LAS VEGAS — Zach Wilson had his chance. Had the ball down four at his 24 with 5:58 and all three timeouts left following a Josh Jacobs fumble.
And soon he was at the Las Vegas 22 at the two-minute warning.
The crowd was deafening.
Zach Wilson’s chance to be the hero.
To vault the Jets into playoff position.
To throw his first TD pass since the first quarter of the Giants game.
He looked for Allen Lazard.
He found Robert Spillane instead.
Over and out.
It is obvious why the Improbable Dreamer named Aaron Rodgers has been so desperate to return by mid-December if there is a playoff berth to chase.
He has never played with a defense as good as this Jets defense.
It is obvious why the Jets want to dream The Improbable Dream along with him.
While the Jets wait for this Miracle Man to attempt to make a mockery of modern science, the formula is cut and dried:
The defense will keep Zach Wilson in most of these games.
And ask Zach Wilson not to lose the game.
Unfortunately, you cannot ask him to win it.
He got one last chance and hit Tyler Conklin for 17 yards to the Las Vegas 44.
13 seconds on the clock.
Not close, out of bounds deep for Xavier Gipson.
Deafening crowd.
Five seconds left. He was in trouble, retreating under duress, heaved a Hail Mary.
Fail Mary.
It was a 9-9 game when the Jets’ defense finally broke. Sauce Gardner and Tony Adams missed the tackle on Josh Jacobs’ 40-yard run and then Aidan O’Connell looked left before throwing a 7-yard touchdown pass to Michael Mayer over Jordan Whitehead.
Turns out you can’t even beat Aidan O’Connell with field goals.
Zach Wilson could not overcome the lack of discipline (eight penalties for 83 yards) around him.
He could not overcome The Touchdown That Wasn’t.
Zach Wilson was racing around right, with the end zone he had neglected much too often in his sights — a veritable oasis in the desert for him — and so he dove over the pylon.
Touchdown!
A 23-yard TD run!
Teammates mobbed him.
Not so fast. His right foot had stepped out of bounds at the Las Vegas 3.
It was 6-3 for the Jets and perhaps the Jets could wind up in the black end zone with RAIDERS in silver letters.
Of course they could not.
A second holding call against C.J. Uzomah forced them to settle for a third Greg Zuerlein field goal.
Whitehead had positioned Zach Wilson at the Raiders 26 when he dove in front of Adams to intercept O’Connell.
It was just before the two-minute warning and O’Connell had driven the Raiders to the NYJ 26.
Solomon Thomas: 8-yard sack.
John Franklin-Myers: 11-yard sack.
Zach Wilson-to-Garrett Wilson got 41 yards on a catch-and-run on the first possession — a roar erupted from Jets fans who made the trip — before an intentional grounding with the quarterback in the grasp of Maxx Crosby forced the Jets to settle for a field goal.
Zach Wilson hit Gipson for 24 yards before the second possession was sabotaged by Uzomah’s first holding penalty and a drop over the middle by Garrett Wilson. Field goal.
A refrain too common on another Zach Wilson-led night.