5 instant takeaways from Jets' nail-biting victory over the Browns

The New York Jets entered Week 5 desperately needing a win. Losers of three straight, Aaron Glenn had his back against the wall with this frustrated fanbase, and he needed to show some semblance of life to justify his job security.

It wasn't pretty, and what happened on the MetLife Stadium turf on Sunday was far from normal, but the Jets did what they had to do to get the win.

Geno Smith had another sloppy outing, David Bailey shook off some worries that he has no impact, and the Jets got back in the win column for the first time since Week 1.

Instant takeaways from the New York Jets win over the Browns

1. Good things happen when you throw the ball to Garrett Wilson

After failing to use him properly against the Chicago Bears in Week 4, offensive coordinator Frank Reich made it a point to get Garrett Wilson involved early on the Jets' opening drive. He hauled in three catches for 70 yards, including the opening score.

Wilson didn't catch another pass in the first half, but they were able to find a way to get him the ball down the stretch. The Jets' lone offensive superstar finished the day with seven catches for 104 yards, going over the century mark for just the second time this season.

2. David Bailey heard the noise this week

There was arguably no bigger spotlight on a struggling Jets player over the last few weeks than David Bailey. The No. 2 overall pick had been nearly invisible over the team's last two games against the Detroit Lions and Bears.

Well, Sunday was the David Bailey game. The Jets rookie made his presence known all day, recording three sacks (a single-game franchise rookie record), three tackles for loss, and four quarterback hits. Deshaun Watson had to be aware of the rookie on any given play.

3. Another sloppy, penalty-filled day from the Jets

Coming off of last week's 12-penalty (76 penalty yards) outing in Chicago, including three flags that wiped out would-be interceptions, you would think the Jets would've done their best to tighten things up in Week 5. You thought wrong.

The Jets finished the day with 10 penalties for 102 yards, consistently shooting themselves in the foot. It didn't cost them a win, but it's something they need to clean up going forward.

4. What's going on with Geno Smith?

Through the first three games of the season, Geno Smith was a stabilizing presence for the Jets under center. He was playing well and even had a record-breaking outing against the Lions.

In the last two games, Smith has turned into a pumpkin. Some of that is due to some less-than-ideal play from the offensive line, but it's been a tough watch for the 36-year-old. His 17-of-30 passing for 182 yards looks much better on paper than it was in real life.

5. Quincy Williams revenge game was for real

Ex-Jets linebacker Quincy Williams made it known leading into the game that he was going to try to make life miserable for his old team. He was certainly playing like the clock was turned back to 2023 on Sunday.

Williams recorded a team-high 11 tackles, one pass break-up, and one tackle for loss. His hits were vicious. He forced three fumbles on three massive hits, including one when the Jets were in the red zone, on Kenyon Sadiq.

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