Gang Green Nation
On Sunday, the New York Jets lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers. While a number of factors were to blame, one player who drew quite a bit of ire was wide receiver Xavier Gipson, who was the Jets kick returner. In the 4th quarter, Gipson fumbled a kick return, setting the Steelers up for a short field and subsequent touchdown.
Compounding this mistake was the score of the game at the time, which the Jets only led by two points. The fumble set the Steelers up to take the lead late in the game. It doesn’t take a football savant to recognize how a play like this can quickly flip a game.
But how much did it flip it? Well, before the play the New York Jets had about a 70% chance of victory. Afterwards it was 43%, meaning that the fumble reduced the Jets chances of victory by 27 raw percentage points. Before the play? They were a substantial favorite to win. After the play? They were favored to lose. Ouch.
While one play never decides a game, I think it’s fair to say that this one played a big role in the eventual loss.
