Best hope - Texans overlook the Jets with Green Bay and Baltimore up next. This could be a trap game for them. Not as focused, riding high at 4-0, thinking you re too good for the Jets. If they struggle in the 1st quarter Jets have a shot. If the come out firing and put up 7 on their first drive while running for 50 yards it's all over....Jets have never lost to the Texans either.
Put me in the camp expecting to goto sleep early Monday night. I turned off the 49er game after the Holmes injury. I'm not going to stay up late watching a shit show as bad as the 49er game, I'll tap out way earlier.
Jets match up better defensively with Houston than they do with San Francisco. Houston has a more traditional running game than San Fran, with their option plays and such. Jets bottled up Gore decently. Andre Johnson is a stud, but he's slowing down a little, and I think Cromartie can do a decent job on him. The other weapons in the passing game aren't all that impressive, though Owen Daniels is a solid tight end. If the Jets offense can keep the defense off the field a little more, I think the Jets defense should be able to hold Houston to a reasonable total. Stopping Foster and Tate will be a challenge, but all they need to do is keep them out of the endzone. Don't allow the huge plays, and contain the edge on the outside runs. The last part is easier said than done. The question is can the Jets offense do anything? I really am not sure. If Keller, Hill and Holmes don't play, it's pretty hopeless. If Keller and Hill play, we have a shot to move the ball and possibly even win. If they don't, it's hopeless. It's never as bad as it looks when you're down. Just as it's never as good as it looks when you're up (Buffalo). And the Jets badly need to get off to a fast start to get some confidence. Reading this board, it's kind of pathetic how everyone is talking about GM and coach and QB replacements in week 5. A good amount of it is justified, but until the Jets are out of it, I'm going to try to remain optimistic. If the Jets can win here, it can really propel us forward down the stretch. Jets already banked 2 AFC East wins, and 1 of the losses is in the NFC. If 9 wins is good enough to get in the playoffs, the Jets are in pretty decent shape at this really early stage in terms of tiebreakers.
I actually think it will be a close game, and Sanchez bounces back with Keller back in the line up. But the defense will give up 150+ rushing yards, and we would lose 28-17.
Winning cures all, if we can somehow pull away with an upset, the boards will be singing a different tune.... for a week at least. P.S. Still wore my Jets hat to school today, no matter what happens week in and week out, I represent.
I think the big worry for the Jets is how well they defend the playaction. What is the Jets answer to JJ Watt on their offensive line? I know Mangold is a great C but the chances that Watt matches up with him more than a few snaps is pretty slim.
How are the Jets going to score on Houston? Their defense is just as good as San Francisco's. That's the problem here. Our defense will probably limit Houston to 14 or fewer first half points like they did against San Francisco, but eventually when all your offense is doing is producing three and outs or one first down and a three and out or turnovers, the defense will wear down and let up big plays and thus a blowout will ensue. Also, Matt Schaub throws a more accurate deep ball than Alex Smith. Sunday could have been in the 50's if Smith had hit Manningham on Kyle Burnt Toast Wilson. Antonio Cromartie will not, I repeat, will not shut down Andre Johnson all game long - this is not an over-rated Michael Crabtree or a 40 year old Randy Moss - and the Texans still bring an elusive TE in Owen Daniels to the table as well as an experiences receiver in Kevin Walter to teach Wilson a thing or two. Then there's Foster, Tate and Casey out of the backfield both running and receiving. It's going to be a long evening.
another thing I remember. Jets suck ass in primetime games. The extra wait doesnt work well for them and usually in these games they play terrible first half football.
I love the couple of the Jets fans bringing up the two previous games they've played against the Texans as evidence that they "have our number" :rofl:
Actually the Jets are either 5 or 6-0 all-time against the Texans, but you're right, this is a totally different Texans team, one that ever since last season, finally has a defense worth something and it's more than worth something, it's damn good.
This is the NFL, where the hard cap has given us parity. Cowboys (@NYG), Cardinals (@NE), Seattle (vs Dal), Minnesota (vs SF), Cardinals again (vs Philly) These teams weren't favored to win, yet did. The Texans should win, but crazy stuff happens in this league all the time.
You might have to go back to the 2010 regular season for the last time we won a game "we were supposed to lose". With the Jets these last few seasons we can never seem to pull an upset. When we are meant to lose a game, we fucking lose that damn game.