Jets pull off comeback for the ages ... and still find a way to lose against Bucs

TAMPA — The Jets looked dead for much of Sunday afternoon. It felt like the game was over after Tyrod Taylor — starting in place of the injured Justin Fields — threw a pick-6 in the final moments of the first half to put them in a 14-point hole. They went into the fourth-quarter down by 17.

And even when they scored back-to-back touchdowns to pull within six points in the final four minutes, it never felt as if they were going to win this game. Especially as Tampa Bay lined up for a short field goal at the two-minute warning.

And then it happened: Will McDonald blocked the field goal and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown. Somehow, the Jets were leading.

The 17-point comeback would have been their greatest overcome deficit in a win since 2001, when they beat the Dolphins after trailing by the same deficit (matching the third largest comeback in franchise history). That game was known as the Monday Night Miracle. And this escape would have been worthy of a moniker.

All the Jets had to do was get a stop. But they couldn’t. The defense let the Bucs drive 48 yards in seven plays (the highlights were a 28-yard pass to Emeka Egbuka and a 20-yard pass to Sterling Shepard) for Cade McLaughlin’s game-winning, 36-yard field goal as time expired.

Bucs 29, Jets 27.

It was a valiant fight on a day the Jets were mostly dominated. But it was another loss for first year coach Aaron Glenn, and the Jets are now 0-3 and staring another lost season in the face before the start of October.

Cause for concern

The Bucs picked on cornerback Sauce Gardner all afternoon, and it proved to be a sound strategy. And a bad day got worse at the end, when Gardner left the game with a head injury in the final 10 minutes. (He returned in the final minutes, however.)

The Jets’ defense has been struggling all season. And while they had an OK day against the Bucs, the fact that Mayfield was able to go after him and find success (most notably, with a 27-yard catch to rookie Emeka Egbuka), is something to watch because other teams might emulate it. The Dolphins weapons showed some signs of getting it going on Thursday night against the Bills, and with the Jets traveling to Miami next Monday night it will be interesting to see how they attack the Jets.

Key injury

Starting linebacker Quincy Williams was clearly in pain late in the second quarter when he went down with a shoulder injury: his brother, Quinnen, watched closely as he was tended to on the field. And it was ominous when Quincy Williams jogged back to the locker room before halftime and did not reemerge when the Jets came out for the third quarter. And it wasn’t long before the Jets ruled him out with the shoulder injury.

Williams has struggled with some tackling issues in 2025, but he’s still one of the most explosive and speedy players on the defense. And if he’s out for any future games it will be another huge issue for Glenn to overcome in his first year on the job.

Marco Sturm has troubling quote after Boston Bruins preseason loss to Capitals

If this is going to continue, it could be a long year in Boston.

Sunday night was not the way that the Boston Bruins wanted to begin the preseason, a 5-2 loss to the Washington Capitals. Sure, it's the first game after just three days of on-ice practices, and it was a roster mixed with veterans expected to be on the Opening Night roster and some players who will begin the season with the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL).

When the dust settled on the 60 minutes, after allowing four first-period goals, the Black and Gold played even with Washington over the final 40 minutes. However, arguably their best line was their fourth line, and in the overall big picture, it's not a good sign.

Marco Sturm praises Bruins' fourth line against Capitals

Against the Capitals, first-year coach Marco Sturm had Patrick Brown, Riley Duran, and Jeffrey Viel as his bottom line, and they stuck out in a good way. They were relentless on the forecheck, they won battles, and Brown scored the second Boston goal in the second period.

“I really liked our fourth line. They were our best line,” Sturm said. “They worked really hard, brought us some energy. They were buzzing around and did exactly what I wanted them to do.”

The problem is, when your fourth line is your best line, well then, it should raise some flags. It should raise more flags when your fourth line is made up of players who won't be on your roster on Oct. 8 in the season opener in Washington. They'll be in the AHL with Mikey Eyssimont, Sean Kuraly, and Mark Kastelic, unless an injury pops up, making up the fourth line.

Offense is going to be an issue for the Bruins this year, it seems, and the only other goal was scored by Morgan Geekie in the first period when he hammered home a loose puck from the top of the slot. Again, it was just one preseason game, but for a team that struggled to score last year and expected to do so again in 2025-26, you need your top three lines also to make a big impact, and that wasn't the case. We'll see if that changes on Tuesday night in New York against the Rangers in the Black and Gold's second preseason game.

 

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