EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (Interstat) — Braelon Allen’s 22-yard touchdown run with 3:01 remaining lifted the N.Y. Jets to a 17-12 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday at MetLife Stadium. Geno Smith threw a first-quarter touchdown pass to Garrett Wilson, Jason Sanders added a 54-yard field goal and the Jets defense held Cleveland to four field-goal attempts and one late touchdown. The Jets improved to 2-3. The Browns fell to 3-2. Attendance was 67,418.

Smith finished 17 of 30 passing for 182 yards and one touchdown, and he ran five times for 7 yards. The Jets’ top star found Wilson for a 32-yard score with 9:17 left in the first quarter, capping a drive that gave New York a 7-0 lead after Sanders’ extra point. Wilson caught seven passes for 104 yards and the touchdown. Smith’s favorite target was Wilson, who accounted for more than half of New York’s passing yards. Allen powered the ground game with 24 carries for 116 yards and the decisive score, adding one catch for no gain. His 22-yard run left tackle with 3:01 remaining and Sanders’ extra point provided the final margin. Smith’s previous game had been a loss to Chicago in which he completed 8 of 15 passes for 119 yards and one touchdown.

Cleveland stayed close with Andre Szmyt’s right leg. Szmyt made a 25-yard field goal with 3:27 remaining in the first quarter to cut the deficit to 7-3. He added a 41-yard field goal with 10:14 left in the second quarter to make it 7-6. Cleveland’s first-half scoring came entirely from Szmyt, who converted both of his field-goal tries before the late touchdown drive. Deshaun Watson completed 15 of 33 passes for 155 yards and one touchdown, and he ran six times for 40 yards. Watson’s touchdown came on a deep left pass to Denzel Boston for 29 yards with 6:15 remaining in the fourth quarter. Szmyt’s extra point hit the right upright and was no good, leaving Cleveland ahead 12-10 at that point. The Browns could not add another score after Allen’s late touchdown.

The Jets’ defense produced several disruptive plays. David Bailey had eight tackles and three sacks. Dane Belton made eight tackles and one sack. Jarvis Brownlee Jr. had six tackles and one sack. Will McDonald IV finished with four tackles and one sack. Jowon Briggs added three tackles and one sack. Darrell Jackson Jr. had four tackles and one sack. Minkah Fitzpatrick recorded five tackles. Jamien Sherwood had four tackles. Demario Davis and Brandon Stephens each had four and three tackles, respectively. Azareye’h Thomas, Kingsley Enagbare and T’Vondre Sweat each had two tackles. Andre Cisco, Malachi Moore, Jack Heflin, Harrison Phillips, Armand Membou, Joe Tippmann and Trevin Wallace each had one tackle. Austin McNamara punted seven times for 298 yards. Jason Sanders made one of one field-goal attempt, connecting from 54 yards. Kene Nwangwu returned three kickoffs for 68 yards. Jelani Woods was listed without a statistic.

New York also got contributions from its receiving group and running backs. Isaiah Williams had one run for 3 yards, one catch for 16 yards, one kickoff return for 36 yards and four punt returns for 67 yards. Isaiah Davis ran twice for 8 yards, caught one pass for 9 yards and made one tackle. Mason Taylor caught three passes for 24 yards. Tim Patrick had two catches for 26 yards. Kenyon Sadiq caught two passes for 3 yards. The Jets’ tight ends and role players helped sustain drives, while Smith spread the ball to Wilson, Taylor, Patrick, Davis, Williams and Allen.

Cleveland’s defense kept the game within reach. Quincy Williams led the Browns with 11 tackles. Carson Schwesinger had eight tackles and one sack. Denzel Ward made seven tackles. Adin Huntington had six tackles and half a sack. Grant Delpit recorded five tackles. Ronnie Hickman added two tackles. Quincy Williams’ 11 tackles were the most by any defender in the game. The Browns limited the Jets for much of the afternoon but could not stop Allen on the final scoring drive. Cleveland also forced New York into a 54-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, which Sanders converted.

On offense for Cleveland, Quinshon Judkins ran 14 times for 44 yards and caught three passes for 6 yards. Raheim Sanders ran three times for 12 yards and caught one pass for 1 yard. Isaiah Bond caught three passes for 74 yards. Denzel Boston caught three passes for 46 yards and the touchdown, and he returned one punt for 13 yards. Bond led Cleveland’s receivers with 74 yards, while Boston’s touchdown was the Browns’ only trip to the end zone. Jerry Jeudy had three catches for 19 yards. KC Concepcion caught one pass for 5 yards. Harold Fannin Jr. had one catch for 4 yards. Corey Bojorquez punted eight times for 421 yards. Jaleel McLaughlin and Elgton Jenkins were listed without statistics.

The result continued a narrow stretch for both teams. Cleveland entered having won three straight after a season-opening loss, but could not finish drives in the second half. The Jets had lost three straight entering the game and needed a late answer to avoid another close defeat. New York’s rushing attack provided the difference, with Allen’s 116 yards and timely touchdown offsetting Cleveland’s 12-point effort. The Browns’ final possession ended without points, and the Jets ran out the clock after Allen’s score. The win moved New York to 2-3 and dropped Cleveland to 3-2.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected N.Y. Jets 26, Cleveland 24. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Cleveland with a 59.1 percent probability to win. Cleveland had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of +2.5. The total score of 29 went over the over/under line of 39.5.