What a win for New York. The Jets took down the Cleveland Browns 17-12 at home in a nasty weather game, improving to 2-3 while Cleveland falls to 3-2. There’s a lot to like from this one, mainly on the defensive side of the football, where Jets rookie David Bailey had a day to remember.

It wasn’t perfect, though. New York may still have a familiar problem up front on offense, and they may have lost a key piece for a while. Here are my winners and losers from the Jets victory over the Browns.

Winners 

Braelon Allen

Braelon Allen was the lead back for the second straight week with Breece Hall out due to injury, and he delivered. Allen ran 24 times for 116 yards and a touchdown.

The Browns knew the Jets were going to lean on the ground game in these conditions, and Allen fought for every extra yard against them. He broke arm tackles, kept his legs churning, and created second chances for himself all afternoon. He was excellent.

Garrett Wilson

No surprise here. Garrett Wilson caught seven passes for 104 yards and a touchdown, and he was by far the most targeted Jets receiver with 11 targets.

Geno Smith looked his way early and often, and Wilson did what he does best. He got open for his quarterback and made plays. In a game where yards through the air were hard to come by, that matters. Their chemistry is continuing to grow and it was great to see it pick up again after last week in Chicago. 

Geno Smith

I’m giving Smith a nod here. The numbers won’t jump off the page: he completed 17-of-30 passes for 142 yards and a touchdown pass.

Considering the weather, though, he took care of the football and got it to his playmakers. Smith has had a pretty good season so far for New York, and this was another solid outing from the veteran. This is why you get a guy like Geno Smith, even in a game like this.

David Bailey

Honestly, I could put the entire defensive line in this section. But Bailey was the biggest winner of the day, and it isn’t close.

The No. 2 overall pick led the team with eight tackles and added three sacks, four tackles for loss, and four quarterback hits. He became the first defensive rookie to record three sacks in a game since James Houston in 2023.

This was his breakout day. Bailey made his presence known and was in Deshaun Watson’s face all afternoon. It’s one of the best performances from a defensive rookie we’ve seen in quite some time, and that’s a big deal for a Jets defense building around him.

Jarvis Brownlee Jr.

Moving into the secondary, Jarvis Brownlee Jr. had a strong day. He finished with a sack and two tackles for loss.

The Jets sent him on blitz packages a lot, and it paid off. He even missed another sack at one point, but he consistently got into the backfield and made life difficult for Watson.

Darrell Jackson Jr.

Another rookie makes the list. Darrell Jackson Jr. recorded a sack, a tackle for loss, and two pass breakups, getting his hands up and tipping balls away at the line.

Two Jets defensive rookies making this kind of impact in the same game? That’s a great sign for where this unit is headed. They certainly dominated the trenches today. 

Losers

Joe Tippmann

Now for the not-so-good. The Jets’ entire offensive line struggled in pass protection, and New York gave up four sacks to Smith. Armond Membou could be thrown in here as well.

But Tippmann particularly stood out in a negative way. He gave up a sack and forced fumble to Carson Schwesinger late in the game while Cleveland was mounting its comeback effort. Pass protection has been a tough spot for the Jets yet again, and it nearly cost them.

Kenyon Sadiq

This one is mainly due to injury. Kenyon Sadiq left the game with a concussion, and the Jets are really the loser here. New York might lose Sadiq for some time. He also had a costly fumble on that play, which hurt the Jets in the moment as they were in the redzone, nearing another score. 

Defense is carrying the Jets

Look, a 2-3 record isn’t where anyone wants to be, but this team is trending in the right direction. Allen and Wilson gave the offense enough to work with, and Smith protected the football.

The real story is the defense. When Bailey, Brownlee, and Jackson are all living in the backfield, the Jets can win ugly games like this one against the Browns. If the offensive line can clean up its pass protection, New York is going to be a tough out for a lot of teams the rest of the way.

The way the team looked last week in Chicago was horrible. I beat this defensive line up pretty bad after their performance against the Bears. Boy, did they shut me up today and get back to doing what they’re capable of.