Jets football blog

Jets pound Chiefs, playoff march continues

Mark Sanchez and the New York Jets got going in a hurry — for a change — and never stopped.

The Kansas City Chiefs? Well, this is one they’d like to quickly forget.

Sanchez threw two touchdown passes and ran for two more scores as the Jets kept pace in the AFC playoff race by cruising to a 37-10 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

The Jets, plagued by slow starts all season, scored 28 points in the first half and were helped by an inept Chiefs offense that managed just 4 total yards in the first two quarters.

Sanchez was 13 of 21 for 181 yards before being pulled for Mark Brunell with the game in hand, and was cheered warmly in pregame introductions after being booed in the team’s last home game two weeks ago. Shonn Greene had a season-high 129 yards rushing and a score, and Santonio Holmes and LaDainian Tomlinson each caught touchdown passes for the Jets (8-5), who have won three straight and improved to 6-1 at home. (continue)

Another 4th quarter win for Jets

Another shaky performance for three quarters by Mark Sanchez and the Jets. And then, another fourth-quarter comeback.

Sanchez hit Santonio Holmes for a 30-yard touchdown pass with 4:49 to play Sunday, and Shonn Greene added a pair of insurance scores to give the Jets a 34-19 win over the Washington Redskins, keeping New York in the realistic hunt for an AFC playoff berth

It was Sanchez's 10th career fourth-quarter comeback or overtime victory, including the playoffs, and his second in as many weeks. The Jets (7-5) scraped by the Buffalo Bills last Sunday, the first step in the team's stated mission to win out and make the postseason for a third straight year.

But the playoff surge machine again looked more like a combustion engine missing a few spark plugs as coach Rex Ryan's team pulled off another mistake-filled win. New York had only 168 total yards after three quarters, committed untimely penalties and had another special teams turnover against the Redskins (4-8), who have lost seven of eight. (continue)

Jets live to fight another day, beat Bills 28-24

When the Jets escaped with a wild 28-24 win over the Bills on Sunday to keep their playoff hopes alive, outside linebacker Calvin Pace delivered a healthy dose of reality for a team desperately trying to find its way.

“What if Plax didn’t make that play?” Pace said in a quiet moment in front of his locker. “Then, we’re sitting here looking stupid.”

On a day sprinkled with a classless touchdown celebration, a chorus of boos from an agitated fan base at MetLife Stadium and a bit of resilience from a maligned young quarterback, Plaxico Burress’ acrobatic one-handed catch on the Jets’ game-winning drive stole the show. Burress’ twisting grab on the pivotal third-and-11 help set up Mark Sanchez’s career-high fourth touchdown pass to help the Jets (6-5) snap their two-game losing streak and keep them in the wild card hunt.

“He saved our season,” Pace said. “He made a play. Somebody had to make one.” (continue)

Jets not ready for prime time, lose 37-16 to Pats

The Jets vowed this year would be different.

They planned to take control of the AFC East. They envisioned home playoff games. But when they had what LaDainian Tomlinson called “a perfect opportunity” last night, they squandered it.

The Jets’ 37-16 loss to the Patriots wasn’t a massacre like last December, but the outcome was the same: They were left looking up at their hated division rival in the standings, maddened by an opportunity wasted.

The Patriots, now 6-3, are alone atop the division and have essentially a two-game lead over the 5-4 Jets, by way of sweeping the season series. The Jets’ prospects to win the AFC East? “Doubtful,” an angry Rex Ryan said.

“It’s just tough because they beat us twice,” Ryan added. “We think we’re as good as they are, but clearly we’re not. We weren’t today, that’s for sure.” (continue)

 

Jets D pounds Bills in 27-11 win

he Jets put themselves right back in the AFC East Sunday, riding a physically dominating defense to a 27-11 victory over the upstart Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium. It was as good as this team has looked all season as they head into next week’s first-place showdown against the Patriots, who dealt them their last defeat.

It was the third straight win for the Jets, who posted their first road win of the season against a Bills team that was 4-0 at home and averaging over 34 points per game. The teams are now tied at 5-3.

LaDainian Tomlinson, Santonio Holmes and John Conner scored second-half touchdowns to break game open after offensive mistakes, including a pair of Mark Sanchez turnovers, kept it just a 3-0 Jets lead the half. (continue)

Plaxico gets 3 TDS in comeback win over Chargers

Plaxico Burress had the big breakout game the Jets have been waiting for.

The veteran wide receiver caught three touchdown passes, including the go-ahead score that was set up by another interception by Darrelle Revis, and the Jets stormed back in the second half to defeat the Chargers 27-21 on Sunday.

Leading 21-17, the Chargers appeared to be driving for a possible game-sealing score when Philip Rivers threw to Vincent Jackson and the ball tipped off the receiver’s hands and right to Revis, who returned the interception 64 yards to the Chargers 19.

Revis had two interceptions on Monday night, including a 100-yard touchdown return, in the Jets’ 24-6 win against the Miami Dolphins.

After a few runs by Shonn Greene and a defensive holding penalty — the Chargers’ 11th penalty in the game — Mark Sanchez found Burress on a slant for a 3-yard touchdown to give the Jets (4-3) the lead for the first time with 8:41 remaining. It was Burress’ second three-TD catch game of his career, and first since 2007 while with the Giants. (continue)

Jets win ugly over reeling Miami

Jets coach Rex Ryan stood in front of his team Saturday morning and, for a few moments, addressed a matter bigger than the Miami Dolphins.

A receiver and offensive lineman had traded strong public comments in the prior days, portraying the Jets as not just a losing, but also a fractured team. So Ryan pulled slides from training camp listing the team’s goals and the sorts of barriers that could keep them from those goals.

His message, two days before facing a division foe on “Monday Night Football,” was simple and true. 

“We can’t afford to have this bickering and all this drama in the locker room,” left guard Matt Slauson said. “We have to be a team. We’ve got to stay close and just play. And that’s what we did.” (continue)

Jets D tires in 30-21 loss to Patriots

The Jets fell to 2-3 here in New England after an 30-21
loss to the Patriots. Despite holding quarterback Tom Brady in check for a half, the Patriot offense continued to grind away ­and kept command of the clock ­in the second while the Jets failed to capitalize on key opportunities.

A Santonio Holmes touchdown with 5:43 left in the fourth quarter put the Jets within six, but the defense could not stop BenJarvus Green-Ellis on the ensuing drive. Ellis, the fifth running back to put up 100 or more yards against Rex Ryan, plowed his way down the field and burnt up just enough clock to put the Patriots in the driver¹s seat.

New England kicker Stephen Gostkowski sealed it with a 28-yard field goal at the 1:02 mark.

 

Jets horrible in 34-17 loss to Ravens

Black, capital letters in the home locker room at M&T Bank Stadium script the motto “Play Like A Raven.”

Rex Ryan brought the rally cry with him when he became head coach of the Jets three years ago, translating it to “Play Like A Jet.” He did not envision that in his first regular-season return to the city where he spent a decade, playing like a Jet would instead be defined by devastating turnovers, desperation lineup changes and — at least at one point — Ryan airing his frustrations on national television.

The result tonight was a 34-17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the second consecutive defeat for Ryan’s team. Their three-game road stretch has so far knocked the Jets to 2-2, and looming next week is a trip to Foxborough, Mass. (continue)

 

Leaky D dooms Jets

The culprits were all over the field, missing tackles and getting juked by speedy playmakers from start to finish. A week after the Jets' suffocating defensive performance against the Jaguars grabbed headlines, the backbone of Rex Ryan's team was carved up in a 34-24 loss to the Raiders Sunday. Gang Green's defensive implosion was historic.

The Jets gave up the most rushing yards (234) in 41 games under Ryan, getting gouged for one big play after another en route to their first loss of the season.

"I've never had that happen in my life," said Ryan, whose team faces consecutive road tests in Baltimore and Foxborough in the next two weeks. "But it just happened." 

The Giants were the last team to embarrass Ryan's defense when they racked up 207 rushing yards in 2008 against the then-Ravens defensive coordinator. Ryan hadn't suffered such an indignity in the NFL since he was a Cardinals' defensive line/linebackers coach in 1995 when the Redskins rushed for 259 yards against his team, according to ESPN Stats & Information. (continue)