Winners, losers as Jets defeat Texans on Thursday Night Football

MetLife Stadium has been a house of horrors for both New York football teams this season. So, it was a fitting setting for a Halloween matchup.

And it was pretty scary to watch what was an ugly first half between the New York Jets and Houston Texans on Thursday Night Football.

But then Aaron Rodgers was able to connect with star receivers Garrett Wilson and Davante Adams, and the Jets defense applied constant pressure on C.J. Stroud, as the Jets defeated the Texans 21-13 to snap a five-game losing streak.

Here are the winners and losers from the NFL’s first game of Week 9.

Winner: Garrett Wilson

Garrett Wilson was Odell Beckham Jr. for Halloween.

The Jets wide receiver made an incredible off-balance, one-handed catch for a touchdown in the very stadium where OBJ made his iconic grab a decade ago. The third-down pass was initially ruled incomplete, but replay showed that Wilson's shin landed in-bounds, giving the Jets a 14-10 lead with 12:54 remaining. It was Wilson's second touchdown of the game, after the Jets were held scoreless in the first half. He finished with nine catches for 90 yards.

Loser: C.J. Stroud

Sound the sophomore slump alarm.

That might be a little premature considering C.J. Stroud was playing without his top two targets, and was under heavy pressure all night. But he was held under 200 passing yards for the third time in his last four games, completing just 11 of 30 passes for 191 yards. He went without a touchdown and was sacked eight times, with Micheal Clemons and Jamien Sherwood each getting to him twice.

Winner: Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams

Just like they used to do it back at Lambeau Field.

Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams linked up for their first touchdown pass since 2021, connecting for a 37-yard score late in the fourth quarter to give the Jets a 21-10 lead. It was Adams' first touchdown as a Jet since being acquired in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders earlier this month. Adams, who briefly left the game while being evaluated for a concussion, finished with seven catches for 91 yards.

Rodgers went a second-straight game without an interception after throwing seven in his first eight games. He completed 22 of 32 passes for 211 yards and had his first three-touchdown game as a Jet.

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🚨RODGERS TO ADAMS TOUCHDOWN 🚨#HOUvsNYJ on @NFLonPrime pic.twitter.com/e2Mpue8pp8

— New York Jets (@nyjets) November 1, 2024

Loser: Malachi Corley

Malachi Corley will never forget his first career "touchdown."

The Jets' rookie wide receiver cruised into the end zone untouched after a 19-yard reverse and began celebrating what appeared to be his first career touchdown. But replay showed that he let go of the ball before crossing the goal line, leading to a touchback that took the touchdown off the board and gave possession to the Texans. What appeared to be Corley's first career touchdown instead became his first career fumble.

Winner: Tank Dell

The Texans have a new No. 1 target.

They were playing without their top two wide receivers with Stefon Diggs out for the season with a torn ACL and Nico Collins on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. Tank Dell took a big leap up the depth chart and produced like a first option, with six catches for 126 yards. Dell, a third-round pick in the 2023, entered the game with 24 catches for 229 yards in seven games this season.

Winner: Jeff Ulbrich

The Jets' interim head coach has a game ball coming his way.

Jeff Ulbrich, the team's defensive coordinator, took over for the fired Robert Saleh on Oct. 8., but the Jets went on to drop their next three games to extend their losing streak to five. That streak came to an end Thursday with a victory over a Texans team that had won four of their last five games.

Winner: Trick-or-Treaters

If you went trick-or-treating during the first half of the game, you didn't miss much and you were able to enjoy a bunch of candy during the much-more entertaining second half.