Photo: Sports Illustrated
During the Jets-Eagles game Sunday afternoon, Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall made a pretty bonehead play that’s bound to show up on SportCenter’s Not Top 10 Plays this week.
Down 17 to nothing in the second quarter, Marshall caught a pass from quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. He got the first down and was tackled by Eagles defenders, but he wasn’t ready for the play to end yet. Marshall saw his teammate tight end Jeff Cumberland behind him and tried to throw him the ball to keep the play alive. Of course, Jeff didn’t know the ball was coming his way nor was Brandon’s aim anywhere near accurate. Instead, the ball bounced off an Eagles player’s helmet and landed on the ground, where it was scooped up by Eagles linebacker Jordan Hicks and run back for 11 yards.
You can watch the “WTF were you thinking?!” moment for yourself here:
The fumble would ultimately lead to the Eagles scoring again before the half and going up 24-0. The Jets did manage to make a comeback in the second half but they still ended up losing 24-17. It’s hard to say whether or not Marshall’s failed lateral was the difference between a victory and a loss for the Jets on Sunday, but it definitely contributed to the team’s first half demise.
I’m sure anybody watching that game was perplexed about what was going through Marshall’s head when he threw that ball away, and reporters were curious to know the same thing. During the post-game press conference, Marshall was obviously asked about the lateral he attempted.
“Wrong time to gamble. I was pressing. Trying to make a play but can’t do that. That was probably the worst play in NFL history.”
Jets head coach Todd Bowles wasn’t impressed either. “He knows he can’t make that play,” Bowles said. “We both know he can’t make that play. He can’t pitch the ball. He understands that. We can’t have those types of plays during the game. Can’t do it.”
On the bright side, Marshall did reach 10,000 career receiving yards during the game yesterday. But all he could think about was his terrible play. “Did you not see the fumble I had?” he told reporters when asked about reaching a milestone. “There’s some good stuff, but then it’s like pitch the ball back…what is that? I can’t really wrap my head around it because I am so disappointed in my performance and the loss.”
Aww poor thang. It’s okay, Brandon…we all do stupid stuff sometimes. Dust yourself off and try again next week. But not that. Never try THAT again.
