Jets vs. Cowboys 2015 final score: 3 things we learned from New York’s 19-16 victory

The New York Jets hardly had a polished game Saturday night, but they did just enough to edge out the Dallas Cowboys, 19-16, and move to 9-5 on the season. The Cowboys drop to 4-10 and are officially eliminated from playoff contention.

The Cowboys opened up the scoring with a field goal after a promising opening drive stalled out in the red zone. On their next drive, Matt Cassel had possibly the most Cassel play of his career, when he got flagged for intentional grounding on an interception to Darrelle Revis. However, the Jets couldn’t take advantage of the turnover when Chris Ivory was stuffed on fourth down inside the red zone.

The Jets had a major scare when wide receiver Eric Decker went to the locker room with a serious-looking injury, but he returned to the game early in the second quarter. New York finally found the end zone with a 12-yard touchdown run by Bilal Powell.

Dallas eventually pulled the plug on Cassel, with Kellen Moore coming in early in the second quarter. Moore threw an interception on his first drive, which sums up the Cowboys’ problems at quarterback with Tony Romo out.

The Jets had several chances to take control of the game, but let the Cowboys hang around. Dallas eventually made them pay when Dez Bryant beat Revis for a touchdown to take the lead. Ryan Fitzpatrick drove New York back down the field in the final seconds of the second quarter, but Randy Bullock’s first field goal was nullified by an illegal shift. He missed the second attempt, and the Cowboys took a 10-9 lead into halftime.

The Cowboys had a big chance to open up their lead when Moore drove into the red zone, but he threw his second pick of the night. Fitzpatrick threw an interception of his own, giving Dallas yet another chance inside the red zone. Dallas turned the pick into another field goal to go up 13-9.

The Jets finally woke up on offense in the fourth quarter, when Fitzpatrick hit Decker for a 10-yard touchdown. Moore later drove the offense down and set up Dan Bailey for a 50-yard field goal, which he hit with the help of the uprights to tie the game at 1:55 left.

On the Jets’ ensuing drive, Fitzpatrick hit Kenbrell Thompkins for a major 43-yard reception down the sidelines, and Bullock made up for his earlier miss by hitting a 40-yard field goal to give New York the lead with 36 seconds to go. Moore threw his third interception of the game on a Hail Mary attempt to seal the game for the Jets.

1. The Kellen Moore era has begun
Before the game started, CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora reported that Cassel had a short leash on the night and Moore would replace him if things started poorly. That’s exactly what happened, and Moore made his NFL debut in the second quarter. He had an up-and-down night, completing 15 of 25 passes for 158 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions, but Moore was a marked improvement over Cassel.

With the Cowboys’ playoff hopes officially dead, it wouldn’t be surprising if they give Moore an extended audition over the final two games to earn a spot as a backup next season.

2. Dallas’ defensive line was a force of terror
The Cowboys’ defensive line was by far their biggest strength Saturday night. Ivory had nothing to work with, being held to just 37 yards on 13 carries, while Fitzpatrick was harassed on nearly every dropback. The Jets had major opportunities to put the game away in the first half, but the Cowboys’ defensive line kept them in the game and were the biggest reason why Dallas was able to tie things up with less than two minutes left. If there’s one positive Cowboys fans can point to, it’s the performance of this unit.

3. The Jets stay aloft in the wild card chase, but red flags remain
A loss wouldn’t have been crippling as a non-conference game, but the Jets could ill-afford to let Dallas hang around with the Pittsburgh Steelers nipping at their heels. It was a far more stressful game than Jets fans would’ve liked, but at 9-5, New York still holds the wild card lead over the Steelers for at least one more day. With the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills next on the schedule, the Jets won’t have any more gimmes for the rest of the season. They will have to put in better efforts after sleepwalking through most of Saturday’s game.