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Jets Defeat Falcons as Special Teams, Adonai Mitchell Take Flight

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Coming into this week, the Jets had a rather unfavorable two-week skid. They lost mostly embarrassing games to the Patriots and Ravens. They weren’t projected to have any chance to win those games anyway, as they were double-digit underdogs in both games. However, this week was a winnable game. The Falcons have been skidding harder than the Jets of late, dropping five of their last six since their major upset of the Buffalo Bills. Winnable it certainly was, as the Jets took advantage of the free-falling Falcons and picked up their third win of the 2025 campaign.

Jets Defeat Falcons as Special Teams, Adonai Mitchell Take Flight

The Rundown

Despite the Falcons’ recent struggles, this was not a walk-in-the-park win for the Jets. The game started with four straight punts. However, on the fourth punt, the Jets came up with their second turnover of the season after Falcons returner Jamal Agnew muffed it. One play later, Breece Hall punched it in for the score. After that, it was back to the punt-fest as the next four drives all ended in punts. On their last drive before halftime, the Falcons finally got on the board with a Tyler Allgeier touchdown run. This capped off a methodical 10-play, 62-yard drive. At this point, Tyrod Taylor only had 37 passing yards, and Breece Hall only had 32 rushing yards.

This game broke open for both sides in the second half. After the Jets received the second-half kickoff and punted it away, the Falcons orchestrated yet another scoring drive. This time, it was capped off by Bijan Robinson, who accounted for almost half of the Falcons’ offensive yardage by himself in this game. The score did not stay 14-7 Falcons for long, though, as Tyrod Taylor heaved a 52-yard touchdown pass to Adonai Mitchell on the second play of the very next drive. That was Mitchell’s first NFL touchdown, and it came in his best game as a pro. He tallied eight catches for 102 yards and a touchdown today.

The rest of the third quarter consisted of each team exchanging missed field goals. Then, Zane Gonzalez made up for his mistake to end the third quarter, making the score 17-14 Falcons.

The Jets started off the fourth quarter with Nick Folk making up for his first missed field goal of 2025, tying the game. Following this, each team went on long touchdown drives. The Falcons capped theirs off with wide receiver Davis Sills V taking a screen pass into the end zone. The Jets capped theirs off with a Tyrod Taylor scramble for a touchdown. Then, the Jets’ defense stepped up, forcing the Falcons to punt on their last two drives of the game. This allowed Tyrod Taylor and the Jets offense to go down the field, leading to the game-winning field goal. The Jets won their third game with a score of 24-27.

Special Teams Proved to be the Key to Victory

I think it’s safe to say the Jets have the best all-around special teams in the NFL, and they showed why today. Starting with field goals, Nick Folk is currently hitting at a 95.6% rate, which is second only to 49ers kicker Eddy Piñeiro. He has been a gem this year, and ultimately won the game with his leg today (albeit barely). Next, the return game was spectacular today. It may not have led to a touchdown, but Isaiah Williams had an 83-yard kick return that just looked perfect. The hole the blockers created and his legit straight-line speed were an incredible combination in that moment.

Finally, the star of the show, Austin McNamara, had yet another incredible game. He had six punts for 296 total yards, which is an average of 49.3. Out of these six punts, three of them pinned the Falcons inside their own 20. His longest was a booming 55-yard punt, which came late in the game. This successfully flipped the field for the Jets, as McNamara punted it from inside the Jets’ 20-yard line all the way to the Falcons’ own 32-yard line. Incredible day from this unit.

Adonai Mitchell, Welcome to the NFL

Adonai Mitchell has arrived. As I mentioned earlier, he finished this game with eight catches for 102 yards and a touchdown. That touchdown was a 52-yard bomb from Tyrod Taylor. Mitchell’s performance is something the Jets have been missing this season due to a combination of quarterback play and the Garrett Wilson injuries. Mitchell looked open almost all the time, and this defense is no slouch. Mitchell is just the third wide receiver to tally 100 yards against Jeff Ulbrich’s defense.

This game could go a long way into not only solidifying his spot on the roster next year, but he could be high on the pecking order as well. All of a sudden, a trio of Garrett Wilson, Adonai Mitchell, and John Metchie III with a rookie QB in 2026 looks really attractive. Darren Mougey made a great call in getting him in the Sauce Gardner trade.

Looking Forward

In Week 14, the Jets will matchup against division rivals the Miami Dolphins. They just got a close win against the Saints. The Jets have already suffered a loss to Miami this year, but the team looks much different now. No more Sauce Gardner, Quinnen Williams, or Justin Fields. This seems like yet another winnable game for the Jets, but it could go either way.

The post Jets Defeat Falcons as Special Teams, Adonai Mitchell Take Flight appeared first on Last Word on NFL.