How Zach Wilson and the Jets tied the game up against the Giants (Part 2)

Yesterday we broke down the start of the desperation drive the New York Jets put together to tie the game against the New York Giants at the end of regulation in their Week 8 win.

Now we move to the exciting conclusion, the 29 yard pass from Zach Wilson to Allen Lazard that set up the game-tying field goal.

Simply put, this play was all Zach Wilson.

At the snap, Dexter Lawrence quickly dismantles Xavier Newman.

When there’s immediate pressure up the middle, all plans for a passing concept are off. It tends to become schoolyard football.

Wilson does a nice job avoiding the pressure by moving to his right.

Lazard sees the duress and sticks his hand up, indicating he is willing to break off his route. There isn’t much separation, but the defender has outside leverage, leaving plenty of room to the inside. This is where Wilson needs to put the ball.

He makes an excellent throw on the run against his body to the spot the ball needs to be. This was the kind of play the Jets dreamed of Zach Wilson making when they drafted him. His mobility and arm take over on a play that should have gone nowhere.

Just as important is what happened after the play. The Jets were out of timeouts when Lazard was tackled with 9 seconds left.

He smartly got up and gave the ball to Newman to spot quickly. The full team got up to the line for Zach Wilson to spike the ball and stop the clock with 1 second left. This gave Greg Zuerlein a chance to try a field goal.

The Jets saw the clock run out on them in a similar situation a few weeks earlier in Denver. Perhaps that failure led the coaching staff to emphasize end of half/game situations in practice. It is possible that the failure against the Broncos helped the Jets save the game against the Giants.