CLEVELAND -- The New York Jets received a much-needed spark in the second quarter Thursday night ... from their defense.
Defensive end Jermaine Johnson intercepted a pass fromCleveland BrownsquarterbackJoe Flacco pass and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown.
Johnson jumped once, and then again, picking off a ball that was going to tight end David Njoku on a screen. It was a tremendous play by Johnson, who tipped it to himself, grabbed it out of the air and sprinted to the end zone.
The Jets' opening drive ended in a peculiar place -- the end zone.
Running back Breece Hall scored on a 21-yard reception to make it a 7-7 game, marking the Jets' first opening-drive touchdown of the season. That's right, it took 16 games to accomplish a feat that most teams do on a fairly regular basis.
It came on a third-and-6 play. The Jets emptied the backfield, with Hall split wide to the left and moving in motion at the snap. He caught a drag route and left Browns linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah in his dust.
When Hall scores, good things happen for the Jets. They're 10-1 when he records a touchdown.