miles Boykin.

Darnold threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to get New York to 13-7 before the Ravens rolled to their third TD in three possessions. A 43-yard pass interference penalty against the Jets set up a 1-yard touchdown pass to Andrews, and Ingram tacked on a 2-point conversion.

INJURIES

Jets: Before the game, New York placed TE Ryan Griffin (ankle) on IR. ... S Jamal Adams (ankle) and CB Brian Poole (concussion) were inactive. .

Ravens: OT Ronnie Stanley (concussion) was inactive.

UP NEXT

Jets: Another game against an AFC North foe looms Sunday for New York, at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Steelers playoff hopes damaged with 16-10 loss to Bell, Jets

• AP
• Dec 22, 2019

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) The Pittsburgh Steelers' path to the postseason just got a lot more difficult.

They entered their game Sunday against former teammate Le'Veon Bell and the New York Jets with their playoff destiny in their hands. They fumbled that away with an ugly 16-10 loss.

''Not a lot to say, and appropriately so,'' coach Mike Tomlin said. ''This time of year is put up or shut up time and we didn't get the job done today. We accept responsibility for that and the ramifications of it.''

The Steelers (8-7) now need to win next Sunday at Baltimore, the AFC's top seed, just to stay alive. They also need Tennessee, which is also 8-7 and currently holds the final wild-card spot, to lose at Houston.

''We're done worrying about what other people are doing,'' linebacker T.J. Watt said. ''I think it's time, and it's been that way the whole season, to focus on us. Figure stuff out and find ways to win football games.''

The Steelers also have more injury concerns as running back James Conner, center Maurkice Pouncey and quarterback Mason Rudolph all left with injuries. All three will be evaluated and their availability for the game against the Ravens is uncertain.

Conner, who left in the second quarter with a thigh injury, had 32 yards on six carries before leaving. Pouncey hurt his left knee at the end of the third quarter.

''That's what we're paid to do,'' Tomlin said of dealing with three key injuries. ''We embrace that. We're professionals. We've got quality depth. The standard of expectation doesn't change. We didn't do enough today.''

Pittsburgh also has a big-time quarterback quandary. Devlin Hodges was benched in this one after throwing two interceptions, but came back early in the fourth quarter Rudolph hurt his left shoulder.

Hodges was 11 of 17 for 84 yards and the two interceptions, while Rudolph was 14 of 20 for 129 yards and a touchdown to Diontae Johnson that helped the Steelers erase a 10-0 deficit to tie it at halftime.

Hodges had a chance to lead the Steelers to a comeback win, but fell short.

His deep pass for James Washington on third-and-7 from the Jets 44 was knocked away by Marcus Maye in the end zone. On fourth down, Hodges' pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster fell incomplete in front of a MetLife Stadium crowd that appeared to be at least half-filled by Steelers fans.

''I'm still going to be confident,'' Hodges insisted. ''I can't let these things get to me. You've got to learn from them. I've got the job done before and I just have to do it again.''

Smith-Schuster, who returned after missing four games with a knee injury, had two catches for 22 yards.

Former Steelers star wide receiver Hines Ward, now an offensive assistant on Adam Gase's staff with the Jets, said he hoped to celebrate a win with a Gatorade shower - and he got one moments after New York's final defensive stop sealed the win.

Meanwhile, Bell helped deal his former team's playoff hopes a big blow, running for 72 yards, including 7 on a big third-down play in the fourth quarter, on 25 carries. Bell spent his first six NFL seasons in Pittsburgh, but after sitting out all last season in a contract dispute, signed with the Jets (6-9) in the offseason. Bell also had four catches for 21 yards.

''You know, every win feels great,'' Bell said. ''But this one had a little extra topping on it.''

Sam Darnold went 16 of 26 for 183 yards and a touchdown to Robby Anderson.

The Jets, who blew a 10-0 second-quarter advantage, retook the lead on Sam Ficken's 37-yard field goal with 6 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter. The drive was helped by rookie tight end Trevon Wesco's 32-yard catch-and-run that put New York at the Steelers 19.

Ficken's 42-yarder with 3:11 left made it 16-10. The drive was kept alive by Bell's 7-yard run on third-and-5 from the Steelers 39.

''It was a dogfight,'' Darnold said. ''We knew that coming in and we did our job.''

QUICK START

With thousands of Steelers fans twirling their Terrible Towels, the Jets struck first on their opening drive on Darnold's 23-yard touchdown pass to Anderson, who reached up over two defenders on the run in the back of the end zone and came down with the ball for the score.

The 11-play, 75-yard drive prominently featured Bell, who ran for 26 yards on four carries and had two catches for 6 yards.

New York got the ball back a few minutes later when Tarell Basham made a leaping interception on a pass from Hodges, but the Jets couldn't do anything with it and went three-and-out.

They came away with points on their next possession, though, with Ficken booting a career-best 54-yard field goal.

QUICK COMEBACK

Chris Boswell's 49-yard field goal with 1:18 left in the first half got the Steelers on the scoreboard and cut the deficit to 10-3.

Four plays later, Watt punched the ball out of Darnold's hands for a strip-sack and recovered to give Pittsburgh the ball in New York territory and a chance to at least edge closer.

Instead, the Steelers were able to tie it with 4 seconds before halftime on Rudolph's 29-yard pass to Johnson, who zipped past Bless Austin in coverage for the touchdown - sending the fans decked out in black and gold into a tizzy.

UP NEXT

Steelers: Finish the regular season at NFC North champion Baltimore next Sunday.

Jets: End the season at AFC East rival Buffalo next Sunday.

Jets close season with 13-6 win over playoff-bound Bills

• AP
• Dec 29, 2019

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills can finally look ahead to making their playoff preparations knowing they're headed to Houston next weekend.

For Sam Darnold and the New York Jets (7-9), they have a long but hopeful offseason ahead in believing their 6-2 second-half record has them poised for a better future.

“I promise you, we'll grow from here and we'll get this thing going in the right direction,” Jets center Jonotthan Harrison said after New York closed with a 13-6 win at Buffalo on Sunday. “It was a slow start (to the season). But at the end of the day, finishing the last half of the season 6-2 is huge. ... And that shows a lot about the character of the guys in the locker room.”

Harrison was particularly referring to Darnold, the second-year quarterback who shook off a 1-4 start and a bout of mononucleosis to help the Jets avoid finishing with double-digit losses for what would have been a franchise-worst fourth consecutive year.

In a game with very little on the line for both teams, Darnold hit Jamison Crowder for a 1-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to beat Buffalo's backups.

Even Jets running back Le'Veon Bell saw promise despite finishing a season in which he failed to top 100 yards rushing.

“We're starting to get the ship sailing in the right direction. I think we started finding our groove and finding out exactly what our image is going to be,” said Bell, who had 41 yards rushing and added 36 receiving against Buffalo. “I look forward to the offseason and obviously getting better and getting in crazy shape and building on what we got.”

Buffalo dropped to 10-6 - still the team's best record since an 11-5 finish in 1999 - after resting a majority of their starters following the first quarter. The Bills were already locked in as the AFC's fifth-seeded team. The only unknown was learning they'd be traveling to face the AFC South champion and fourth-seeded Texans in the wild-card playoff after Kansas City defeated the Los Angeles Chargers.

“It's anything can happen. We are in the dance. We know that. We understand that,” said Allen, who played just two series before being replaced by backup Matt Barkley. “At the end of the day, it's playoff football. It's win or go home.???

Allen didn't need reminding his last trip to Houston ended with him spraining his throwing elbow after being sacked in a 20-13 loss in October 2018.

“Yeah, thanks for bringing that up,” said Allen, who wound up missing four games due to the injury.

Much like Darnold, a fellow member of the 2018 first-round draft class of quarterbacks, Allen has shown signs of improvement from last year. Allen finished this season with 20 touchdowns passing, matching the most by a Buffalo player since Tyrod Taylor in 2015. And Allen's 3,089 yards passing were the most in Buffalo since Ryan Fitzpatrick had 3,400 in 2012.

Otherwise, the game was a defensive struggle that befitted the sloppy conditions, with a persistent drizzle falling for most of the afternoon.

With the score tied at 3, and following Jets kicker Sam Ficken missing two of his first three field-goal attempts, Darnold oversaw a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, which he capped by hitting Crowder cutting across the middle on second-and-goal with 13:31 left.

The touchdown was Darnold's 19th of the season, and 36th of his career. He fell one touchdown passing short of matching Joe Namath's record for most by a Jets player in his first two seasons.

The Bills, meanwhile, settled for field goals with Barkley overseeing an offense that began the day minus starters John Brown and Cole Beasley, and with just three receivers active.

Barkley was 18 of 35 for 232 yards with two interceptions and a lost fumble. The lack of chemistry showed on Barkley's second interception with 5:17 remaining. After gaining 45 yards on three plays, Barkley lobbed a pass directed toward T.J. Yeldon only to have the running back turn the wrong way, with the ball easily intercepted by Arthur Maulet.

The turnover led to Ficken hitting a 47-yard field goal to put the Jets up 13-3 with 2:05 left.

INJURIES

The Bills have question marks heading into Houston. Starting cornerback Levi Wallace was carted off the sideline with a right ankle injury. He was hurt when his cleat got caught in the turf in intercepting Darnold's pass that caromed off the back of teammate Taron Johnson's helmet.

Bills right tackle Ty Nsekhe was also carted off the sideline after hurting his ankle on the opening drive of the third quarter. Nsekhe had just returned to the lineup after missing five games with an ankle injury.

Buffalo was so depleted at cornerback, receiver Isaiah McKenzie saw a few snaps on defense in the fourth quarter.

ALEXANDER'S FAREWELL

Bills linebacker Lorenzo Alexander confirmed this will be his last season, but the 36-year-old is more focused on the playoffs.

“Yeah, obviously, that's a decision I made before the season,” the 13-year veteran said when asked if this could have been his final home game. “We still have to play at Houston next week, so my mind hasn't even processed that transition yet.”

Alexander received a memorable send off.

Unbeknownst to him, the Bills had his 11-year-old daughter Zoie sing the national anthem.

“To be able to sing in front of 50,000 people like that, with the confidence, it was cool,” said Alexander, who was joined by his family on the sideline during the anthem. “As a dad, I'm like, ‘Don't forget the words. Don't forget the words.' But she did an excellent job. I know she brought some of the guys to tears."

Dad, included.

The Bills also paid tribute to Alexander by calling time out in the first quarter to allow him to leave the field for one last time in Orchard Park.

GORE MILESTONE

Buffalo Bills running back Frank Gore played his 226th career regular-season game, tying Emmitt Smith for most by a running back in NFL history.

Gore was coming off his first career game in which he had no yards from scrimmage. Starting in place of rookie Devin Singletary, the 36-year-old Gore was limited to playing the first half in which he finished with six carries for 26 yards and three catches for 16.

UP NEXT

Jets: Season over.

Bills: AFC wild-card playoff at Houston.

Jets add to receiver corps by signing former first-round pick Josh Doctson

Doctson was the No. 22 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft

Jets sign Breshad Perriman to one-year deal, per report

The Jets lose out on Robby Anderson, but sign Perriman as his replacement

11. Jets, OT Mekhi Becton, Louisville

Grade: B. Here's the thing on Becton, he's a freak athletically. He has a tendency to get really heavy and that's a concern. If he can keep his weight in check and be dedicated to his craft, he's going to be a good football player.

59) Denzel Mims WR, BAYLOR

Height: 6-3, Weight: 207

Jets go WR after OT in Round 1. Mims aced the pre-draft process. Best combine performance among WRs. Circus-grab specialist. Serious speed. Good YAC. More of a linear athlete than super twitchy. Physical blocker. Great addition for Sam Darnold. (

68) Ashtyn Davis S, CAL

Height: 6-1, Weight: 202

Injured during the pre-draft process, but he's an impact safety with serious speed and range from center field. Hits like a linebacker. Good instincts too. Smooth athlete. Maybe insurance if Jamal Adams is moved?

79) Jabari Zuniga EDGE, FLA

Height: 6-3, Weight: 264

All the talent is there for Zuniga. Freaky burst. Good length. Just way behind in the pass-rush move department and doesn't move people. Jets needed more instant impact on the edge

120) Lamical Perine RB, FLA

Height: 5-11, Weight: 216

Perine does everything well, just really lacks a superb trait. Efficient cuts. Some flashes of awesome contact balance, but not consistent. Moments of long speed. Vision lacking slightly. Plus receiving skill. Adequate backup to Le'Veon Bell.

125) James Morgan QB, FIU

Height: 6-4, Weight: 229

Morgan has an NFL arm and a gun-slinger mentality. But that combination gets him into trouble much more often than it helps him. Accuracy is average. Jets needed backup quarterback but at this range it should still be about building around Sam Darnold.

129) Cameron Clark OL, CHARLO

Height: 6-5, Weight: 308

Clark is a masher who plays with freaky torque and will displace people in the run game. Finishes in pass protection too. Probably not athletic enough for offensive tackle. Could be a punishing guard. Love the emphasis on the offensive line for New York

158) Bryce Hall CB, UVA

Height: 6-1, Weight: 202

Had Hall left for the NFL last year, at worst would've been second-round pick. Length for days, high-level instincts. Average athlete with good, not great speed. Ultra-disruptive on the outside. Jets get much-needed CB help.

191) Braden Mann P, TXAM

Height: 5-11, Weight: 198

Mann has a booming leg but this is a punter for a team in need of more pieces at other more valuable positions.


The New York Jets traded pick No. 211 to the Indianapolis Colts for cornerback Quincy Wilson.

New York Jets

• Lamar Jackson, CB, Nebraska
• Javelin Guidry Jr., CB, Utah

Frank Gore, the NFL's third all-time leading rusher, is signing a one-year deal with the Jets, his agent Drew Rosenhaus told ESPN. Gore, who will turn 37 years old in May, will reunite with Jets head coach Adam Gase, who was Gore's head coach during his lone season with the Dolphins back in 2018.

A member of the NFL's 2010s All-Decade Team, Gore will join a Jets backfield that already includes Le'Veon Bell, a three-time Pro Bowler who is entering his second season in New York. Earlier this week, Gase told ESPN's "Flight Deck" podcast that the team was hoping to lighten Bell's workload in 2020. The addition of Gore, who rushed for 599 yards and two touchdowns for the Bills last season, will certainly help disperse the workload as it relates to the Jets' backfield for the 2020 season.