With the ball at the Patriots 18, the Jets gave a direct snap to Tim Tebow (who ran the same exact play he ran the first three times he had the ball) with a run up the middle for 2 yards, bringing us to the 2 minute warning. At that point the Patriots had all 3 timeouts left, so if the Jets made a first down it would end the game. So, the first play after the 2-minute warning was a run with Joe McKnight for 1 yard. Now, it was 3rd and 7, so Sparano finally calls a passing play, but Sanchez takes a sack. Nick Folk, who has been money this season, kicks the field goal that puts Gang Green up 3 with 1:37 left in the game.
The Jets defense, who was doing a great job up to that point, only needed one more stop to ice the game. Instead, Rex got conservative all of a sudden, only rushing 3 guys, and Brady picked them apart, going 4-5 for 54 yards, setting up a Stephen Gotskowski field goal as time expired. Then, in overtime the same thing happened. The Pats had 12 play 54 yard drive (helped by a questionable pass interference call on Kyle Wilson, but I've come to expect those calls against Goodell's favorite team, the Cheatriots) capped off with another field goal.
The Jets had one last chance to force a sudden death ending by making a field goal or ending it with a touchdown. After another great catch by Jeremy Kerley, which set us up at our own 40, McKnight ran up the middle for no gain. Then, on what would be the final play of the game, Rob Ninkovich and Jermaine Cunningham got to Sanchez practically untouched for a strip sack that New England recovered.
I don't think I can really call out one person or position for blowing this game, because it rests on several people's shoulders. First, is the coaching staff. After all the bravado and trash talking throughout the week, when the game was in our grasps, they got scared and played conservative all of a sudden, when they should have stepped on the Patriots throats and finished them. Second, is the defense. They just can't close out game for some reason. It happened earlier this season against the Dolphins, and there are several example of that from the past, including the loss to Tebow's Broncos. Next on the list is Stephen Hill, who dropped a pass on 3rd and 4 from the Patriots 25, on the drive before the Pats fumbled the kickoff. If he reeled in the catch the Jets drive would've eaten up more clock, and perhaps ended the drive with 7 points instead of a field goal. Finally it's Mark Sanchez. He played one of his better games of this season, but had two plays that were the difference in the game. The first one was his terrible pass on a long ball to Stephen Hill in the second quarter that was an interception instead of an easy touchdown. Second, was the last play of the game, where instead of tucking the ball away and going down, he tried to throw the ball as he was getting sacked.
So right now, the Jets are 3-4, and in last place in the AFC East, instead of looking down at the rest of the division at 4-3 (and 3-0 in the division). Even though it sucks because of how we lost, the realistic Jets fan had to figure we were going to be 4-4 at the midway point of the season, and a win against the Dolphins next week would put us on pace. Plus, the AFC is weak this season, so even at 3-4 we aren't out of the race. Let's get on to the grades.
Offense
B-
For a majority of the game, Mark Sanchez played really well, going 28/41 for 328 with a TD and a pick. Jeremy Kerley is showing a lot of promise, stepping up since Santonio went down with his lisfranc injury, catching 7 passes for 120. Dustin Keller looks like he is back to 100 percent, catching 7 balls for 93 and a touchdown. Stephen Hill continues to show flashes of brilliance, but his drops are starting to become a concern. The running game wasn't spectacular, but it got the job done. Shonn Greene ran 16 times for 54 yards. Joe McKnight played with a ton of heart in spite of his injured ankle.
The Jets outgained the Patriots, 403 yards to 381. Also, they were good at converting 3rd downs (8-15). There was some questionable playcalling, including throwing a pass on 3rd and 1 on the Patriots 3 on our first drive in the second half, as well as being too conservative late in the game.
Defense
B
The defense played great for most of the game. If you take away the safety and kickoff return TD, the Patriots offense only scored 20 points. Rex Ryan gave some younger players a chance to prove themselves, and Demario Davis and Isaiah Trufant rewarded him by playing well. The pass rush wasn't getting sacks, but they were getting to Brady. Antonio Cromartie is helping Jets fans forget about Revis, holding Brandon Lloyd to 1 catch. LaRon Landry is a difference maker on this defense. He has been in beast mode this season, limiting the damage of Gronk, and leading the team with 12 tackles.
Special Teams
C
Allowing a kickoff return for a touchdown after the Jets drove down the field to score on their first possession was a huge momentum changer. However, they came up with a big turnover that set up a go ahead field goal in the 4th quarter. Joe McKnight and Jermey Kerley had a couple nice returns. Nick Folk was a perfect 4/4, including two high pressure kicks.
Around the AFC
In the second biggest AFC game this weekend, the Texans smoked the Ravens who played their first game without Ray Lewis. Joe Flacco and Ray Rice were never able to get started, they went 3 and out or turned the ball over on 7 of their first 8 drives as Houston ran out to a 29-3 halftime lead..... In a night-time AFC North battle, the Steelers outgained the Bengals 431 yards to 185. The Steelers tried to give the Bengals the game, with back-to-back turnovers in the first half, but finished strong to get back to .500..... The Jaguars blew a 14 point lead, and lost Maurice Jones-Drew and Blaine Gabbert (who really shouldn't be considered a loss) in a sloppy game against the Raiders..... With bye weeks this really was an awful week for the AFC
Around the NFC
The G-Men had their first meeting with RG3 and the Redskins, and to no one's surprise, had one of the more exciting games of the weekend. The stats were crazy for this game including the Giants +3 turnover ratio, and the Redskins out-gaining them on the ground 248-64. The game saw 7 lead changes, including two in the final 1:32. Griffin converted a 4th and 10 on a play that has to be seen, and a 30 yard touchdown to Sanata Moss to put the 'Skins up 23-20. However ELIte Manning answered back when he hooked up with Victor Cruz for a 77 yard game-winning touchdown.... In another crazy game, the Saints fell behind 21-7 to the Bucs before pulling out to a 28-21 halftime lead. After a defensive 3rd quarter, the teams traded touchdowns in the 4th. On the final play of the game Mike Williams caught what would have been a game-tying 9 yard touchdown pass, but was flagged for stepping out of the end zone and being the first player to catch the ball..... The Panthers fell to 1-5 after a back-and-forth game with the Cowboys. I can't figure it out, but the 'Boys haven't played well since beating the Giants in the opener. I wonder if a rematch with the Champs will re-ignite their fire?.... Finally, Aaron Rodgers looks like he's snapped out of his slump throwing for 342 and 3 touchdowns in the Packers 30-20 win over the Rams..... At this point in the season, it's crazy how much better the NFC is than the AFC. Aside from the Texans, I don't think any AFC team would be much of a threat in the NFC.
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