Injury Update: C Kevin Mawae broke his right hand in the 3rd quarter. It's unclear at this time how long he will be out.
For the second week in a row the New York Jets refused to seal the deal early in the game where they had plenty of opportunities and let the game come down to the wire. The team managed to barely squeak by the San Diego Chargers, 34-28, and is heading into the bye week with a 2-0 record.
This game surely looked like it would be a walk in the park when the Jets took a commanding 14-0 lead in the 1st quarter, following two rushing touchdowns by RB Curtis Martin. In the second quarter the lead was extended to 17-0 but the Chargers instantly responded with a 87-yard kickoff return. Still, the Jets held a 17-7 lead at halftime and there were absolutely no signs that the Gang Green wouldn't be able to get an easy win.
In the third quarter the Jets continued slaughtering the Chargers, as QB Chad Pennington connected with FB Jerald Sowell on a 4-yard TD pass, increasing the lead to 27-7. The Chargers, however, just refused to give up. First, LaDainian Tomlinson cut the lead to 27-14, and then Roche Caldwell scored another touchdown, shrinking the Jets' lead to only 27-21. The Jets responded with a 70-yard drive that culminated in a 1-yard TD pass to TE Chris Baker. The Chargers once again refused to give up, as they cut the lead to 34-28 with just 30 seconds left in the game. The Jets recovered the ensuing onside kick and moved up to a 2-0 start. But did it really have to come down to this?
During the course of the game the Gang Green had numerous opportunities to put this contest away, but Paul Hackett's ridiculous at times playcalling allowed the Chargers remain in this game until the very end. Just like last week the Jets started the game successfully running the ball up the middle. The Chargers quickly adjusted, as they started putting eight men in the box. The Jets' offensive coordinator, however, refused to change his game plan even one bit. He kept running Martin up the middle despite seeing him get stuffed time after time. He ran Martin two times inside the Chargers' 5-yard line when San Diego clearly keyed on the run. Of course, he then decided to pass on the 3rd down when San Diego, you guessed it, expected a pass. As a result, yet another opportunity to put this game away was wasted. Thankfully, Hackett did manage to come out of his shell in the 4th quarter when instead of milking the clock he decided to expose the weak Charger pass defense on a swift 6-play scoring drive that went 70 yards.
The Jets' pass-rush, or lack of it, remained yet another hot issue for the second week in a row. For the most part of the game the Jets defensive line, which features three first round draft picks, was unable to put any pressure on the Chargers' quarterbacks. The Jets almost did not blitz and looked much less aggressive than we had expected them to see this season. This kind of defense just doesn't win championship. There's certainly plenty of adjustments have to be made during the upcoming bye week. Another concern is the injuries suffered by C Kevin Mawae (hand) and MLB Sam Cowart (knee). Their status is unknown at this time.
Offense: QB Chad Pennington had another good day as he passed for 258 yards, 2 TDs and no interceptions. RB Curtis Martin ran for 119 yards on 32 carries, 2 TDs. Martin passed Freeman McNeil and became the all-time Jets rushing leader. WR Santana Moss led the team with 4 catches for 97 yards, including a 48-yard grab late in the 4th quarter.
Defense: Rookie S Erik Coleman continued just where he had left off last week. This time he had one interception and a fumble recovery. CB David Barrett led the team with 6 tackles (5 solo). DT Dewayne Robertson and DE Shaun Ellis combined on the only Jets' sack of the game. CB Donnie Abraham had a bad game. First, he did not make a sure interception and then gave up a touchdown. S Jon McGraw had an interception and two pass defenses.