You don't usually win games when you lose the turnover battle. This statement once again came true earlier today when the Jets faced the Buffalo Bills at Raplh Wilson Stadium. In what was a pretty close game turnovers and rather questionable play calls played a major factor in the second Jets' loss of the season.
The Jets won the coin toss but decided to kick, so that the wind would be blowing in their backs in the first and fourth quarters. This tactic seemed to work, as the Jets quickly made the Bills punt and began driving into Buffalo's territory. This possession, however, was stopped on the Bills' 19-yard line and the Jets had to settle for a field goal. PK Doug Brien who had missed just once in the entire season directed his kick wide left, giving the ball back to the Bills on their 27-yard line. Less than three minutes later the Jets gave the ball back to Buffalo yet again, however this time it was much more costly. QB Chad Pennington tried to scramble, fumbled the ball, the Bills recovered and their offense got the ball back on the Jets' 21-yard line. Just four plays later RB Willis McGahee sprinted past the Jets' defense and basically walked untouched into the end zone.
In the second quarter the Jets cut the lead to 3-7 as Doug Brien converted a 41-yard FG attempt. On their second possession in the quarter Chad Pennington drove the Gang Green 80 yards down the field on a 6-play drive that culminated in a 6-yard TD pass to WR Justin McCareins. The Jets took a 10-7 lead and it sure looked like they were back on track and on their way to another win. Unfortunately, the game was far from over, as the Bills tied the contest right before the half ended.
When the Buffalo Bills came out in the second half, it sure looked like their coaching staff made plenty of adjustments in the locker room. The Jets' defense, on the other hand, still was unable to put any pressure on Drew Bledsoe while the secondary was still having problems covering Buffalo's receivers. Like a knife through butter the Buffalo Bills drove right through the Jets' defense, or lack thereof, on their way to a 17-10 lead. The 13-play drive that consumed almost seven minutes of playing time suddenly made many Jets fans realize that this game wasn't going to be as easy as they thought it would be. The Jets failed to respond in the third quarter, as offensive coordinator Paul Hackett kept calling running plays on both first and second downs despite that the Bills' defense was clearly keying on the run.
As the fourth quarter began and the Gang Green got the ball back on their 25-yard line, we sure hoped that Paul Hackett would finally abandon the run and start exploiting the Bills' secondary, which had given up almost 150 yards in the first half. The offensive mastermind, however, thought otherwise. Martin ran for a loss of one yard, Martin ran for no gain, as once again Hackett's "brilliant" playcalling set up another 3rd and long. Pennington finally threw the ball, his pass was picked off and the Bills instantly found themselves in field goal range. The Jets' defense held up, limiting the Bills to only a field goal, but the damage was surely done.
On the next Jets' possession Chad Pennington was sacked on a 3rd and long, yet another 3rd and long, and had to leave the game with an injured shoulder. Backup QB Quincy Carter stepped in and momentarily gave the Bills another two points. RB Curtis Martin received a poor handoff from Carter and was tackled in the end zone for a 2-point safety, as the score became 22-10.
With no timeouts left, trailing 12 points with a bit less than five minutes left in the game, the Jets still refused to give up. Carter found WR Santana Moss wide open on a 51-yard TD pass, cutting the Bills' lead to 22-17. The Jets were still in the game, all they had to do was make Buffalo go three and out. The Bills, as expected, ran on both first and second downs and were faced with a 3rd and 8. On this deciding play of the game the Jets' defense once again put absolutely no pressure on Bledsoe and allowed him to easily complete a 27-yard pass to WR Lee Evans, who was covered by rookie CB Roderick Bryant. That was the game....
QB Chad Pennington had an average game, completing just 7 of his 15 passes for 141 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT. RB Curtis Martin gained only 67 yards on 19 carries. WR Santana Moss had his best game of the season - 6 receptions, 157 yards, 1 TD.
Rookie LB Jonathan Vilma led the team with 15 tackles (10 solo). LB Eric Barton recorded 13 tackles (10 solo). DE Shaun Ellis had 3 tackles and missed a couple of chances to sack the quarterback. The defense failed to create any turnovers or sacks for the first time this season, and gave up over 100 yards on the ground for the second time - Willis McGahee gained 132 yards on 37 carries.
Next Sunday the Jets will host the Baltimore Ravens.