Garrett Wilson’s one-handed TD grab leaves Jets stunned

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ — Trailing in the fourth quarter, his team’s season teetering on the edge, wide receiver Garrett Wilson OBJ 2.0 — delivered a spectacular one-handed catch in the end zone that propelled the New York Jets to a 21-13 victory over the Houston Texans on Thursday night at MetLife Stadium.

Wilson’s 26-yard touchdown, his second of the game, was the talk of a jubilant locker room after the game. Some players said it reminded them of Odell Beckham Jr.’s iconic catch for the New York Giants 10 years ago in the same stadium (same end zone, different side).

Others described it as Michael Jordan-esque. In fact, Wilson resembled — in the air — the Jumpman logo, with his legs split and right hand high in the air as he caught Aaron Rodgers’ third-and-21 pass in front of Texans cornerback Kamari Lassiter.

“He looked like he was Jordan,” defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw said. “Incredible.”

Originally ruled incomplete because Wilson only got one foot down, the Jets won a replay challenge after officials ruled his left shin landed inbounds in the back of the end zone. Based on the rules, one shin is equal to two feet.

“Oh, my goodness,” interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said. “I mean, I was talking to the ref when they called it. I’m like, ‘Just for posterity’s sake, let it go, just so it goes down in history.’ It would rival the Odell catch. It was amazing.”

Wide receiver Davante Adams said he didn’t see the replay until after the game. He joked with Wilson about the catch, saying it looked so much like the Jumpman logo that he might have to change his affiliation.

“I told him he might get fired from Adidas after that one,” Adams said. “The one that looked like he was going over the Jumpman with me. We’ll see. I’ll talk to some people about it. I’m not going to say they’re going to replace the logo because Mike didn’t like me saying that, but it was a tough catch.”

Not only was it acrobatic, but it was important as the Jets (3-6) snapped a five-game losing streak to preserve their faint playoff hopes. After a terrible first half, the Jets scored a touchdown on their final three drives to pull out a virtual must-win.

Wilson, who had a critical drop in a Week 7 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, finished with nine catches for 90 yards. His first touchdown, a 21-yarder, was also a one-handed grab. That was nice, too, but his second touchdown could turn out to be a turning point in the season.

“I thought, ‘That’s a good one, that’s a good one. And it’s got to count,'” Wilson said. “I remember telling them all, I’m like, ‘Y’all are gassing me up too soon. This is going to count, I’all, let’s chill.’ When it spoke, I was like, ‘Yeah, okay, now you can tell me anything’.”

Wilson was 14 years old when Beckham made his legendary catch against the Dallas Cowboys. Wilson was at his family’s home in Texas watching with his father.

“Man, the Odells, that was different,” he said. “He came down two yards. The ball was going to go out of bounds and it was Odell, man. It was Odell against the Cowboys. That was the one. So for this to even come up in that meeting, I’m blessed. I’m honored.”

Wilson’s touchdown gave the Jets a 14-10 lead with 12:54 left in the fourth quarter. The clincher came when Rodgers (22-for-32, 211 yards) threw his third touchdown pass, this one a 37-yarder to Adams — his first receiving touchdown since being traded by the Las Vegas Raiders.

Rodgers admitted he was “terrible” in the first half, throwing for just 32 yards, matching a career low. The low point came when rookie wide receiver Malachi Corley, on his first NFL carry, fumbled the ball out of the end zone for a touchback — a big miss.

Corley, who got the ball on a jet sweep, had a clear path to the end zone but dropped the ball before crossing the goal line. He celebrated as if he had scored his first touchdown, but a replay review confirmed he was short.

Rodgers called it a “silly” play. Corley didn’t stick to talking about it, leaving before the media was allowed in the locker room. Ulbrich admitted he was “definitely frustrated, to be honest — and angry at the same time. But what a great opportunity for this kid to learn and grow from. I promise you, 10 years from now, when he’s still playing in this league, it will never happen again.”

The Jets trailed after a sloppy and lethargic first half, but then Wilson scored. And scored again, with a catch they will talk about for a long time.

“Yeah, it’s up there,” Wilson said. “Just considering the stage is on — it’s in the NFL. But when I was in Little League, man, I used to have some catches now. Really, bro. So it felt like I had to go back to those days a little bit.”