With their season on life support, the Jets racked up 8 sacks of C.J. Stroud and got 3 TD passes from Aaron Rodgers – 2 of which were of the highlight reel variety from Garrett Wilson – in a 21-13 win over the Houston Texans on Thursday night at MetLife Stadium. The Jets moved to 3-6 with the win while the AFC-South leading Texans fell to 6-3.

Wilson gave the Jets a lead in the fourth quarter with what could certainly be the catch of the year in the NFL.

In a low-scoring-Halloween affair, in the fourth quarter, Wilson stuck his right mitt up on a third-and-19 heave from Aaron Rodgers and snatched the ball with one hand as his left shin landed in bounds down before the knee hit out of bounds. Initially ruled incomplete, the play was reversed after a replay review. The TD and PAT gave the Jets a 14-10 lead.

“I was talking to the ref while they were reviewing and just thought, just for the sake of posterity, you have to say that is in so that it goes down in history,” HC Jeff Ulbrich said. “That grab could rival the Odell [Beckham Jr.] catch. It was amazing. I thought because of his shin it was close enough to challenge and thankfully they got it right.”

Fellow receiver Davante Adams, who led the team with 91 receiving yards, sealed the victory on the Jets’ next possession, coming off Ka’imi Fairbairn’s missed 27-yard field goal. Adams, who missed time in the beginning of the fourth quarter when he was evaluated for a concussion, scored from 37 yards out on third-and-3 to put the home team up 21-10. He lined up in the slot and found space up the sideline, leaving Texans S Jalen Pitre behind.

The Texans kicked a field goal with less than a minute to play, but Adams recovered the onside attempt and the Green & White subsequently lined up in victory formation.

“We came in at halftime and we knew the run game was rolling, and we just came out and tried to establish that,” Ulbrich said. “Once we got that going, it just opened up the pass. It lightened up the box and gave Aaron a chance to operate, and he did what Aaron does.”

Shut out in the first half, the Jets scored on the opening possession in the second half. They marched 70 yards and forced a 7-7 tie on Rodgers’ 21-yard scoring connection to Wilson. Taking a hit in the process, Rodgers took his chances with Wilson and the third-year wideout made a jumping one-handed grab before racing into the end zone. Riley Patterson, signed to the active roster Thursday, knotted things up when his extra point rung off a goalpost and snuck past the crossbar.

The Texans grabbed the lead right back in the third quarter, answering on Fairbairn’s 54-yard strike with 4:52 remaining.

In a microcosm of how things had gone for the Jets during their five-game losing streak, Malachi Corley’s first pro TD went for naught in the second quarter when the rookie dropped the ball before crossing the goal line on an end around. Instead of a 7-0 lead, the Jets defense came onto the field after the touchback with 14:54 remaining in the half.

Later in the second quarter, the Jets failed to take advantage of the fifth-longest punt in franchise history. After Thomas Morstead’s 75-yard boom was downed at the Houston 2, C.J. Stroud led the Texans on a 14-play, 98-yard march that culminated on Joe Mixon’s 2-yard scoring run. Mixon rushed for 91 yards in the first half on 17 carries and finished with 106 yards on 24 attempts.

The Jets defense smothered Stroud from the outset. Cornerback D.J. Reed got the sack party started with a blitz from the edge and then Micheal Clemons was credited with a strip-sack inside the Jets’ red zone that was recovered by Will McDonald. Later, Quinnen Williams, coming off a game where he had 1.5 sacks, exploded up the middle for a sack of Stroud as the unit gave the offense an opportunity to get untracked. The Green & White finished with 8 sacks as Williams and Haason Reddick combined for the final sack of the night.

The Jets battled injuries throughout, especially up front along the offensive line. Already playing without starting RG Alijah Vera-Tucker, the Jets lost LG John Simpson (groin) and replacement RG Jake Hanson (hamstring) to injury during the game. The Jets patched things up with Max Mithcell at LG and rookie Olu Fashanu at RG. Adams and DB Isaiah Oliver each were evaluated for a concussion and cleared protocol.

“The performance by the O-Line is a testament to Keith [Carter] and a testament the guys that we have,” Ulbrich said. “And the fact that guys were able to play as well as they did. Olu practiced at guard very very little, so for him, especially as a rookie, to play a position that he isn’t familiar with it was exceptional.”

Jetcetera

…. For a second consecutive week, the Jets started Isaiah Oliver and Jalen Mills at safety. Tony Adams (hamstring) and Ashtyn Davis (concussion) were among the gameday inactives.

…. Prior to Thursday night’s kickoff, the Jets made several transactions including placing WR Allen Lazard (chest) and DT Leki Fotu (knee) on Injured Reserve. Lazard, who leads the Jets with 5 TDs and was a gameday inactive last Sunday against the Pats, has 30 catches for 412 receiving yards.

… The team also signed K Riley Patterson and OL Alec Lindstrom to the active roster. Patterson, who’s had stints with five teams and had made 88% of his field-goal attempts entering the night, won a kicking competition this week.

…. Following a mini-bye, the Jets will get back to work next Monday in preparation for a Week 10 date against the Cardinals in Arizona.