The New York Jets were on a mission on Sunday night. They came out and stayed aggressive throughout the whole contest against the defending Super Bowl Champions New England Patriots. The Gang Green beat the Patriots in every category, as they forced two turnovers, gained over 100 on the ground, and close to 300 in the air on the way to an outstanding 30-17 win!
QB Chad Pennington had one of his best games of the year, completing 23 of his 33 passes for a total of 285 yards, and three touchdowns. For the first time in quite a while three different wide receivers caught touchdown passes for the Jets in the same game. First, Chad Pennington connected with WR Laveranues Coles on a magnificent 32-yard touchdown strike. Coles finished the game with 5 receptions for 78 yards. Later in the first quarter Pennington found WR Santana Moss in the end zone, and the Jets took a 14-7 lead. In the fourth quarter Chad threw with surgical precision a 15-yard touchdown pass to WR Wayne Chrebet who was determined to redeem himself after the costly fumble last week. On the ground RB Curtis Martin crossed a 100-yard mark for the 4th time in the last six games. Martin gained 106 yards on 26 carries, increasing his season total to 1,011 yards. Curtis has become the second player in history to gain over 1,000 yards in his first eight seasons in the NFL.
The Jets defense limited QB Tom Brady to just 133 yards on 37 passing attempts, one touchdown, one interception, and a modest quarterback rating of 57.6. On the ground the Patriots gained 97 yards on 23 carries (4.2 yards per carry), still leaving big question marks over the Jets' ability to stop the run. DE John Abraham registered 1.5 sacks, and now has 10.0 sacks for the season. OLB Sam Cowart had the team best 9 tackles (6 solo), MLB Marvin Jones had 8 (4 solo). CB Donnie Abraham made his 4th interception of the season. He picked off a deep pass in the fourth quarter, which basically sealed the game.
Well, the Jets stayed alive in the playoff hunt for another week. Now it's all up to two games - if next Sunday at 1:00 PM EST the Patriots defeat the Miami Dolphins, and then at 4:15 PM EST the Jets beat the Green Bay Packers, the Jets win the AFC East! There's also a slim chance for the Jets to make the playoffs as a wild card team, but it seems rather impossible because the Jets have lost to the Chiefs and the Browns. The hope is still alive! GO JETS!!!