A New York Jets rookie wide receiver had a chance to break a scoreless stalemate in Thursday night’s football game, only to botch it in truly spectacular fashion.
In the second quarter of the contest, wide receiver Malachi Corley, a third-round pick of the Jets out of Western Kentucky, took the first handoff of his NFL career on a late-game finish.
Corley was able to run into the end zone to break the scoreless deadlock and give the Jets a 6-0 lead.
At least that’s how it seemed at first.
Upon further review, it was discovered that as Corley was running toward the end zone, he began celebrating prematurely, dropping the ball just short of the goal line.
Jets wide receiver Malachi Corley dropped the ball short of the goal line and turned it over.
To make matters even worse, the ball managed to roll from the one yard line to the back of the end zone.
Officials reviewed the tape and overturned the touchdown, ruling it a fumble and a touchback that gave the ball to the Texans.
After the game, Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers addressed the mistake: ‘They took a touchdown off the board for us. Dumb play… we said we were going to score 28-30. Tonight I count it as 28 even though the scoreboard says 21.’
Jets head coach Jeff Ulbrich said, “To be honest, I was definitely frustrated and angry at the same time, but what an incredible opportunity for this kid to grow and learn.” “I promise you that in 10 years, when I’m still playing in this league, that will never happen again.”
At the half, the Jets trailed 7-0 after Texans running back Joe Mixon was able to break through for a score.
But surprisingly, they found a way to get back into the game and beat Houston 21-13 for their third win of the year.
That was thanks in part to a spectacular catch by Garrett Wilson, who made a one-handed hurdle to spark the victory.
The Jets had been struggling this season, despite having one of their most talented rosters in years, and entered their season 2-6 on Thursday. Now, they moved to 3-6 and snapped a five-game skid in the process.