The New York Jets moved up to 6-5 and put themselves right in the mix of the AFC Wild Card race, as they defeated the Houston Texans, 26-11. Late in the third quarter, however, Jets' season almost took a nosedive when QB Chad Pennington got tackled and hit the ground with his right shoulder. Luckily, his surgically repaired shoulder held up and he had to miss just one play.
The Gang Green went three and out on their first two possessions and then got a gift from the Texans later in the quarter when Houston’s punter fumbled, allowing the Jets to regain possession on their own 46-yard line. Good field position helped New York finally advance into Houston’s territory and inside the 10-yard line, where they managed to come out with only three points, 3-0.
The Jets added another field goal on their first drive in the second quarter, extending the lead to 6-0. The Texans replied with a field goal of their own, 6-3. The Jets, however, restored the lead back to six points when PK Mike Nugent converted a 54-yard field goal with a bit over one minute remaining in the quarter. This was the longest field goal of Nugent’s NFL career.
As the third quarter began, Jets’ defense quickly forced a punt, which set up what turned out to be a 91-yard touchdown drive. In just six plays Pennington and Co. moved the ball inside Houston’s 20-yard line, where Pennington connected with WR Laveranues Coles on a 12-yard TD pass. Coles had made another clutch grab just one play earlier when he beautifully caught Pennington’s 35-yard pass. Later in the quarter FS Kerry Rhodes intercepted QB David Carr in Houston’s territory, giving the Jets their best field position of the day – Texans’ 26-yard line. It took the offense just four plays to extend the lead to 23-3, as RB Cedric Houston rumbled into the end zone from the one yard line.
The Gang Green added another field goal on their first possession of the fourth quarter, basically putting their lead out of reach, 26-3. The Texans did manage to score a touchdown followed by a 2-point conversion to make the game not look like a total blowout.
QB Chad Pennington nicely rebounded, following his poor performance last week. He completed 24 of 31 passes for 286 yards, 0 INT, 1 TD. Both WR Laveranues Coles and WR Jerricho Cotchery had over 100 yards receiving. Coles finished the game with 9 catches for 111 yards, 1 TD. Cotchery made 7 receptions for 110 yards. The ground game, however, was basically nonexistent. The Gang Green gained only 27 yards rushing, averaging just 1 yard per carry.
The defense had a good game, especially against Houston’s running attack, limiting the Texans to only 25 yards on the ground. FS Kerry Rhodes was all over the field, as he added 11 tackles (8 solo) to his interception. LB Victor Hobson also made 11 tackles (7 solo). DE/LB Bryan Thomas made 4 tackles (all solo) and registered 2.0 sacks. DE Shaun Ellis made 1.5 sacks and 5 tackles (3 solo).
Next week the Jets will travel to Green Bay to take on the Packers (4-6). The kickoff time is at 1:00 PM EST.