Jets sack Deshaun Watson eight times, defeat Browns to snap three-game skid

The weather was nasty, the game was sloppy and ugly, but for the Jets, the result was beautiful.

They rebounded from their awful performance in Chicago the previous week and pulled out a gritty, much-needed win in the pouring rain, snapping a three-game losing streak with a 17-12 victory over the Cleveland Browns at MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

“We knew the weather was going to be ugly, was going to be [expletive],” receiver Garrett Wilson said. “That’s MetLife, it rains up here. We’re ready for it. To get a win in it, it’s big.”

If the Jets hadn’t been opportunistic when it mattered and hadn’t come back in the fourth quarter and won this game, it probably would not have been a good week for Aaron Glenn.

Four straight losses would have lit a match under Glenn’s seemingly already warm seat. But it turned out to be a great day for him. His players rallied around his words and the Jets improved to 2-3.

Glenn preached “finish strong” all week. Before facing Chicago, the Jets lost two straight games by giving up points on the final possession. They didn’t let that happen on Sunday, ending the Browns’ winning streak at three games.

“I’m very proud of the way we handled the adversity from the last few weeks and were able to come out today and finish strong,” running back Braelon Allen said.

Allen scored the go-ahead touchdown, bouncing outside for a 22-yard score with 3:01 left. It was up to the defense from there to make two stands. Glenn’s defense, maligned after allowing Chicago to run 89 plays last week, stood up and sealed the victory.

The Jets sacked Deshaun Watson eight times, getting to him on first down on the next-to-last series and again on Watson’s final drop-back of the game. Will McDonald sacked him on fourth-and-11 from Cleveland’s 19, forced a fumble and recovered it with 44 seconds left.

“Our guys fought and we finished,” Glenn said. “These men did a really good job of responding.”

Geno Smith completed 17 of 30 passes for 182 yards, including a 32-yard touchdown pass to Wilson, who had seven catches for 104 yards. Allen, starting for the injured Breece Hall (quadriceps) for the second straight game, gained 116 yards on 24 carries.

Rookie David Bailey, the No. 2 pick in the 2026 draft, had his most disruptive day, recording three sacks in a breakout game.

“It felt good to know that I’m able to do this and compete at the highest level,” Bailey said. “I’m proud of the D-line. I’m proud of the defense as a whole.”

Watson was 15-for-33 for 155 yards, including a 29-yard touchdown pass to Denzel Boston with 6:15 remaining that gave the Browns a 12-10 lead.

Former Jet Quincy Williams had a big game in his MetLife Stadium return. He finished with 11 tackles and three forced fumbles.

Leading 7-6 in the third quarter, the Jets had an opportunity to extend their lead. They drove into the red zone but ended up giving up the ball.

On third down from the Cleveland 11, Smith threw it to Kenyon Sadiq, but he fumbled after a hard hit by Williams. The Browns recovered at their own 7 and Sadiq left the game with a concussion.

After the defense forced a three-and-out, the Jets extended their lead to 10-6 on Jason Sanders’ 54-yard field goal.

The defense made another big stand on the next series after allowing a 30-yard reception by Isaiah Bond that gave Cleveland the ball at the Jets’ 45. Jarvis Brownlee, who was beaten by Bond on the play, sacked Watson for a 10-yard loss and Bailey added a third-down sack.

The Jets’ defense finally broke on the next possession. Watson scrambled 20 yards to the Jets’ 29, and three plays later, he connected with Boston on a 29-yard touchdown pass that made it 12-10 with 6:15 left. Andre Szymt missed the extra point.

Smith led the Jets into Browns territory on the ensuing trip, but his fumble on first down from the 39 was recovered by Cleveland’s Adin Huntington at the Jets’ 45.

The Jets forced a three-and-out and the Browns botched the punt, with the snap sailing over punter Corey Bojorquez’s head. Jets linebacker Trevin Wallace recovered it at the Browns’ 23, and on third-and-9, Allen took the handoff, made a move outside and saw nothing but green in front of him.

“I was just really hyped during the play,” he said. “Once I broke past the first level, I knew it was over. When the play came in, I was a little surprised. I wasn’t expecting [offensive coordinator Frank Reich] to run the ball when he called it. I was glad he did — and it worked.”

And Glenn’s defense made it stand up by finishing.

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.