Adonai Mitchell found the ball floating through the air as a defender fell behind him and he had one thought as he made the catch and fell backward into the end zone.
“The only thing that was on my mind was just finishing,” the New York Jets wide receiver said. “Finish, finish, finish. That’s it.”
Mitchell had his first career touchdown catch Sunday, a 52-yard grab that was one of the highlights of the Jets' 27-24 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
It was also the latest chapter of what has become a redemption story for Mitchell, who has put the most embarrassing moment of his career behind him and become a key part of what the Jets are trying to develop on offense.
“AD is a very special talent,” said quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who has seen his share of standout wide receivers during a 15-year career. “Watching his routes and routes on air, watching how he practices every day, it means a lot to him. If you put the ball around him, he’s going to catch it.”
Mitchell did that at times after being drafted in the second round last year by Indianapolis out of Texas. But he also had some frustrating moments as a pro, none more so than when he dropped the ball before crossing the goal line against the Los Angeles Rams, costing him the first score of his career and resulting in a touchback in Week 4.
“That definitely crosses the mind,” he said. “But it was a growing point and a learning point. So, you know, all I could do was grow and learn from it.”
Mitchell played in four of the Colts’ next five games and had just two catches for 15 yards.
On Nov. 4, he was part of the deal in which New York sent star cornerback Sauce Gardner to Indianapolis. The focus had mostly been on the first-round draft pick in 2026 and another in 2027 the Jets received from the Colts, but Mitchell is already showing immediate returns.
“He’s here for a reason,” coach Aaron Glenn said. “Sometimes when these things happen, these trades happen, sometimes people think that he’s a throw-in. But he was never a throw-in. He was a guy that we wanted.”
Mitchell finished with a career-high eight catches for 102 yards and the TD against the Falcons, giving him 11 receptions on 25 targets for 154 yards in three games for the Jets.
With No. 1 wide receiver Garrett Wilson on injured reserve with a knee injury, Mitchell has moved into that top spot. He has also given the Jets optimism that he'll be able to fully complement Wilson as a playmaking duo of receivers moving forward once Wilson is again healthy.
“For him to be able to be a part of the trade, to be a part of what we’re building, again, he’s a true ‘X’ (receiver),” Glenn said. “The body type is a true ‘X.’ He has good speed. He can win one-on-one. I just look forward to seeing him progress as the season goes and for him coming back next year and being a huge part of what we’re doing.”
What’s working
Special teams. The sometimes unsung unit took center stage against the Falcons. First-year coordinator Chris Banjo, a former special teams standout as a player, has put together a consistently solid unit. Nick Folk won the game with a 56-yard field goal as time expired, making up for his first miss of the season earlier in the game in lousy weather conditions. First-year punter Austin McNamara is among the NFL's leaders this season, raking seventh with a 43.6 net yards per punt average fourth with 22 kicks dropped inside the 20-yard line. The return game with Isaiah Williams and Kene Nwangwu has also regularly flipped the field for New York.
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What needs help
Run defense. The Jets entered with the 23rd-ranked defense against the run and they'll probably drop a bit lower after giving up 167 yards to Falcons, including 142 to Bijan Robinson. That came after New York recently made some noticeable improvement with its run defense, but Robinson and the Falcons showed the Jets still have holes.
Stock up
S Malachi Moore. The rookie fourth-rounder from Alabama has settled in as a starter for much of the season and ranks third on the team with 54 overall tackles. He had a season-high 10 against the Falcons and became just the seventh Jets rookie defensive back in the past 30 seasons to have at least that many, according to Stats Perform.
Stock down
WR Arian Smith. The rookie speedster was inactive Sunday for the first time this season. Glenn said he would keep the conversation he had with Smith, a fourth-round pick out of Georgia, between them but added: “He's a huge part of what we're doing.” Smith has six catches for 47 yards and three runs for 11 yards in 11 games this season.
Injuries
S Tony Adams injured his groin Sunday and Glenn was uncertain if he might be sidelined. ... Wilson is out at least one more game on IR with his knee injury.
Key number
0 — The Jets have no interceptions, an NFL record for a team through its first 12 games. The fewest for an entire season is two by San Francisco in 16 games in 2018.
Next steps
The Jets take on the AFC East-rival Dolphins after losing to them in Miami earlier this season.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
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