A New York Jets rookie wide receiver had the chance to break a scoreless deadlock on Thursday Night Football – only to mess up in a truly spectacular way.
In the second quarter of the contest, wide receiver Malachi Corley – a third round pick by the Jets out of Western Kentucky – took the first handoff of his NFL career on an end around play.
Corley was able to scamper his way to the end zone to break the scoreless deadlock and gave the Jets a 6-0 lead.
At least, that’s how it looked at first.
Upon further review, it was found that as Corley was racing to the end zone, he began to celebrate prematurely – dropping the ball just before the goal line.
Jets wide receiver Malachi Corley dropped the ball before the goal line and turned it over
To make matters even worse, the ball managed to roll all the way from the one-yard-line to the back of the end zone.
Officials reviewed the tape and overturned the touchdown, ruling it a fumble and a touchback which turned the ball over to the Texans.
It was the biggest mistake in a game that has been a comedy of errors for both teams – with neither side scoring any points until late in the second quarter.
Earlier in the game, Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud fumbled the football on a sack within the red zone. But the Jets couldn’t capitalize and went three-and-out.
At the half, the Jets were down 7-0 after Texans running back Joe Mixon was able to punch his way in for a score.
The Jets have been struggling this season, despite having one of their most talented rosters in years, and entered Thursday at 2-6 on their season.
