The Thursday night game was not great TV for most Jets fans. But there were some good moments to be savored during the 42-21 loss to Baltimore, and one of them was supplied by Robby Anderson.
The fourth-year WR had four receptions for 66 yards from Sam Darnold, with the last one a thing of beauty. His lunging fingertips grab for a 41-yard catch-and-run to the Ravens 20 set the stage for the Jets' final TD of the evening.
That catch was also significant in that it lifted Anderson onto an exclusive NFL list. He became the fifth undrafted free agent since 1970 to surpass 3,000 receiving yards in his first four pro seasons. The list includes one very recognizable name for fans of the Green & White: Ring of Honor member Wayne Chrebet, the second UDFA to make the list back in 1998. Here's the list, according to 360.sportradar.com:
| Player | Team | 1st 4 Yrs | Recs | Yds | Avg | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Victor Cruz | NYG | 2010-13 | 241 | 3626 | 15.0 | 23 |
| 2. Wayne Chrebet | NYJ | 1995-98 | 283 | 3517 | 12.4 | 18 |
| 3. Antonio Gates | SD | 2003-06 | 265 | 3378 | 12.7 | 34 |
| 4. Drew Pearson | DAL | 1973-76 | 188 | 3103 | 16.5 | 18 |
| 5. Robby Anderson | NYJ | 2016-19 | 202 | 3009 | 14.9 | 19 |
Anderson's game against the Ravens, even while not as dynamic as his seven-catch, 100-yards-plus games vs. Cincinnati and Miami, continues his hot late-season stretch as the temperatures fall. And his Dolphins showing got just a little hotter than it first appeared due to a scoring glitch that was corrected days after the Jets' 22-21 win.
The initial fourth-quarter play-by-play of the game listed a Jamison Crowder reception on first-and-10 as a 10-yarder and a first down. Anderson caught a pass on the next play that went for 6 yards.
But Crowder's play did not move the chains. It was actually third-and-1 when Robby caught his pass. The Elias Sports Bureau corrected the play-by-play, changing Crowder's catch to a 9-yarder, Anderson's to a 7-yarder, giving the first down to No. 11 and also crediting him and the Jets with a third-down-conversion.
The upshot for Anderson is that the late correction puts him on another five-decades list. Because he converted a first down with the catch in question, he wound up with 7 receptions and 7 first downs on the day. Thus he joins four other Jets receivers who had at least 7 catches in a game, all for first downs, since 1970. Notice that Chrebet also shows up on this list:
| Jets Player | Yr-Gm | Opp | Recs | 1Ds | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne Chrebet | 1998-PO2 | @ DEN | 8 | 8 | DEN 23-10 |
| Laveranues Coles | 2002-10 | @ DET | 7 | 7 | NYJ 31-14 |
| Lam Jones | 1983-15 | vs PIT | 7 | 7 | PIT 34-7 |
| Jermaine Kearse | 2017-11 | vs CAR | 7 | 7 | CAR 35-27 |
| Robby Anderson | 2019-13 | vs MIA | 7 | 7 | NYJ 22-21 |
None of this moved the needle for Anderson as much as more victories would. As he said after the Ravens game about another losing season for him:
"It's a transition year. It's not an excuse or anything, it's obviously not our goal, not our mission. But I have to go out there, keeping trying to fight and do the best I can to help the team and put us in a good position."
