For the third week in a row the running game of the New York Jets did not look impressive, as the team lost 17-22 to the New Orleans Saints in the final home preseason game.
RB Curtis Martin was finally involved in the offense, but carried only 4 times for a total of 5 yards. Backup RB LaMont Jordan added 23 yards on 9 carries. The entire team gained just 57 yards on 29 carries, which equals to 2.0 yards per carry.
QB Chad Pennington remained the only consistent bright spot on the Jets offense. He completed 14 of his 20 passes for a total of 141 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown strike to WR Curtis Conway. WR Santana Moss also looked impressive, as he caught 5 passes for 62 yards.
On the defensive side, once again we did not see much of pass-rush from the Jets. The only Jets' sack was recorded by LB Sam Cowart when he pushed QB Aaron Brooks out of bounds. DE John Abraham managed to apply some pressure at times, but it's clearly not enough to play the type of defense that Herman Edwards wants to see. The Jets just don't have cornerbacks that are capable to cover on a regular basis without the pressure on the quarterback. The pass-rush must improve, or we're bound for a long season.
Rookie DE DeWayne Robertson did not impress again, but he was being double-teamed quite often.
Next week the Jets will face the New York Giants, and that's the game where we'll see the starters play for at least one half. Martin will certainly have more than 4 carries, and hopefully, we'll see more from our first team defense as well.