NFL · Sep 27, 2026
New York Jets vs. Detroit Lions: Lions beat Jets 31–24 after fourth-quarter tie
By Row Seventeen ·
Detroit Lions beat New York Jets 31–24 (NFL) on September 27, 2026.
The Jets erased a 14-point deficit to tie the game, but Jared Goff’s touchdown pass to J. Gibbs put Detroit ahead for good.
24–31FINAL
Key moments
Sources ↓- Middle stages
The Jets and Lions went through the first quarter without scoring. Detroit broke the tie with a 30-yard field goal in the second quarter, but New York answered when Geno Smith threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to K. Sadiq.
Read in context ↘ - Closing stages
Smith threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to J. Ruckert with 11:21 left. New York attempted a two-point pass to G. Wilson, but it failed, leaving the Jets eight points behind.
Read in context ↘ - Closing stages
On a late Jets possession, Smith was sacked for a 17-yard loss and lost a fumble that J. Campbell recovered for Detroit.
Read in context ↘
A scoreless start and a halftime lead for Detroit
The Jets and Lions went through the first quarter without scoring. Detroit broke the tie with a 30-yard field goal in the second quarter, but New York answered when Geno Smith threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to K. Sadiq. The extra point gave the Jets a 7–3 lead.
Jared Goff then threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to A. St. Brown. Detroit made the extra point and led 10–7 at halftime.
Gibbs helps Detroit build a 14-point lead
J. Gibbs ran 17 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter, and Detroit added the extra point. New York made a 42-yard field goal later in the quarter, leaving the Lions ahead 17–10 entering the fourth.
Gibbs scored again on a 1-yard run at the start of the fourth quarter. The extra point gave Detroit its largest lead of the game, 24–10.
The Jets pull even in the fourth
Smith threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to J. Ruckert with 11:21 left. New York attempted a two-point pass to G. Wilson, but it failed, leaving the Jets eight points behind.
With 4:11 left, Smith found G. Wilson for a 23-yard touchdown. Smith then completed a two-point pass to S. Shepard, tying the game at 24–24. The two touchdown drives had erased Detroit’s 14-point lead.
Detroit answers and secures the win
Goff threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Gibbs with 2:30 left, putting the Lions back in front. The extra point made it 31–24. Gibbs finished with three touchdowns, including two runs and the go-ahead catch.
On a late Jets possession, Smith was sacked for a 17-yard loss and lost a fumble that J. Campbell recovered for Detroit. The Lions finished the game ahead 31–24 in regulation.
Based on nflverse schedule and play-by-play data (CC BY 4.0). Source endpoints are cross-checked within the same source family, not independent reporting. This is an original, AI-assisted recap.
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Published 2026-10-15. Game date shown above.
Correction & update: Corrected scoring-sequence wording and rechecked the full article on October 16, 2026.
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