New York Jets Superstar Claims Weekly AFC Offensive Player Award.
New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson had one of the most incredible catches you’ll see in the NFL this season last week against the Houston Texans.
In fact, he made that catch in the first game of the week.
Those that decide the weekly AFC and NFC Player of the Week honors did not forget, as Wilson was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week.
That catch alone didn’t win him the award. But, it did win him a lot of attention.
Wilson ran a go route and turned around, grabbed the football with his right hand and brought the ball in for what became the go-ahead touchdown catch.
This angle of Garrett Wilson’s catch is UNREAL! pic.twitter.com/wyAF9QXjwx
— NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) November 1, 2024
The reception — which was originally called incomplete but overturned after it was determined Wilson got his left foot and shin down before his left knee went out of bounds, thus establishing possession as he got his right foot down — drew immediate comparisons to Beckham’s incredible reception against the Dallas Cowboys.
The catch was key to the Jets’ victory, as his second score of the game gave New York the lead in the fourth quarter.
After that, Davante Adams iced the game with his first touchdown reception as a Jet.
Wilson had a great game, as he caught nine receptions for 90 yards and two touchdowns. In fact, the first touchdown was also a one-handed catch. That one was in the open field and saw Wilson reach out and palm the football before he cut upfield for the Jets’ first touchdown of the game.
His second touchdown catch drew plenty of attention from his teammates, social media and even Jets legends like Wayne Chrebet, who was at the game and watching from a suite.
Even before the catch, he was having a great season. He’s the most targeted receiver in pro football, with 60 catches on 94 targets for 663 yards and five touchdowns. He’s already surpassed his career high for touchdowns receptions, which was four his rookie year in 2022.
After a slow start, Wilson has put together three 100-yard receiving performances in his last five games and has caught four touchdown passes in that span. Three of those games came after the trade for All-Pro Davante Adams, who some expected to siphon some catches away from Wilson.
That hasn’t been the case. If anything, Wilson has seen his target volume remain steady while he converts more catches.
Bills need to improve run defense vs. Jonathan Taylor Colts.
Going into Week 10, the Buffalo Bills are already closing in on an AFC East title.
Up four by games in the division with eight games remaining, Buffalo tries to take another step toward what seems like an inevitable title Sunday when they visit the desperate Indianapolis Colts.
Buffalo (7-2) maintained its lead on the New York Jets last week, edging the visiting Miami Dolphins 30-27 as Tyler Bass drilled a 61-yard field goal with five seconds left. The victory also gave the Bills a season sweep of Miami.
However, coach Sean McDermott isn’t about to take a fifth straight division title for granted.
“Every week it’s hard,” he said. “You can never take a week for granted or, ‘OK, we’ll look at the record and look at the schedule and we’re going to win here.’ Nah. Just stay focused on what’s right in front of us.
“We didn’t play a great game (against the Dolphins). We can be better, and so we’ve got to go back and make sure our techniques are sound. Fundamentally, we’re better than what we were (Sunday). Just a lot to improve on.”
McDermott certainly wants more from his defense than it provided last week. The Dolphins carved up Buffalo for 26 first downs and 373 total yards, allowing Tua Tagovailoa to complete 25 of 28 passes in his second game back from a concussion. Miami also possessed the ball for nearly 32 minutes.
One concerning note might be that Miami rushed for 149 yards, considering Indianapolis is a run-first offense with Jonathan Taylor at running back. The Bills are also down two defensive linemen, leading them to sign tackles Jordan Phillips and Quinton Jefferson this week. It will be Jefferson’s second stint with the team and Phillips’ third.
While Buffalo tries to find healthy bodies up front, the Colts (4-5) face their own difficult task. They trail AFC South leader Houston by two games, failing to take advantage of the Texans’ loss last week against the Jets by taking a 21-13 defeat at Minnesota. And the division margin is essentially three games since Houston swept the season series.
What’s more, Indianapolis has a big shortcoming in the offensive line as center Ryan Kelly (knee) was placed on injured reserve Wednesday. The four-time Pro Bowler has to sit out at least the next four games.
Rookie Tanor Bortolini, a fourth-round pick out of Wisconsin, will replace Kelly and make his third career start. The Colts might also be without star linebacker Zaire Franklin, who missed practice Wednesday due to an ankle injury.
Wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (back/finger) also didn’t practice on Wednesday but is expected to play. Indianapolis hopes for more production from Pittman than he offered last week, when he managed just one catch for 14 yards on four targets.
