Thrown away
Late interception sets up game - winner for Dolphins
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Jets all agreed it was the right call to try to get into field-goal range when they took possession at their own 15-yard line with 47 seconds left and the game tied 28-28.
They could have killed the remaining time on the clock and hoped things would go well in overtime. Instead, quarterback Josh McCown dropped back on first down and underthrew a sideline pass to wide receiver Jermaine Kearse. Dolphins cornerback Bobby McCain undercut the route and made the easy interception, which, after a penalty was marked off, gave Miami the ball at the Jets 27. Four plays later, Cody Parkey kicked the game-winning field goal with 26 seconds remaining.
Jets head coach Todd Bowles didn’t second-guess the decision.
“We had three timeouts,” he said. “We tried to win the ballgame.”
McCown said his lone interception of the game left him with a “sick feeling” that isn’t going away any time soon.
“They rotated coverage,” he said. “I went backside where the read takes me and the guy was underneath the throw. I just didn’t get enough on it and give Jermaine a chance. It was just a bad read on my part.”
McCain said of his theft: “He left the ball out there, so I went and got it.”
Kearse never had a chance to make a play.
“I came out of my route and saw the dude there,” he said. “I didn’t know exactly where he came from. We turned the ball over.”
McCown said he actually tried to stop his throwing motion when he saw McCain, but it was too late.
“I didn’t get enough on the ball,” McCown said. “I don’t even want to think about it. It makes me sick. It’s just something that can’t happen.”
McCown would fault his execution, but not the decision to try to move the ball.
“We had three timeouts and a minute left and needed to get to the [Miami] 37,” McCown said. “Coach trusted me and he trusted our offense with that and we let him down. When we get that op- portunity, we have to make it work and we didn’t do that.”
The Jets didn’t make much work in the fourth quarter, which is why starting fresh in overtime might have been an option. Of their four possessions in the fourth quarter, the Jets punted three times and threw the interception. They gained just two first downs.
“We’re not executing down the stretch like we should,” McCown said. “That’s the only thing I can tell you. It’s frustrating. We want to play better. That’s how we want to play. We have to do better.”