LI's Jeremy Ruckert may have inspired Jets to pull off miracle
Jets tight end Jeremy Ruckert runs after a catch past Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Barrett Carter after a catch during the second half of an NFL game Sunday in Cincinnati. Credit: AP/Jeff Dean
CINCINNATI
You didn’t need to be a longtime Jets observer to know that when they faced fourth-and-1 from their own 49 with 8:41 left in a game in which they trailed the Bengals by 14, their opportunity to win was downright dim.
Even the unemotional number-crunching machines that look into such matters came up with the same conclusion: According to the league’s Next Gen Stats, there was a 2.9% chance of them pulling out a victory when that snap occurred.
But it was a longtime Jets observer who wound up helping to change those odds and lead the Jets to their stunning 39-38 win.
A lot would happen afterward. Breece Hall ran for his second touchdown of the game and then threw the game-winning TD pass to Mason Taylor. Justin Fields threw a two-point conversion pass to Isaiah Davis that initially was ruled short of the goal line but was reviewed and overturned for the deuce.
The defense forced a three-and-out on a possession that lasted only 58 seconds — why the Bengals attempted three straight passes there is a mystery — then refused to allow Joe Flacco and his crew to cross midfield and get into range for a potential winning field goal in the final minute.
None of it would have happened, though, if the Jets had not converted that fourth-and-1. They not only picked up the yard they needed but claimed 24 of them as Fields found tight end Jeremy Ruckert for the momentum-changing play of their first victory of the season.
“I just wanted to be the guy who can make the play when we needed it the most,” Ruckert, who grew up on Long Island rooting for the Jets, told Newsday afterward.
This time he did exactly that.
Of course the Jets knew he could. And if they didn’t, they learned it on Saturday.
That was when coach Aaron Glenn showed the entire team highlights of Ruckert’s performances at Lindenhurst High School.
Ruckert was the game-week captain for the Jets in this contest, an honor bestowed upon him because of his recent play but also because of his return to the area as an Ohio State alum. Each week, Glenn shows the teenage exploits of the player who fills that role, and this week it meant going through lots of impressive Bulldogs video.
“In every one of his high school tapes, he was just Moss-ing people,” Glenn said of Ruckert leaping over defenders like Hall of Famer Randy Moss.
Taylor, a rookie and fellow tight end, said: “It was literally straight go-balls and head taps.”
“Coming in as a blocking tight end, a lot of people didn’t know I had that in my bag, I guess,” Ruckert said of the feedback he got.
“A couple one-handed catches playing receiver back then. It was fun to joke around with those guys.”
It might even have inspired the win more than the fourth-down catch did. Glenn made the point that Taylor’s winning touchdown in the back of the end zone was reminiscent of the kind of play Ruckert frequently made on Long Island.
“To see Mason go up and catch it like that, it was pretty funny,” Glenn said.
The day wasn’t all grabs and giggles for Ruckert. Just before kickoff, while he was in the locker room, he — like the rest of us — heard the news of Nick Mangold’s death.
Mangold, Ruckert said, was one of his favorite players growing up. He said his father, Bill, had played offensive line when he was in the sport, so every Sunday when they would watch the Jets together, Bill would point out the job Mangold was doing.
“That was crushing,” Ruckert said. “He embodies what it means to bring success to this organization. He’s a tough, gritty player who bought in and loved being here. He is going to be missed.”
Ruckert and Mangold both were Ohio State players, too, which added to their connection.
The win came at the end of an emotionally draining week. Just since last Sunday, the Jets benched their starting quarterback at halftime of a loss to the Panthers, had their owner ridicule and blame Fields, and went through several odd practices in which it was unclear to anyone — even the players — who would start at quarterback. Then they finally landed on Fields because Tyrod Taylor’s knee became an issue.
Even for Ruckert, who has ridden all the waves and been crushed under most of them for the past quarter-century or so, it felt like quite a lot. And by the time this even-by-Jets-standards bizarre week was over, the oddest part of all of it was that they had won a game.
Who knows? Maybe those Lindenhurst plays that flickered on the screen Saturday night brought a little levity and magic to the group.
“Being named captain was big for me,” Ruckert said. “I have a lot of pride in this organization, as we’ve spoken about before. We always preached about how we’re right there. Our culture is being set. We made plays when we needed to. It feels good.”
It was, Ruckert was happy to point out, the second time in his four seasons with the Jets that he was named a captain. The first was two years ago in a game against the Giants.
“Two wins,” he said with a knowing smile. “Hopefully we can keep that up.”
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
