One of the big plays from the Jets' win over the Giants was lost in the statistical shuffle — the 33-yard pass interference call Robby Anderson drew against rookie CB Deandre Baker in the end zone on the first play of the fourth quarter. On the next play, Le'Veon Bell plowed over from a yard out and the Jets had a 31-27 lead they never lost. Anderson, meanwhile, finished the game with one catch for 11 yards.
"We tried to loosen it up a little bit, but we didn't really hit anything," head coach Adam Gase said about some Sam Darnold longballs. "Robby got the PI. We were trying to take a couple of shots with him. It's probably a little frustrating for him because he's getting open and it's just not always working out that way. That PI won't be in the stats, but it was a big play."
But Anderson's sometimes frustrating season (24 catches, 353 yards and just one TD, although a big one on that 92-yard connection with Darnold vs. Dallas) gets a little more impactful when we do just that, including the PI in the stats — plus the other penalties Robby has caused opponents to commit this year.
■ Anderson also drew a hold against Baker earlier in the game. Before the Giants, he forced a hold at Philadelphia and got pass interference calls against the Cowboys and Jaguars. His five penalties caused by opponents is tied with Darnold for the Jets' lead and the 78 yards marked off on those flags lead the team. It's also Robby's most in a season, already topping last year's four penalties drawn with seven games remaining.
But he still has a way to go to catch the Jets' WR leaders in penalties forced. Here are the top five since 2000 (Dec/Off—Declined/Offset):
| Jets WR | Year | Forced | Dec/Off | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon Marshall | 2015 | 8 | 7 | 15 |
| Wayne Chrebet | 2000 | 13 | 1 | 14 |
| Brandon Marshall | 2016 | 10 | 4 | 14 |
| Laveranues Coles | 2006 | 8 | 2 | 10 |
| Santonio Holmes | 2011 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
■ All five of Anderson's penalties this year resulted in Jets first downs, which, added to his receiving first downs, give him 18 for the season, a lot closer to Jamison Crowder's team-high 23 receiving first downs (and none via penalties).
■ The interference call is itself noteworthy. It's the longest penalty caused in Anderson's career, the longest committed by a Jets opponent in the last four years, and the second-longest in the last eight years, trailing only the 44-yard interference committed by S Quintin Demps against WR Eric Decker at Houston in 2015.
Penalties don't count in the receiving stats but they should be taken into consideration when appropriate. In this case they give a more complete picture of Anderson's season after nine games.
Terrific Trevon Trivia
Before the Giants game, fourth-round rookie TE Trevon Wesco had been on the field for 65 offensive snaps but had no offensive touches to show for it. This week Wesco has two touches and a few distinctions in Jets history.
Wesco got the fourth-and-inches carry as the upback against Big Blue in the first quarter, gaining 2 yards to move the chains despite being hit behind the line. Then in the fourth quarter he was targeted by Sam Darnold on third-and-1 and turned in a 15-yard reception and another conversion.
Thus, Wesco became only the sixth Jets TE since 1970 and the first since Johnny Mitchell at Buffalo in the 1994 opener to record a first down rushing and a first down receiving in the same game. He's the first Jets TE since 2014 with third- and fourth-down conversions in the same game (since Jace Amaro turned that trick vs. Chicago).
And according to our research, Wesco is the first Jets TE to convert at least one third-and-1 and at least one fourth-and-1, rushing or receiving, in the same game since 1963. Now that's some deep tight ends trivia.
