Final Score: Jets 26 - Browns 20 OT
By the numbers:
Passing
Sanchez : 27/44 - 299 yds 2 TD 1 INT - 87.2 Passer Rating
Rushing
NYJ : S. Greene - 20 car 72 yds 3.6 ypc
L. Tomlinson - 18 car 57 yds 3.2 ypc
Receiving
NYJ : S. Holmes - 5 rec 76 yds 1TD
B. Edwards - 4 rec 59 yds
L. Tomlinson - 6 rec 53 yds
D. Keller - 3 rec 25 yds
J. Cotchery - 3 rec 43 yds 1TD
First Downs
NYJ - 28
CLE - 19
3rd Down Efficiency
NYJ - 11-21
CLE - 4-12
Turnovers
NYJ - 1
CLE - 2
Penalties
NYJ - 9-70
CLE - 4-52
Time of Possession
NYJ - 47:08
CLE - 27:36
Going into this game there were several story lines that made it more of a circus than a football game. You had the Jets going up against their former coach. You had both rosters dealing with former teammates and you had the Ryan brothers coaching against one another. The distractions could have been disastrous but the Jets weathered the storm and pulled another game out of their ass.
The Browns got the ball to start the game and proceeded to methodically move it down the field with relative ease. The defense had a hard time with the Browns motion and play action passing game. They seemed to be so keen on stopping Hillis that Cleveland went the opposite way and threw on the Jets. It was a smart way to start the game since the Jets are ranked near the bottom in Pass Defense.
Despite the well executed drive, the defense was able to keep the Browns out of the end zone. Enter Phil Dawson and the Browns had an early 1st quarter lead.
Jets 0 - Browns 3
Then came Mangini's attempt to catch the Jets sleeping. They tried to onside kick and it fooled the Jets and the Browns. The ball ended up bouncing around and going out of bounds giving the Jets great field position at their 40 yard line. They used that field position to their advantage and drove the ball all the way to the Cleveland 5 yard line but the offense stalled out and they were forced to settle for 3 also. This had been a continuing trend with the offense of late. They would move the ball inside the red zone but come away with 3 or no points.
Jets 3 - Browns 3
After trading possessions, the Browns would get the ball at their own 39 yard line and move the ball into the end zone in just 4 plays. The big play of the drive was another personal foul penalty on Bart Scott. He came free on a blitz off the edge and drilled Colt McCoy too high after the pass was thrown. The roughing the passer penalty put the ball at the Jets 20 yard line. Hillis would run the ball in 2 plays later for a 12 yard score. The defense looked out of position and confused by what the Browns were doing. The end result was a 7 point deficit.
Jets 3 - Browns 10
Fortunately for the Jets they came right back and tied the score on their next possession. The plays run on the drive weren't exotic by any means until the final play. On 3rd down and 8 from the Cleveland 25 yard line, Sanchez in the shotgun looked downfield. He couldn't find anybody, sidesteps a pass rusher and scrambles to his left. He then fires a pass in the endzone to a wide open Jerricho Cotchery just standing there all alone. From the endzone replay the Browns were playing zone with the focus on Dustin Keller. Sanchez was obviously looking for him but saw that he was blanketed by several defenders. On the play, Cotchery running a skinny post route just slipped past the defense who never followed him in the endzone. Sanchez saw him alone and tossed him the ball. Simple pitch and catch.
Jets 10 - Browns 10
The browns would counter with another FG. They got the ball to the Jets 5 yard line but the defense stiffened again keeping the Browns out of the endzone.
Jets 10 - Browns 13
This was a little unsettling after the offense just scored to tie the game and the defense gives the lead right back. Last year the defense would have been able to get a stop and give the ball back to the "O". For some reason this year the defense is taking more time to settle into the game and while they do they are giving up yards and points.
Thankfully it's not TD's for the most part.
This of course became irrelevant when the Jets got the ball with 5:13 to go in the half. Sanchez drove the ball 76 yards in 11 plays using mostly ground and pound. A pass interference penalty helped the cause and on 3rd and goal at the 1, Sanchez in shotgun looked to Braylon Edwards in the corner of the endzone for a fade pass. He saw that he was covered so he took off and dove into the endzone for the TD. I'm not sure if this was a pass/run option play or if Sanchez just improvised on the fly but either way he made the right choice. This was a sign of things to come from this kid later on in the game.
Jets 17 - Browns 13
Moving on to the 2nd half. The Jets played defense with their offense.
Getting the ball to start the quarter, they went on a 19 play 65 yard drive that just punished the Browns. The Jets were physical from the beginning and it showed. The Browns looked like they didn't want to tackle and they were completely worn down. It was quite a drive to watch and I was thinking that if they got a TD out of this then this game might have been over. Of course we all know that didn't happen. The drive stalled yet again at the Browns 6 yard line. So here comes Nick Folk on for the chip shot 24 yard FG. He already missed once in the game but that was from 48 yards away in a stiff wind so you figured that he would have made the adjustments and with 24 yards less in distance, this should be a slam dunk.
CLANK!!!!!!!!!!
Off the right upright. Not even close. I was stunned. The Jets came away with nothing. After all that work, all the punishment, all the time taken away from the clock. There was nothing to show for the effort. This gave me a sick feeling because not only did the Jest fail to score on a drive that was executed as well as you could possibly draw it up but it gave the Browns momentum. They took the Jets best shot and were still standing. The one thing you would like to avoid in a football game is having to chase points and this is exactly what the Jets were doing after this missed FG.
Thankfully the long drive gave the defense enough time to rest because they stopped the Browns cold on every possession they had until late in the 4th quarter. The Jets would continue to play keep away with the ball in the 4th quarter with another long, methodical drive. At the 10:27 mark the Jets ran a 13 play drive that ate up 7:45 of the clock. But the end result was the same.
NO TD'S.
Folk this time makes the short FG making it a 7 point game. Forcing the Browns to go the length of the field to tie the game.
Jets 20 - Browns 13
With 2:42 left on the clock the Browns got the ball. This was the time for the defense to step up and make a play to end this game.
Well a guy can dream right.
For the second straight week, the defense let the opposition drive on them late and score either a game tying or leading TD. The Browns went to the air and it was effective mostly to the mismatches that the Browns presented over the middle. The Jets have one of the NFL's better linebacking corps but they are not good pass defenders. None of the LB's can stay with a RB or TE and the Browns took advantage of that with crossing routes and plays over the middle of the field. Then the unthinkable happened. McCoy started to pick on Revis. He was matched up with TE Evan Moore who would be the last guy you would think to challenge the island. But he did and for one big play it worked.
On 1st down at the Jets 21 yard line. Moore ran up the field and had inside position. McCoy made a perfect throw that Revis couldn't deflect. The play ended up at the Jets 3 yard line. The next play Cromartie was picked on with a quick crossing pattern and the Browns tied the game up late in the 4th.
Jets 20 - Browns 20
Just a terrible defensive stand. The blitz was scarcely used and when used was blocked well. The zone coverage was soft and the man to man was beaten by double moves and missed tackles. For a defense that's supposed to be dominant, this was a moment to prove that claim and it didn't happen. The same thing happened against the Lions the week before. This also happened a lot last year. The defense showed signs of brilliance and big play ability but when they absolutely had to make a stop, they couldn't do it.
So now we move to their 2nd straight OT game in 2 weeks. The Jets won the toss but that didn't matter because they gave up the ball after 4 plays. This would go on back and forth for both teams until the 10:04 mark of the OT period. The Jets had the ball and started to move the ball into Cleveland territory just deep enough to try a game winning FG attempt from 47 yards away. This would have been redemption for Folk after going 2 for 4 in the game and never missing 3 FG's in his career, all factors led to this being it.
Nope. Wide right and this one wasn't even close.
Folk on this day returned to the old Folk from Dallas. His kicks not only were misses they were BAD misses. Granted this was a tough kick to make considering the situation and the distance but let's be real about this. Folk's job is to make these kind of kicks. His only responsibility is ti kick the ball off as far as he can and put the ball through the uprights. At this point I just knew that the Jets were going to lose this game because I started to rewind the events prior to this latest miss and it's a simple matter of missed opportunities. All the red zone possessions, having to settle for FG's instead of TD's. You throw in the missed FG's, you have the recipe for a blown game.
The defense however stepped up and held the Browns to a 3 and out giving the ball back to the offense with 3:06 left in the OT and the ball at the Jets 9 yard line.
The ball would get past midfield. Then the Browns defense would clamp down and ground the drive. This led to Sanchez making a pretty smart play. On 3rd down and 14 at the 46 yard line, Sanchez heaved the ball towards then end zone in Braylon's direction. The pass was a bit under thrown and picked off by CB Joe Haden at the Cleveland 3 yard line. At first glance the pass seemed liek a stupid play but in reality it was a pretty smart move. Just throw it deep and see what happens. Maybe Braylon catches the ball or maybe you get a flag like in Denver. Instead the pass was picked off and Haden was tackled immediately. So this play actually doubled as a punt. With the ball pinned inside the 5 yard line, the Browns had a decision to make on offense. Do they try to win the game or just run out the clock and play for the tie.
Here's where Mangini bailed us out. In his attempt to go for the win he passed on 1st down. Incomplete. This stopped the clock and allowed the Jest to save their last timeout for 2nd or 3rd down. The Browns ran the ball on 2nd down for 2 yards. Rex chose to keep his time out in his pocket until after 3rd down. A questionable move but in the end it paid off. The Browns passed on 3rd down and McCoy was sacked by Jason Taylor. If the rush got there a second or two sooner the Jets would have won by a safety. McCoy just got out of the endzone in time to avoid the sack in the endzone. The Jets used their final timeout stopping the clock with :35 seconds left in OT.
Cleveland punts, Jim Leonhard fields the ball at the Jets 45 yard line and returns the ball to the Cleveland 37 yard line. A HUGE play that didn't get the recognition it deserves. With :24 seconds left, the Jets were in position to gain a couple of more yards and make Folk's final FG attempt more manageable. Thank God they didn't need to worry about that becasue on the 1st play, Santonio Holmes ended the game and sent us home happy.
It was a simple slant route. CB Eric Wright was playing press coverage at 1st look then dropped back about 5-7 yards before the snap. Holmes cut inside, Sanchez fired the ball, Holmes caught it and dodged 3 Browns defenders and sprinted into the end zone for the game winning TD. After Holmes caught the pass. LB Eric Barton who was playing man to man on Tomlinson read Sanchez's eyes and broke off his man and went right at Holmes as the pass was heading his way. Wright who was trailing on the play had the chance to tackle Holmes from behind but when he saw Barton charging at Holmes, Wright pulled up and gave Santonio the smallest window to slip through. The 3rd man on the play was SS T.J. Ward who completely whiffed on the tackle attempt. He also had a plat on Holmes after the catch was made but once he saw the potential collision he backed off and that was all she wrote.
After all the hard hitting and physical play in this game. The Browns lost because 3 defenders were afraid of running into each other trying to tackle 1 man. So they all backed off at the same time and Holmes turned on the speed and finished off the improbable last second win.
Jets 26 - Browns 20 OT
That's all for the recap. Now it's time for some Quick Hits.
1) The kid becomes a man....Of all the games so far in his very young career, this one was as telling for Mark Sanchez when it comes to his maturity, decision making, play making, and most importantly HEART. He was solid all the way through with his accuracy and his ability to elude a fierce pass rush. His pocket presence and poise allowed him to keep plays alive down field and extend drives and even lead to points. The biggest showing he put on was his ability to play hurt. After injuring his right leg in the 3rd quarter, he came back into the game and on the 1st play he could barely limp over and give LT the ball on a hand off. After a couple of minutes he fought through the pain and made plays that helped the Jets stay in the game and pull this one out. Fellas, we got ourselves a QB.
2) Speaking of heart....Staying with the topic of playing through pain. Jerricho Cotchery may have given us the play of the year. In the OT period on 3rd down and 9, Sanchez avoided a sack and scrambled to his left. He ended up floating a pass across his body to Cotchery over the middle. J. Co made a tremendous full body, diving catch for the 1st down. What made this play so amazing wasn't that he dove for the ball, it was the fact that before he made the play, Cotchery pulled his groin while running his route. The replays showed him coming up limp then hobbling around. Clearly in pain he stayed with the play and dove for the ball. Just an incredible display of guts and athletic ability. Even though the play never factored in the decision of the game it was a defining moment that showed teamwork and heart.
3) What the Folk?....Just when it was safe to think that the Jets kicking issues were over. Nick Folk decides to throw out a stinker. Now this very may well be just a bump in the road. All kickers have them. I am not so convinced. Giving his past as an erratic booter there might be some cause for concern. I wasn't so confident in his ability when he was kicking well. Now I have very little to no faith in him now. I just hope that we can just have him kick his way out of this slump without it having to be in a clutch situation.
4) The Cardiac Jets....Sunday's game marks the 1st time the Jets have won back to back road games in overtime in franchise history.
5) Home away from home....The Jets continue to win away from home this year 5-0 and overall 12-4 under King Rex. This is a very good sign. It's very hard to win on the road especially in the post season. The Jets got a ton of great experience with that last year having to win in Cincy, San Diego and going to Indy for the AFC crown. Though it would be nice to have a playoff game at home, the Jets suck at home right now so until they establish the new digs as a tough place to play, the road seems to suit them just fine.
6) Greene is good....After begging for more of Shonn Greene, we finally got our wish and it paid off. He didn't by any means light up the stat sheet but his effort was seen more by his contact and running style on the field. Greene has that rare mix of power and speed. He can get by a defender or go through him and his early fumble issues clearly lost the trust of the coaches and kept him off the field. Obviously he was being held out way too long but now that he seems to be in a more regular rotation he can establish himself as a legit RB and send the team a message that he was worth saying goodbye to Thomas Jones.
That's it for Quick Hits. Now it's time for King Rex's quote of the game.
This is from his post game press conference on Santonio Holmes game winning catch and run.
"Run baby run and I've seen it before. Unfortunately I was on another sideline when he was in a different uniform. He cost me a Super Bowl ring when I was with Baltimore. He can make a play to beat you, simple as that. He could be quiet all day and make 1 or 2 plays to beat you. You gotta see that young man's eyes when the 4th quarter rolls around cause that's Santonio time and he's a game changer. He's a winner, he finds a way to get it done. Great players make great plays in big times, in crucial times and that's what he did."
Plays like that is why Tader Mike T rolled the dice and got him from Pittsburgh. Anyone thinking that we were going to get the 80 catch 1,000 plus yard threat was kidding themselves for 2 reasons.
1) He missed the 1st 4 games.
2) The Jets offense isn't suited for individual numbers.
But at any one time there is the potential for the game changing or in this case game winning play and you need play makers for that. The Jets now have a bonafide play maker to go with their running game.
This game revealed a lot.
To start it begs the question....Are the Jets good or just lucky? The answer to that is simply Yes. This team is good and they have been the recipient of very fortunate circumstances. But that's a product of being good to begin with. It's a fact, bad teams don't get breaks like the ones the Jets have gotten so far.
Secondly, we now know that the Browns are a couple of skill players away from being a contender. They are practically a carbon copy of the Jets. They have a strong running game and a solid defense and they are a physical group. You are going to get hit when you play this team. I think the Jets took that for granted and it took them a while to get into gear and strap it on. It doesn't change the fact that the Jets are still the better team.
Finally we saw that winning allows a team to hide some of their weaknesses. The offense with all their talent continues to sputter in the red zone and the defense is clearly not going to be as dominant as they were last year. They have yet to play a complete game and they are still 7-2. It's a real scary thought how nasty this team will be once everything clicks together.
Next up is Houston at home to be followed by a Turkey Day date with the Bungles. This is a great opportunity for the Jets to show the fans that they can be a good home team and pick up a couple of conference wins on the way. Houston while loaded on offense doesn't inspire any fear on defense and the Bengals are just dreadful regardless of the short week. If things go well we should be looking at 9-2 and 10 days to get ready for the rematch with New England on Monday night.
That's all I got....T-Rich....Break us down....And the home of the....JETS!!!!!
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