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The New York Jets came into Week 15 as clear front-runners for the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, but they played the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday like a team with 2020 on its mind. Two weeks after nearly upsetting the Las Vegas Raiders for their first victory of the year, the Jets actually did the unthinkable this time around, riding a solid defensive showing to finally enter the win column. With a 23-20 upset of the NFC West-leading Rams, New York not only ensures it won't finish the year as the league's lone winless team, but perhaps more importantly, forfeits a clear path to the top pick in the draft.
Since the Jacksonville Jaguars also have just one win in 2020 -- and have an advantage in the strength-of-schedule tiebreaker rules -- they would currently be favorites to draft first overall and, presumably, target consensus top quarterback prospect Trevor Lawrence. That might not be bad news for Sam Darnold, who posted respectable numbers against L.A. and is looking to salvage his reputation as a former first-round pick. But it almost certainly is a daunting revelation for Jets fans who had been anticipating a total overhaul in the 2021 offseason.
As for Sunday's matchup, New York's stunning "W" was as much a Rams collapse as it was a hard-earned Jets victory. Darnold, Frank Gore and Jamison Crowder helped power the Jets' offense, but it was the continued struggles of Rams quarterback Jared Goff and Sean McVay's offense that may have swung the game the most. Goff threw two touchdowns but started slow and also threw an interception, while the Rams as a whole finished just 2-for-11 on third downs, watching as a late Cam Akers score got called back due to a penalty.
