Watch: Corley prematurely drops ball before end zone, costs Jets TD

New York Jets wide receiver Malachi Corley. Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Watch: Malachi Corley prematurely drops ball before end zone, costs Jets TD

By Adam Gretz | Last updated Oct 31, 2024 9:05 PM ET

New York sports teams are having an issue with the fundamentals this week.

On Wednesday night, it was the New York Yankees giving away a World Series game because they were unable to make routine plays in the field.

On Thursday night, it was the New York Jets giving away a touchdown due to a baffling blunder by rookie wide receiver Malachi Corley.

With Corley headed into the end zone for what looked to be an easy touchdown on an end-around rush, he inexplicably dropped the ball short of the goal line in a premature celebration. Because the ball rolled out of the end zone without either team recovering it, that counts as a fumble out of the end zone and a touchback for the Houston Texans.

Have a look:

What we thought was a Jets TD... is a touchback! Houston ball #HOUvsNYJ on Prime Video
Also streaming on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/D3liGAROrt
— NFL (@NFL) November 1, 2024

It is absolutely baffling that this play continues to happen in football. It is something that happens multiple times per year across college football and the NFL, and there is legitimately no excuse for it.

It is the type of play that should have been so bad the first time it happened that every person that ever steps on a football field should have the mindset of, "I never want to be that person."

Yet every year more players keep becoming that person.

The Jets are 2-6, have no margin for error, and are in no position for mistakes like this. The fact a mistake like that happens is exactly why they are the Jets.

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on Twitter @AGretz

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