Geno Smith threw a go-ahead 17-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Charone Peake in the final minute of the first half Thursday night as the New York Jets came back from an early deficit to edge the Jacksonville Jaguars 17-13 in the preseason opener for both teams at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

The Jets trailed 10-0 after the first quarter before reserves and rookies helped fuel the comeback.

Starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, playing in his second and final series, found third-year wide receiver Quincy Enunwa for gains of 26 yards and 43 yards on consecutive plays before Bilal Powell, who is expected to play a secondary role in a running back by committee with Matt Forte, scored from 4 yards out on the first play of the second quarter.

Fitzpatrick finished 3-for-4 for 72 yards.

Jason Myers' second field goal extended the Jaguars' lead to 13-7 with 1:11 left in the second quarter, but rookie wide receiver Jalin Marshall returned the subsequent kickoff 84 yards to the Jacksonville 18-yard-line.

Three plays later, Smith -- the four-year veteran who started for the Jets in 2013 and 2014 -- connected with Peake, a seventh-round pick out of Clemson in the April draft.

New York rookie kicker Ross Martin kicked a 23-yard field goal in the third quarter.

The Jaguars nearly won the game in the final minute, when third-string quarterback Brandon Allen marched Jacksonville 64 yards to the New York 14-yard-line. However, Jets rookie cornerback Doug Middleton picked off a deflected pass in the end zone with 12 seconds remaining.

Chris Ivory, who signed with the Jaguars in March after spending the previous three seasons with the Jets, scored from 1 yard out in the first quarter.

Jacksonville starting quarterback Blake Bortles finished 6-for-7 for 105 yards in two series. Wide receiver Allen Robinson had three catches for 80 yards.