Ground and Pound Keeps Jets Playoff Hopes Alive

The Jets realized Sunday that if they want to win...the ball needs to stay out of Mark Sanchez's hands.

Gang Green finally established the ground and pound Sunday afternoon in Jacksonville.  Their rushing attack helped lead them to a 17-10 victory over the Jaguars.  The Jets needed to establish the run game with their quarterback struggling mightily.  Shonn Greene and Bilal Powell both had a big day.  Powell ran for 78 yards and a touchdown and Grenne ran for 77 yards and a touchdown.  A combined 39 carries and 155 yards carried the Jets in a game where Sanchez only threw for only 111 yards.  Sanchez only had 19 passing attempts as Tony Sparano kept the ball on the ground for most of the day.  

The defense was huge for the Jets against a terrible Jaguars offense.  The Jets got to face another brutal offense for the second week in a row.  Jags quarterback Chad Henne was just 21 for 43 for 185 yards to go along with two interceptions.  In a game that saw 15 combined punts and a lot of bad football on offense, the Jets squeezed out the win in the end.  

So the Jets took the pressure off their struggling quarterback Sunday.  His replacement last week, Greg McElroy was inactive as Tim Tebow was the backup.  Many questioned Rex Ryan's thinking in not keeping McElroy active after leading the Jets to their only touchdown last week.  Tebow didn't see the field once on Sunday.  Coach Ryan is clearly adamant about Sanchez has he has said over and over.  While Sanchez did fumble a ball in the second quarter, he avoided throwing any picks, which has been his demise this season.  If the Jets want to have continued success in the last three games of the season, they need to keep running the ball effectively.  

With the win, the Jets improve to 6-7.  Suddenly, they are still alive in the playoffs.  It sure doesn't roll off the tongue easily, but the New York Jets are still in a playoff race.  After all this team ahs been through this season, they still have hope for the 6th seed in AFC.  The Steelers and Bengals both lost Sunday making it a very interesting race for that last AFC Wild Card spot.  The Jets would need to win their final three games, have the Steelers lose two of their three games, and the Bengals lose one of their three games.  The Steelers finish the season at Dallas, home against the Bengals, and home against the Browns.  The Bengals remaining games are at Philadelphia, at Pittsburgh, and home against the Ravens.  

The Jets have to play at Tennessee, home against the 5-8 Chargers, and in Buffalo against the 5-8 Bills.  They need to take it one game a time now.  While it is definitely a favorable schedule, the Jets haven't proved to anyone that these games will be easy.  They'll head to Tennessee next for a big Monday night game against the 4-9 Titans.  The key for the Jets once again will be running the ball with success and avoid letting Sanchez make mistakes.  Good defense and mistake-free offense could keep the Jets alive.  Any hope for the playoffs begin with a must-win next Monday in Tennessee. 

Ground and Pound Gives Jets Dominant Win

Sunday afternoon, the Jets finally didn't need to worry about any sort of quarterback controversy.  They let their running game do the talking.

Rex Ryan's "ground and pound" offense finally made an appearance against the Colts Sunday leading the Jets to a dominant win over Indianapolis, 35-9.  Shonn Greene had a career-high 161 yards rushing to go along with three touchdowns.  The Jets rushing attack combined for 252 yards, which was the most all season.  Mark Sanchez didn't need to do much thanks to the success on the ground.  Sanchez was just 11 for 18 for 82 yards to go with two touchdowns.

The Jets did what they were looking to do all season on Sunday.  They ran the bell extremely effectively allowing Sanchez to be more comfortable in a limited role seeing him throw a lot less passes.  Gang Green let Shonn Greene and even Joe McKnight do the talking in the week six win over the Colts.  McKnight had a big 61-yard run in the third quarter that would lead to a Jets touchdown before leaving the game with an ankle injury.  That came right after the Jets had lost running back Bilal Powell  to a shoulder injury.

Not only did the Jets running game destroy the Colts, Gang Green's Revis-less defense held rookie quarterback Andrew Luck in check all afternoon.  Luck was just 22 for 44 for 280 yards and two interceptions.  The most important thing that the Jets defense did Sunday was pressure the quarterback. We finally saw a pass rush from the Jets defense as they sacked Luck four times.  The rookie was hurried all day long as the Jets defense made it extremely difficult for him to become comfortable in the pocket.

And what's a Jets win without a little bit of Tim Tebow?

On a 4th and 11 from the Colts 40, Tim Tebow executed the fake punt to perfection as he received the snap and threw the ball to a wide open Nick Bellore.  It came at a great time and was perfectly executed by Tebow and would lead to a Jets touchdown to give them a 21-6 lead in the second quarter.

It was refreshing to see the Jets do what they wanted to do since day once...run the football successfully.  There was no controversy needed over the quarterback position.  The Jets had their best all-around performance of the season thus far.  They were successful on the ground, in the air when they needed it, on defense, and even on special teams.

The win propels the Jets to a 3-3 record and their 2-0 division record puts them atop the AFC East.  All four teams are tied at 3-3.  That will change next week as the Jets will next travel to Foxboro to battle their division-rival New England Patriots.  The Pats are coming off a devastating loss to the Seahawks in Seattle.  If the Jets could have continued success on the ground and continue to bring a pass rush, we could see some more winning football from Coach Ryan's team this season.

Jets On The Mark in Rout of Bills

Sunday at the Meadowlands was proof that the preseason just does not matter.

The Jets' offense exploded for four touchdowns in the season opener this afternoon against the Bills.  Gang Green crushed Buffalo, 48-28 in a wild game at MetLife Stadium.  Mark Sanchez had a sparkling debut throwing for 266 yards and 3 touchdowns.  Rookie Stephen Hill caught 5 passes for 89 yards to go with 2 touchdowns.  Jeremy Kerley had a breakout performance with a 12 yard touchdown catch and a 68 yard punt return for a touchdown.  Tim Tebow came in for the wildcat and carried the ball 5 times for 11 yards.

The Jets' offense was in cruise control and their defense was absolutely dominant for the first 40 minutes of the game.  After Sanchez made a poor throw that was intercepted on the Jets' opening drive, it seemed like the "Te-Bow" chants were on the way.  That would be the only mistake Sanchez would make all day.  Darrelle Revis would intercept Ryan Fitzpatrick and it was all Jets from there.  

Sanchez was spot-on with his passes all afternoon.  It was something that Jets fans hope to get used to.  Hill, Kerley, and Santonio Holmes were his main targets on the day catching a combined 13 passes for 202 yards.  Tight end Dustin Keller was not very effective, but is expected to have a major role in the offense this season.

The ground and pound was successful as Shonn Greene carried the ball 27 times for 94 yards and a touchdown.  Tebow came in as a tight end on the first offensive play of the game.  He carried the ball for 11 yards.  The run game complemented the pass game very well Sunday afternoon.  Tebow should see more carries and more options in the wildcat as the season goes on.

Most importantly, the Jets' secondary was very impressive for the most part.  They started to fall apart in the fourth quarter, but for the most part they held Fitzpatrick in check.  They forced him into three interceptions with one of them turning into a pick six from Antonio Cromartie.  Revis left the game with an injury, but will be fine to play Sunday.

It was an electric atmosphere at the Meadowlands Sunday.  The crowd was ready for a fresh start.  The beginning of the season always brings new hope.  Not one person out of the 79,088 people expected a 48-point performance from the Jets, which happens to be the most in franchise history in the season opener.  It was a good showing in a season where the Jets are looking to redeem themselves and get back to the playoffs.

It was definitely a good performance by the offense, defense, and special teams, but there are definitely a lot of things the Jets need to work on.  Their defense had trouble stopping C.J. Spiller and the running game allowing him to run for 169 yards and a touchdown.  Also, the pass rush was awful for Gang Green.  Fitzpatrick had all day to throw allowing him to get some of those late touchdowns.  Pass rushing was the Jets' weakness last season and could be this year.  Look for Rex Ryan's team to put some more pressure on the quarterback throughout the season if they want to be successful.

The Jets head to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers Sunday.  Ben Roethlisberger should play, unless the birth of his child ends up happening that day.  While the Jets still have a lot to work on, their performance against Buffalo was a good sign.  The offense can put up points and move the ball.  The defense can force turnovers with their impressive secondary.  Let's see if Sanchez can go on the road to Pittsburgh and have a repeat performance of his brilliance in the 2012 season opener.  

Jets Surge Into First With Dominant Win over Bills

Sunday might have been the best all around performance we have seen by the Jets all season.  They finally played the lights out defense that everyone expected to see all season.  The Jets beat the Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium 27-11 Sunday afternoon.  The Jets played an all around impressive performance not only defensively, but offensively as well.

The key early in this game was turnovers.  Both teams were turning it over early and had trouble putting up points.  The first half's only points was a 49 yard field goal by Nick Folk.  It was all about defense early.  In the second half, the Jets offense would kick it into gear.  They would get a 50 yard field goal from Nick Folk early in the third quarter.  The Bills would then fumble on the first play of their drive giving the Jets great field position in Bills territory.  They would get a nice catch and run by Plaxico Burress followed by a 1 yard touchdown run by Ladanian Tomlinson to take a 13-0 lead.  The Bills would finally score on a field goal making it 13-3.

From there on, it was all Jets.

They would have a 1:20 drive ending in a gorgeous play action touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes making it 20-3.  They would put the dagger in the Bills in the fourth driving and ending it with a 1 yard touchdown run by "the terminator" John Connor.  That would make it 27-3 and put the Bills away.   They would add on a touchdown late to make it 27-11 after converting the 2 point conversion. That would be all. The Jets closed it out with the final being 27-11.

The key to the game was the Jets dominant defensive performance.  They forced three Bills turnovers with one leading to a Jets touchdown.  The Jets finally put pressure on the quarterback allowing Ryan Fitzpatrick to be completely shut down.  Fitzpatrick was 15 for 31 for 191 yards with a touchdown and 2 interceptions.  They only allowed 96 combined rushing yards as well with 82 of them coming from starter Fred Jackson.  The Jets defense was aggressive and played their best game defensively.

The offense was solid as well. Mark Sanchez played one of his better games besides the early interception he looked like a veteran in the pocket.  Sanchez threw for 230 yards and a touchdown.  The Jets ran for 126 yards combined by Shonn Greene, Joe McKnight and Tomlinson.  The offense had a chemistry that we have not seen all season.  They looked very comfortable playing a Bills team who has been a pleasant surprise this year.

Next comes the game everyone has been waiting for.  The Jets and Patriots will face off in New Jersey on Sunday night.  The Pats beat the Jets at home and now with both teams being tied for first place in the AFC East, the Jets look to break the tie and continue their winning ways on Sunday.

Plax Leads Jets to Comeback Victory Over Chargers

One trip to the endzone would not be good enough for Plaxico Burress.

Two would not be sufficient either.

A third touchdown would have to do.  Jets wide receiver finally decided to have the breakout game fans would hope to see from him on Sunday.  Plax only had four receptions but three of them would be for touchdowns.  It was a spectacular performance by the first year Jet and former Giant.  The Jets would fight back from being down 21-10 at the half to defeating the first place Chargers 27-21.

The Jets were coming off a win against the worst team in football last week.  They needed a win against a very good Chargers team if they wanted any sort of momentum going into their bye week.  They started off a little shaky in the first half, but once again they turned on the jets (no pun intended) in the 2nd half.  Their defense played lights out only allowing 96 total rushing yards.  They forced two interceptions off of pro bowl quarterback Philip Rivers.  Rivers was 16 for 32 with 179 yards and two interceptions and one touchdown.  The Jets did not give up one point in the second half.  It was the best their defense has played in a while.  The turning point came when the Jets trailed 21-17 early in the fourth quarter and the Chargers were driving to the Jets 25 yard line.  Darrelle Revis would intercept Rivers and nearly do the same thing he did last week and run it for a touchdown.  This time he got to the opponent's 19 yard line and the Jets would get one of their three touchdowns to Plaxico Burress to take the lead and hold on for the win.

The Jets were led by their rushing attack.  Shonn Greene ran for 112 yards.  Sanchez ran for 25 yards.  Ladanian Tomlinson ran for 14 yards and Joe McKnight ran for 11 yards.  They had 162 yards combined on the ground.  Mark Sanchez was good enough to get the Jets offense by throwing for 173 yards and the three touchdown passes to Burress.

It was a masterful second half performance by the Jets and another comeback victory.  The Jets are now back over .500 at 4-3 and the Chargers fall to 4-2 with the loss.  The Jets will have a bye next week before they hit the road to face the Bills.  The Chargers return home to face the Chiefs next Monday night.

Jets Snap Losing Streak and Get Back to .500

The Jets were in dire need of a victory on Monday night facing the winless Dolphins.  It started off sloppy early in the game, but the Jets kicked it into gear after an abismal start to defeat the Dolphins 24-6 at Metlife Stadium.  The Jets moved to 3-3 with the win, including 3-0 at home and the Dolphins fell to 0-5 with the loss.

The Jets came out of the gate at home not as expected.  Their first four drives were all three and out.  They could not get one first down the first four drives.  They still held a 7-6 lead in the second quarter without having a first down thanks to a 100 yard interception return for a touchdown from cornerback Darelle Revis.  Many questioned whether it may have been a pass interference committed by Revis to get the pick, but nothing was called and Revis would weave his way through defenders to take it from one endzone to the other.

The Jets would finally get offensive yardage on their 5th drive as they drove down the field for a touchdown to take a 14-6 lead.  That would be the score at the half.  The Jets would get a field goal in the 3rd quarter to take a 17-6 lead going into the 4th.  The Dolphins offense was stagnant.  They could not get the ball down the field whatsoever in the second half.  The Jets defense dominated and Matt Moore proved why he is a backup quarterback in the NFL.  He struggled all night, especially in the second half.  The Jets would score early in the 4th quarter thanks to a 38 yard catch and run by Santonio Holmes with the help of a couple great blocks down the field.  The Jets had a 24-6 lead and would hold on by that score.

Mark Sanchez had an average game throwing 14 for 25 for 201 yards and one touchdown as well as a rushing touchdown.  Shonn Greene ran for 74 yards and the Jets finally got back on the winning side.  Meanwhile, nothing is going right for the Miami Dolphins.  They have struggled mightily all season.  Matt Moore, who was playing for the injured Chad Henne did not look sharp throwing 16 for 34 for 204 yards and an interception.  It seems as the Dolphins will be in the race for quarterback Andrew Luck this year as they are looking like they will have one of the top picks in the upcoming draft.

The key thing for the Jets is that they won the game.  This was a much needed win just to get them out of their funk.  Yes, they beat a team who has been awful and arguably the worst team in the league, but it was a win that could build them some confidence going into next week.  The Jets will face the surprising Chargers team at home hoping to get back over the .500 mark. The Dolphins face Tim Tebow and the Broncos in Miami.

Jets Lose 3rd Straight and Fall Below .500

The New York Jets had visions of a Super Bowl victory this season, but after five games they have a losing record and do not resemble the championship team they aspire to be.

So far this year, the Jets defense just has not been able to make the big stops and their offense has been extremely inconsistent. Sunday afternoon proved no different. The New England Patriots defeated the Jets in Foxboro Sunday 30-21. While Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez and his offense played better than in previous weeks, their once highly touted defense was once again disappointing.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady threw for an impressive 321 yards and running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis ran for 136 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Patriots offensive attack dominated dominated the game. While Brady deserved lots of credit for his team’s performance, the sagging Jet defense played at times as if they were in another league. Maybe they are.

On the other hand, Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez had another average day, throwing for 166 yards and two touchdowns. Fans waiting for Sanchez to have a “breakout” game will have to wait. Jets running back Shonn Greene ran for an unremarkable 83 yards and a touchdown against the Patriot’s swarming defense.

In all reality, the Jets just are not as good as they were predicted to be coming into the season. The offense has not been very aggressive and the defense has brought little pressure on the opposition quarterback and it has struggled mightily to stop the run. If the Jets want any shot at getting to the playoffs, they are going to need to get their act together on both sides of the ball, defensively and offensively. If not, the Jets are looking like a team that will be on a couch in January watching the Patriots compete in the playoffs.

The Jets nest chance to redeem themselves with be a home game against the Miami Dolphins next Monday night. The meeting could be especially timely for the Jets because the Dolphins haven’t won a game this season and they lost starting quarterback Chad Henne to injury.

The Jets need to win this game to get back to the .500 mark and gain some confidence. Especially since they play the explosive and division leading San Diego Chargers the following week.