The Jets needed this like oxygen.
They could not afford to lose to the Browns Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
A four-game losing streak, a 1-4 record and another Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s of irrelevance stared them in the face.
Entering Sunday, the Jets had started a season with a 1-4 record 14 times, making the playoffs only once — in 2002, when they rallied to finish 9-7.
They don’t have to worry about that at the moment, not after their tense, gritty 17-12 win over the Browns, a win that lifted them to 2-3 and kept them well within their goals.
The Jets stole a game it appeared they’d allowed to leak away in the fourth quarter when running back Braelon Allen, in the midst of a career day, scored on a 22-yard run with 3:01 remaining to give the Jets a 17-12 lead.
The Jets had gotten the ball on the Cleveland 23-yard line when Browns long snapper Rex Sunahara’s high snap went through the hands of punter Corey Bojorquez with 3:52 remaining.
Jets reserve linebacker Trevin Wallace recovered the gift, and Allen, who finished with 116 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries, took it from there.
The Browns had taken a 12-10 lead on a 29-yard scoring pass from Deshaun Watson to Denzel Boston with 6:15 remaining. The extra point attempt by Andre Szmyt hit the right upright and missed.
Earlier in the third quarter, the Jets had a chance to seize control when they drove to the Cleveland 11-yard line with an opportunity to take a 14-6 lead.
Enter former Jets linebacker Quincy Williams, who wasn’t re-signed after last season.
Williams blew up Jets rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq with a punishing hit, forcing a fumble recovered by Cleveland safety Ronnie Hickman with 5:49 remaining in the third quarter.
It was the third forced fumble of the game for Williams, who had warned the Jets he was going to be a “nightmare’’ for them.
The Jets defense held the Browns to three plays and a punt on the ensuing series, but still lost out on at least a field goal and a 10-6 lead at worst.
They took the next possession and turned it into a 10-6 lead on a 54-yard field goal by Jason Sanders 23 seconds into the fourth quarter.
The way the Jets started on offense, it looked like a banner day after last week’s miserable performance.
The Jets had their way with the Browns defense, which could not stop Allen or cover receiver Garrett Wilson.
The Jets took a 7-0 lead on a 32-yard Geno Smith scoring pass to Wilson to cap that first possession, with Wilson making an acrobatic spin move around Hickman to score just 5:43 into the game.
Wilson had three receptions for 70 yards on the series. Allen, starting in place of the injured Breece Hall (quadriceps), rushed for 32 yards on four carries.
That, however, is where the Jets offense began and ended in the first half, as the rest was an ugly mess.
The Browns answered the Wilson score with a 25-yard field goal from Szmyt to cut the lead to 7-3 with 3:27 remaining in the first quarter.
On the next Jets possession, the Browns double-teamed Wilson, bent on not letting him run free in their secondary, and quieted him.
The Jets went 80 yards on seven plays on that opening possession and, on the next four possessions before halftime, ran 21 plays while producing only 55 yards.
The Jets killed themselves with seven penalties for 73 yards in the first half. This came a week after committing 12 penalties for 76 yards against the Bears. They also hurt themselves with suspect pass protection, as Smith was sacked three times for 27 yards in losses.
The Browns cut the Jets lead to 7-6 on a 41-yard Szmyt field goal with 10:14 remaining in the first half, and that was the halftime score.
Wilson was targeted only one more time on those 21 plays after the opening series and finished the half with what he accrued on that first series: three catches for 70 yards.
Although Allen rushed for 54 yards on eight carries for a 6.8-yard average, Jets offensive coordinator Frank Reich curiously abandoned the running game at times.
Jets rookie linebacker David Bailey had the best game of his career, with three sacks, two of which came in the first half.
