“What in the heck was he thinking?” Kirk Herbstreit’s bewildered reaction echoed through millions of living rooms as Jets rookie Malachi Corley dropped the ball at the 1-yard line – turning his first NFL touchdown into a highlight-reel nightmare.

The third-round pick from Western Kentucky learned the hard way about premature celebration. On his second career touch, Corley blazed past Texans defenders on an end-around sweep, then inexplicably released the ball before crossing the goal line. The pigskin rolled out of the end zone, transforming six points into zero and possession back to Houston.

This wasn’t just any rookie mistake. With the Jets stuck in a five-game losing skid and sitting at the bottom of the AFC East, Corley’s gaffe stung extra hard. The play could have sparked life into an offense that had just gone three-and-out, with fans already unleashing “Sell the team!” chants through MetLife Stadium.

“Why the urgency for some of these guys to drop the ball?” Herbstreit continued in commentary. “Even if it’s close. Finish the play. Get it in the end zone.” The blunder felt particularly cruel for Corley, who had barely seen the field this season due to what offensive coordinator Todd Downing called an “embarrassment of riches in the wide receiver room.”

The mistake painfully mirrors DeSean Jackson’s infamous 2008 Monday Night Football mishap. Jackson, then an Eagles rookie, flipped the ball away at the 1-yard line against Dallas – a cautionary tale that somehow keeps finding new students 16 years later.

How the Rule Book Burned the Jets

The official review painted a clear picture. Corley was credited with an 18-yard run and a fumble, but the ball’s path sealed the Jets’ fate. Had any teammate recovered it in the end zone, six points would have flashed on the board.

Instead, the loose ball slowly rolled out of bounds beyond the end line. By NFL rules, this triggered an automatic touchback – giving Houston possession at their 20-yard line. The Texans capitalized on the gift, marching 98 yards in 12 plays for the game’s first score.

For Malachi Corley, active only because Allen Lazard landed on injured reserve, this golden opportunity to prove himself twisted into a teaching moment. His chance for more snaps behind Davante Adams and Garrett Wilson might have rolled away with that football.

The Texans’ defense, ranked third against the pass, didn’t need any extra help shutting down the Jets’ struggling offense. But sometimes in the NFL, as Jets fans witnessed Thursday night, the cruelest hits come from self-inflicted wounds.