DETROIT -- Running back Breece Hall, speaking softly to a group of reporters, captured the postgame mood in the New York Jets' locker room on Sunday.
"You know, it sucks, but it's part of the game," he said. "It sucks."
Hall could've been talking about how the Jets lost in the final minutes for the second straight week, falling 31-24 to the Detroit Lions at Ford Field, but he was addressing his injured right thigh.
Early in the fourth quarter, Hall was tackled out of bounds and, rolling over his pain, clutched his right thigh. It was a sobering sight for the Jets (1-2), who found a second-half groove on offense but now face the prospect of moving forward without one of their top weapons.
"I felt something when I was running and then got tackled and planted and then felt something else," said Hall, adding that he probably will have an MRI on Monday. "So, we'll see."
A long-term injury to Hall would be a huge blow to the Jets, who have a litany of injuries on offense.
They played without wide receiver Adonai Mitchell (finger) and tight end Mason Taylor (thumb), forcing them to use players from the practice squad. Left guard Dylan Parham (knee) was injured in the game and didn't return. Wide receiver Garrett Wilson missed the final play of the game while he was evaluated for a concussion, but he cleared protocol and is "fine," according to coach Aaron Glenn.
Despite being short-handed, the Jets rallied from a 24-10 deficit in the fourth quarter on Geno Smith's second and third touchdown passes. They tied it on Wilson's acrobatic, falling-backward catch from 23 yards with 4:06 remaining, but the defense melted in crunch time.
It provided little resistance as Jared Goff led the Lions on a four-play, 65-yard drive, thanks to two wide-open receivers -- Isaac TeSlaa (49 yards) and Jahmyr Gibbs (11-yard touchdown).
A week ago, the Jets blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter and lost in overtime to the Green Bay Packers, 20-17.
"We feel like we could easily be 3-0 right now," tight end Jeremy Ruckert said.
At the interview podium, Glenn held up his right hand and, with his thumb and index finger a few inches apart.
"It's this gap right here that we have to close," he said, pointing to the gap with his left hand. "And we're fighting our asses off to close that gap, and we will -- from a coaching perspective and from a player perspective."
The Jets had the momentum after Wilson's touchdown, but they went to a soft zone on defense and left TeSlaa uncovered on a deep over route. The closest defenders were linebacker Jamien Sherwood and cornerback Brandon Stephens.
"I'm not going to blame anything on that," Glenn said. "They just did a really good job of executing their offense on that."
On a third-and-5 from the 11, Glenn sent Jarvis Brownlee Jr. on a slot blitz. It appeared that Brownlee was supposed to cover Gibbs out of the backfield, but he reacted too late. Gibbs was wide open and it was an easy pitch and catch for the game-winning score. Gibbs finished with three touchdowns and 164 yards from scrimmage.
Brownlee, who committed a costly unnecessary roughness penalty last week in overtime, wasn't available after the game.
The Jets threatened on the ensuing possession, with Smith (31-for-37, 321 yards) leading them to the Lions' 28, but they failed to block blitzing safety Chuck Clark. The ex-Jet blasted Smith from the blindside, ending the game with a strip sack. Smith took the blame, but running back Braelon Allen appeared to miss the blitz pickup.
"We didn't finish," Smith said. "I wish we would've finished, but we didn't."
The Jets wasted a terrific game by Smith, the first Jets quarterback with 300 passing yards since Aaron Rodgers (2024, Week 18) and the first with 300 yards and three touchdowns since Mike White (2022). Wilson (10 catches for 107 yards) and rookie tight end Kenyon (seven for 105, one TD) also had big games.
"It's definitely disappointing, but we got to figure out a way to close out the games," Stephens said. "Everybody has to look themselves in the mirror and figure it out and just see what we have to do to help this team win these tight games when they come down to the end."