The Jets' defense dominated for the second week in a row, as the Gang Green backed up their brash statements and defeated the New England Patriots, 16-9. The Jets also snapped an 8-game home losing streak against New England, stopped Tom Brady's game winning streak at 21 games, and extended their own streak of not allowing a touchdown to two games. The Gang Green are 2-0 for the first time since 2004 when they started the season 5-0 under head coach Herman Edwards.
QB Mark Sanchez had another solid game, or a solid half to be exact. The Jets' rookie clearly struggled in the opening half, as the Gang Green gained only 4 first downs on the first 6 possessions. Once the Jets decided to open up on offense after halftime and made blocking adjustments, Sanchez found his rhythm and led the team on a 56-yard drive that sealed the deal. He finished the game 14 of 22 for 163 yards, 1 TD and an impressive quarterback rating of 101.1.
Even though he ended up far from crossing the 100-yard mark this time, RB Thomas Jones had a decent game, as he gained 54 yards on 14 carries. Jones' key contribution was at the start of the second quarter when he gained a couple of first downs. At that point the Jets' defense began getting tired and Jones' runs provided a so much needed breather. RB Leon Washington lost a fumble in the first half, but redeemed himself with a 43-yard kickoff return to open the second half and set up the game winning touchdown drive. Rookie RB Shonn Greene was active and set to make his NFL debut but did not see any action at all.
Wide receivers, Jerricho Cotchery and Chansi Stuckey, also played well. Cotchery caught 4 of 6 passes thrown to him, while Stuckey caught 4 of 7. TE Dustin Keller caught 3 of 5, including the game winning touchdown. WR David Clowney (a.k.a. Mr. August) hardly saw any playing time. According to his post on twitter, he was involved in 1 play in the first half, and 4 plays in the second.
The defense delivered on S Kerry Rhodes' promise to hit Brady "more than six times." During the course of the game it seemed like Brady was getting hit over and over, but according to the official stats, the Gang Green hit him 7 times. So, yes it was more than 6... Rhodes, by the way, led the team with 8 tackles (6 solo), one hit on Brady and one pass defended.
The Jets did not record any sacks in this game, but their different packages and blitzes were enough to disrupt New England's passing game. CB Darrelle Revis shut down an elite wide receiver for the second straight week, as he limited WR Randy Moss to just 4 receptions for 24 yards. CB Lito Sheppard and CB Donald Strickland both suffered injuries and did not return, prompting coaches to bring in CB Dwight Lowery, who had seemingly struggled in preseason games. Lowery did not disappoint - 2 defended passes, including the last minute fourth down play that sealed the game.
Stopping Tom Brady was the key to winning this game, as the Patriots never really got their ground game going and were contained to just 83 rushing yards. LB Bart Scott led the linebacking core with 6 tackles (4 solo), which included 2 for loss. LB Vernon Gholston, who started last week in place of suspended LB Calvin Pace, was nowhere to be seen.
And, of course, this game might have had a different outcome if it weren't for the 12th man - Jets fans! They were out and loud during the entire game, forcing New England's experienced offense to commit 4 delay of game penalties. J-E-T-S JETS! JETS! JETS!!!