By Ben Fractenberg
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — The Jets barely scraped together a victory over the Detroit Lions Sunday in a game that had Gang Green supporters swinging from deep frustration to ecstasy after the Jets scored a field goal in overtime.
The team was down 10-20 early in the fourth quarter, but thanks to some undisciplined play by the Lions managed to claw their way back with a second touchdown at the 2:46 minute mark of the game, leaving them on top with a 23-20 win.
With Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford sidelined with a recurring shoulder injury, Detroit made a strange call on a play that had fill-in Drew Stanton pass instead of running down the clock. Stanton fumbled a pass to Jerome Fulton, leaving the Jets enough time to get close enough to kick a field goal.
The Jets were helped along by a late hit by Detroit's Julian Peterson after Santonio Holmes caught the ball on the sidelines. That helped tie the score and send it into overtime, where the Jets immediately scored a field goal.
"Long as there’s time on the clock, there’s a chance," Santonio Holmes told the New York Post. "And all of a sudden you look up, and it’s us 23 and them 20, and you just thank whoever you have to thank and head back to the locker room."
The Jets are in first-place again after the New England Patriots lost to the Cleveland Browns.
"Obviously, we feel fortunate we got the win," Coach Rex Ryan told the Daily News. "But we don't care. We got the win. We'll take it. That's what good teams do. Find a way to win."
