East Rutherford, N.J. — Malachi Corley, a rookie wide receiver for the New York Jets, thought he had found the end zone for his inaugural NFL touchdown. However, in an unfortunate turn of events, Corley dropped the ball prior to crossing the goal line, resulting in a costly turnover for the Jets.

The incident occurred early in the second quarter when the Jets found themselves on the Texans’ 19-yard line. After receiving a toss from quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Corley sprinted down the left sideline and appeared to dash into the end zone. Unfortunately, just moments before reaching the goal line, he dropped the football in a moment of premature celebration, which led to the ball rolling out of the back of the end zone.

A review of the play confirmed that he did not fully score before losing possession. As a result, he was credited with only an 18-yard run and a fumble, and due to it rolling out of the end zone, it was ruled a touchback, giving possession to the Texans.

Corley, selected in the third round of the draft from Western Kentucky, has had limited playing time this season. His mistake is reminiscent of a notable blunder made by DeSean Jackson during his rookie season in 2008, when he prematurely celebrated a touchdown by flipping the ball behind him just before crossing the goal line against the Dallas Cowboys on “Monday Night Football.”