Jets' Gardner dons cheesehead; Lazard intercepts

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The astonishing New York Jets enjoyed their 27-10 win implicit the Green Bay Packers truthful overmuch that they decided to partake successful a mates of section traditions connected Sunday. They took a Lambeau Leap and celebrated the upset by donning a cheesehead, overmuch to the chagrin of a Packers player.

It was rookie cornerback Sauce Gardner who wore the cheesehead, a acquisition from an ecstatic Jets instrumentality successful the crowd. As helium strutted disconnected the tract and to the passageway -- the incorrect tunnel, arsenic it turned retired -- Gardner was caught from behind, truthful to speak, by Allen Lazard. The Packers wide receiver knocked Gardner's artifact (of cheese) off, creating a infinitesimal that went viral connected societal media.

"I'm decidedly ne'er going to hide this moment," Gardner said, laughing astatine his locker. "It's a tribute to the Jets fans. They enactment successful connected my head, the Jets fans. I conscionable had to instrumentality it and tally with it."

Lazard took it well, complimenting Gardner connected his crippled and his nickname ("Sauce, that's a chill name") and insisting helium wasn't bothered by the rookie's gesture.

"It's conscionable a small competitory spirit," Lazard said. "Nothing excessively harmful successful that facet oregon anything. I'm definite helium astir apt would've done the aforesaid happening if I was wearing a Jets chapeau oregon helmet walking disconnected their field, truthful that's conscionable the competitiveness successful me. No disrespect to him."

The corny infinitesimal capped different convincing triumph for the Jets, who turned a 3-3 halftime people into a one-sided 2nd half. The Jets sacked Aaron Rodgers 4 times and deed him 9 times; they outrushed Green Bay 179 yards to 60; and they became the archetypal squad since 2018 to artifact a tract extremity and a punt successful the aforesaid crippled -- scoring connected the latter.

Who could've envisioned this? The Jets won their 3rd consecutive and improved to 4-2 for the archetypal clip since 2015, winning successful convincing manner for the 2nd week successful a row. This benignant of happening usually doesn't hap to the Jets. In fact, it was lone the 2nd clip successful the past 20 years that they won by astatine slightest 17 points successful back-to-back games.

The Jets became lone the 2nd squad successful the Super Bowl epoch to person a winning grounds done six games contempt being an underdog successful each six games, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. The different was the 2001 Cleveland Browns.

"We judge we tin beryllium arsenic large arsenic immoderate squad successful this league," New York antiaircraft tackle Sheldon Rankins said, adding however the Jets are "showing the remainder of this satellite that this is not conscionable a squad you tin constitute disconnected oregon a squad that, 'Oh, possibly they'll beryllium bully successful a fewer years.' No, we're coming to triumph close now."

Once again, the Jets were led by rookie moving backmost Breece Hall, who rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown. He came became lone the 2nd rookie successful franchise past to grounds astatine slightest 100 yards from scrimmage successful consecutive games. He scored connected a 34-yard misdirection play to enactment the Jets up 24-10 astatine the commencement of the 4th quarter.

He decided to instrumentality a Lambeau Leap. When successful Green Bay ...

"We really had each talked astir it earlier the game," Hall said. "We were like, whichever 1 of america scores, we've got to bash the Lambeau Leap. Braxton [Berrios] got the archetypal one, but I don't deliberation determination were immoderate Jets fans connected the broadside helium scored."

Berrios gave the Jets a 10-3 pb connected a 20-yard reverse, a gadget play that seemed to drawback the discourtesy retired of its doldrums. None of it was pretty, arsenic the Jets finished with 99 nett passing yards and converted lone 1 of 11 3rd downs. They became the archetypal squad to triumph with lone 1 third-down conversion and less than 100 nett passing yards, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

But the Jets kept grinding, wearing down the favored Packers (3-3) contempt a mediocre show from backmost Zach Wilson (10-for-18 passing, 110 yards).

New York manager Robert Saleh tried to downplay the value of the victory, saying, "I'll beryllium honest: It doesn't mean anything. Just similar a nonaccomplishment wouldn't person meant anything. I've said it before: We've got to commencement expecting worldly similar this."

As Jets cornerback D.J. Reed said, "I deliberation we're conscionable getting started. We're 3-0 connected the road. That speaks volumes to everybody buying in. ... You decidedly consciousness the confidence. Winning is becoming normal. It's expected, really."

New York's defence took implicit the game, particularly tackle Quinnen Williams, who registered 2 sacks, a forced fumble and a blocked tract goal. The Jets sensed that Rodgers was rattled passim the contest, arsenic helium was victimized by six drops.

"He was decidedly frustrated," Rankins said. "That's what we wanted to see. That's our nonsubjective each week, to piss disconnected each backmost we enactment up against successful a smart, dominant, convulsive way. I deliberation we were palmy successful doing that."