by: D’Andre McKenzie 9/20/2026
The New York Jets appeared to have their first signature victory of the season within reach Sunday afternoon. Instead, penalties, questionable decisions and poor special teams execution allowed the Green Bay Packers to escape MetLife Stadium with a 20–17 overtime victory.
Trey Smack delivered the winning points with a 26-yard field goal, completing Green Bay’s comeback from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit.
This was the Jets’ first home game of the season. New York entered the afternoon 1–0 after defeating the Tennessee Titans, while Green Bay arrived at 0–1. Jets fans were optimistic about the possibility of a 2–0 start, but they also understood that the Packers represented the team’s first real test against quality competition.
Intermittent rain contributed to a rugged opening quarter in which neither offense scored. Both quarterbacks struggled to establish a rhythm, and penalties repeatedly interrupted the flow of the game.
Green Bay finally broke through with 9:35 remaining in the second quarter when Jordan Love connected with Marshawn Lloyd for a six-yard touchdown. The Jets answered less than four minutes later when Braelon Allen scored on a five-yard run, sending the teams into halftime tied at 7–7.
The first half was far from clean. New York ran considerably more plays than Green Bay, but the Jets struggled to turn that activity into points. The quarterback play was inconsistent on both sides, and neither team looked particularly sharp.
The Jets finally took control in the third quarter. Geno Smith found Garrett Wilson for a five-yard touchdown with five minutes remaining, giving New York a 14–7 advantage.
Jason Sanders extended the lead with a 32-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter. With 11:04 remaining, the Jets were ahead 17–7 and appeared to be in an excellent position to close the game.
They could not finish it.
Green Bay marched down the field and cut into the deficit when Love connected with Christian Watson for a three-yard touchdown. The Packers’ special teams unit also continued to outperform New York’s throughout the afternoon. With the Jets unable to put the game away, Smack tied it with a 34-yard field goal with 2:59 remaining.
One of the game’s defining moments came on a fourth-and-one attempt by the Jets. Breece Hall was not on the field, and New York ran a shotgun handoff to Allen. Green Bay stopped him short of the first down.
Had the Jets converted, they would have had a realistic opportunity to move into field-goal range and potentially win the game in regulation. Instead, the failed attempt became the moment when the game truly began to slip away.
New York received the ball first in overtime but produced very little and quickly gave possession back to Green Bay. The Packers then drove into scoring range with help from another costly Jets penalty. Smack finished the comeback with his 26-yard game-winning kick.
The final statistics make the Jets’ loss even more frustrating.
New York outgained Green Bay 285–199, including a 218–136 advantage through the air and a 67–63 edge on the ground. The Jets ran 72 plays compared with only 50 for the Packers and controlled possession for 37 minutes and 40 seconds. Green Bay held the ball for just 26 minutes and 57 seconds.
The Jets also committed no turnovers, while the Packers gave the ball away once.
Looking only at the stat sheet, it would be reasonable to assume that New York won the game. The Jets controlled possession, gained nearly 100 more yards and ran 22 more plays. None of it was enough.
Penalties played a significant role. New York accumulated 156 penalty yards, but the Jets cannot simply blame the officials. Green Bay was also heavily penalized, finishing with 133 penalty yards and committing more total penalties. Both teams played poorly. The Packers simply took better advantage of their opponent’s mistakes.
Special teams may have been the biggest difference. Green Bay consistently performed well in that phase of the game, while New York’s coverage unit struggled. Those hidden yards, combined with the Jets’ lack of discipline and questionable late-game play calling, helped decide the outcome.
Jets fans were understandably furious afterward. Standing in the rain after watching their team surrender a 10-point fourth-quarter lead only added insult to injury. It was a familiar type of loss for a fan base that has experienced this pain far too many times.
If the Jets truly want to turn over a new leaf with Geno Smith at quarterback, they must learn how to win games like this. Changing a losing culture requires closing out winnable games, making disciplined decisions under pressure and executing when the result is on the line.
The Jets were in an excellent position to begin the season 2–0. Instead, they allowed another potential signature victory to disappear.
Green Bay should not leave MetLife feeling overly confident, either. The Packers played a poor game and were fortunate to escape with a victory. They deserve credit for capitalizing on New York’s mistakes, but both teams leave the afternoon at 1–1 with plenty of unanswered questions.
Next week, the Jets travel to face the Detroit Lions as 6.5-point underdogs. The Packers will host the 0–2 Atlanta Falcons on Thursday Night Football as six-point favorites.
For New York, the mission is clear. The Jets need a signature victory, something they have not earned in a long time. Until they learn how to finish games like this one, their fans will continue wondering whether this season is truly different or simply more of the same.