Jets CB Sauce Gardner’s celebratory cheesehead knocked off by Allen Lazard

GREEN BAY — The shocking New York Jets loved their 27-10 win over the Inexperienced Bay Packers a lot that they determined to partake in a few native traditions on Sunday. They took a Lambeau Leap and celebrated the upset by donning a cheesehead, a lot to the chagrin of a Packers participant.

It was rookie cornerback Sauce Gardner who wore the cheesehead, a present from an ecstatic Jets fan within the crowd. As he strutted off the sphere and to the tunnel — the fallacious tunnel, because it turned out — Gardner was caught from behind, so to talk, by Allen Lazard. The Packers’ broad receiver knocked his block (of cheese) off, making a second that went viral on social media.

“I am undoubtedly by no means going to overlook this second,” Gardner mentioned, laughing at his locker. “It is a tribute to the Jets followers. They put in on my head, the Jets followers. I simply needed to take it and run with it.”

Lazard took it effectively, complimenting Gardner on his recreation, his nickname (“Sauce, that is a cool identify”) and insisting he wasn’t bothered by the rookie’s gesture.

“It is just a bit aggressive spirit,” Lazard mentioned. “Nothing too dangerous in that facet or something. I am positive he in all probability would’ve finished the identical factor if I used to be sporting a Jets hat or helmet strolling off their discipline, in order that’s simply the competitiveness in me. No disrespect to him.”

The corny second capped one other convincing victory for the Jets, who turned a 3-3 halftime rating right into a one-side second half. They sacked Aaron Rodgers 4 occasions and hit him 9 occasions; they outrushed the Packers, 179-60; and so they grew to become the primary staff since 2018 to have a blocked discipline aim and blocked punt in the identical recreation — and so they scored on the latter.

Who might’ve envisioned this? The Jets received their third straight and improved to 4-2 for the primary time since 2015, profitable in convincing style for the second week in a row. This type of factor normally does not occur to the Jets. In actual fact, it was solely the second time within the final 20 years that they received by at the least 17 factors in back-to-back video games.

They grew to become solely the second staff within the Tremendous Bowl period to have a profitable report by way of six video games regardless of being an underdog in all six video games, in response to ESPN Stats & Data. The opposite staff was the 2001 Cleveland Browns.

“We consider we could be as nice as any staff on this league,” defensive deal with Sheldon Rankins mentioned, including how they’re “exhibiting the remainder of this world that this isn’t only a staff you’ll be able to write off or a staff that, ‘Oh perhaps they’re going to be good in a couple of years.’ No, we’re coming to win proper now.”

As soon as once more, the Jets had been led by rookie working again Breece Corridor, who rushed for 116 yards and a landing. He got here grew to become solely the second rookie in franchise historical past to report at the least 100 yards of scrimmage in consecutive video games. He scored on a 34-yard misdirection play to place the Jets up, 24-10, at first of the fourth quarter.

He determined to take a Lambeau Leap. When in Inexperienced Bay …

“We truly had all talked about it earlier than the sport,” Corridor mentioned. “We had been like, whichever one in every of us scores, we have to do the Lambeau Leap. Braxton (Berrios) acquired the primary one, however I do not assume there have been any Jets followers on the aspect he scored.”

Berrios gave the Jets a 10-3 lead on a 20-yard reverse, a gadget play that appeared to snap the offense out of its doldrums. None of it was fairly, because the Jets completed with 99 web passing yards and transformed solely one in every of 11 third downs. They grew to become the primary staff to win with just one third-down conversion and fewer than 100 web passing yards.

However they stored grinding, and wore down the favored Packers (3-3) regardless of a mediocre day by quarterback Zach Wilson (10-for-18, 110 yards).

Coach Robert Saleh tried to downplay the importance of the win, saying, “I will be trustworthy, it doesn’t suggest something. Identical to a loss would not have meant something. I’ve mentioned it earlier than, we have to begin anticipating stuff like this.”

Cornerback D.J. Reed mentioned, “I feel we’re simply getting began. We’re 3-0 on the street. That speaks volumes to everyone shopping for in … You undoubtedly really feel the arrogance. Successful is turning into regular. It is anticipated, actually.”

The protection took over the sport, particularly defensive deal with Quinnen Williams, who made two sacks, a pressured fumble and even blocked a discipline aim. The Jets sensed that Rodgers was rattled all through the sport, as he was victimized by six drops.

“He was undoubtedly pissed off,” Rankins mentioned. “That what we needed to see. That is our goal each week , to piss off each quarterback we line up towards in a sensible, dominant, violent means. I feel had been profitable in doing that.”