A common theme this year is Darrelle Revis leading the Jets defense to wins. On Thursday night this was no different as Revis locked down Buffalo Bills wide receiver Terrelle Owens holding him to only 3 catches for 31 yards. Literally this guy is the reason the Jets are now 6-6 and only a game behind Denver for a wild card position.
However, this big, kinda sloppy win did not come without loss. Quarterback Mark Sanchez forced the organization to hold their breath when he hobbled off the field following a third down scramble for a first down in which he chose to dive at the end of the play instead of slide. Ironcially, this is exactly what Rex Ryan was trying to avoid by having Mark Sanchez taught how to slide FEET FIRST all week by World Series Champion Yankees Manager Joe Girardi. The dive got the first down but the collision with the field turf in Toronto caused Sanchez to sprain his posterior cruciate ligament in his healthier right knee since he already wears a brace on his left knee from an old college injury.
Good News is that if he can handle the pain he should be able to play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next week, another must win game if the Jets have any post season aspirations.
Rushing and defense has been the bread and butter for the Jets all season long. Against Buffalo this was the case as Thomas Jones helped set a franchise record for the most rushing yards in two games against the same opponent in the same season. The Jets defense held Buffalo to less than 100 yards total offense in the second half and quickly ended the Buffalo game winning drive opportunity on their final possession. Defensive end Shaun Ellis sacked the Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick on first down and then Darrelle Revis intercepted a long pass to Terrelle Owens on second down allowing the Jets to run out the clock for the victory.
The Jets slim but improving playoff hopes rest in the knee of Mark Sanchez. If he can not play then backup Kellen Clemens will be under center and the Jets will be left wondering what if.
The New York Jets have to win football games. On Sunday they again found themselves playing catch-up and lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars 24-22 at home. This difficult loss to swallow against a very average NFL team puts the Jets record at 4-5 and really diminishes any playoff aspirations for the team.
With only four wins and seven games remaining, the Jets will likely need to go what is seeminly improbable 6-1 the rest of the way to get to 10 wins which possibly would be enough to make the playoffs as a wild card. This game on Sunday was tough, as Quarterback Mark Sanchez orchestrated a go ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter to take the lead. The defense, which started the game very slow but was starting to produce results in the second half were unable to stop the Jaguars on their final drive. Big play after big play the Jaguars marched down the field. At the end was a Maurice Jones-Drew rush that looked like an easy touchdown run but he intelligently and unselfishly took a knee at the one yard line. By doing so, the Jaguars were able to drain the last couple minutes of the clock before kicking the chip shot go-ahead field goal as time expired. The brilliant heads up play prevented Sanchez from getting another opportunity.
This loss hurts and without going into details about how the Jets squandered opportunities within the game to get a must needed win Football Jets wants to cry.
But that is too late as Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan has already been crying about the game and the team. In front of the entire team during the morning meeting following this loss Rex Ryan had an emotional moment that brought him to tears. Ryan thinks the Jets are much better than their 4-5 record and the 5 losses over the last 6 games against mostly very average opponents. Ryan will need to save any hope for the playoffs by going to New England and facing Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and a fan base which is still spinning from the Sunday night meltdown by the coach and team against the undefeated Indianapolis Colts. The decision to go for it on their own 28, up by 6 points and with just a couple of minutes remaining was hugely controversial and in my honest opinion borderline idiotic.
The much anticipated match up between the New England Patriots and the New York Jets gets underway at the Meadowlands in New Jersey on Sunday. New England barely beat the Buffalo Bills at home thanks mostly to the Bills blundering a two score lead in the last two minutes of the game. On the other hand, the New York Jets impressively shut down the third highest scoring offense from last season the Houston Texans en route to a dominating win which showcased highlight reel plays from rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez, powerful running from Thomas Jones, and the Rex Ryan defense playing better then even an optimist expected.
Of note in this matchup is the fact Rex Ryan called out the fans, asking them for their best cheering effort. Loud and proud he wants us behind our team especially on defense. Make it loud and make it difficult for Tom Brady to converse with his offensive weapons. The only issue I have with Rex Ryan voicemail to all season ticket holders was the part where he claimed he wasn’t as good a coach as Bill Belichick. Okay, Belichick has rings, but all that is washed away after he was caught cheating. His super team has not been so super ever since he was caught cheating. Point being all of those championships are tainted, the same way the Boston Red Sox last two Championships are tainted because Manny Ramirez and Big Pappi were caught using performance enhancing drugs. So Rex Ryan is 1-0, but that is an honorable 1-0 because it was earned the right way.
Hopefully Rex you’ll be 2-0 after this weekend. Get Loud. J – E – T – S JETS! JETS! JETS!
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