New York Jets vs. Dallas Cowboys: New York Grades, Notes and Quotes
The ball hung in the air on the last desperate attempt from the Dallas Cowboys to shock the New York Jets in Arlington, Texas.
Late in the fourth quarter, having just given up a go-ahead field goal, Cowboys quarterback Kellen Moore heaved one deep to receiver Dez Bryant in triple coverage. The ball was tipped and on its way down to the ground.
Three Jets defenders were in the area. If one caught it, the game was over. If none did, the Cowboys' hopes would remain alive.
"We said from the jump, this one was gonna be close," cornerback Marcus Williams said.
Williams lunged forward before anyone else and plucked the ball out of the air. The interception sealed New York’s 19-16 victory over the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Texas.
"We grew as a team," Bowles said. "We didn't blow the game like we did in Buffalo."
Facing a team in Dallas that had just four wins entering the game, early on, it appeared as if New York was gearing up to fall victim to the dreaded trap game. The offense was stagnant, and the defense couldn't stop the run. Cowboys quarterbacks Matt Cassel and Moore were doing enough to at least keep Dallas in a game it had no right being in.
For all intents and purposes, the Jets looked very much like a team that had its game next Sunday against the New England Patriots on its mind.
In the first half, the Jets committed seven penalties, missed a field goal, missed an extra point and failed to convert a 4th-and-1 deep inside Dallas territory. Despite Cassel's poor play, which eventually led to his benching for Moore, when the second quarter ended, the Jets trailed 10-9.
"We knew we were shooting ourselves in the foot," Bowles said. "We just had to settle down, get our poise about us. We learned from our mistakes from the past, and this time, we grew as a team.
"We didn't blow the game like we did in Buffalo, we didn't blow the game like we did in New England. We continued what we learned from the Giants game and played a good second half."
Despite their halftime adjustments, the Jets failed to get much going offensively in the third quarter. Luckily for the team, the defense kept the Jets in the game. The unit finished with four interceptions and two sacks. When the fourth quarter began, while the Jets trailed the Cowboys 13-9, the game was hardly over.
And that's when Ryan Fitzpatrick took over.
Starting at the 14:05 mark in the fourth, Fitzpatrick took the Jets on a 10-play, 70-yard drive that culminated in a three-yard touchdown pass to receiver Eric Decker. On the drive, Fitzpatrick connected on throws of 14 yards (to Brandon Marshall), 13 yards (Decker), 20 yards (Marshall) and 24 yards (Quincy Enunwa).
"We knew they were a talented defense coming into the game," Fitzpatrick said. "We knew they were going to make us drive all the way down the field and earn our points. ... But when we had to have it, at the end there, I thought our guys stepped up."
While that touchdown for the Jets gave the team the lead, it wasn't alive for long. Moore took the Cowboys on an 11-play, 51-yard drive that ended in a Dan Bailey 50-yard field goal to tie the game. When the Jets got the ball back, there was just 1:55 left.
The Jets didn't need much of that to get into field-goal range.
On the fifth play of the series, Fitzpatrick hit Kenbrell Thompkins deep down the right sideline for a 53-yard gain. Three plays later, the Jets kicked the game-winning field goal, and later Williams' interception sealed the victory.
Fitzpatrick, in the fourth quarter, went 10-of-10 for 132 yards with the touchdown to Decker.
"He has a good feel," Bowles said of Fitzpatrick. "He's a competitor. He goes out, and the guys believe in him. They're playing to win the game and they're executing."
The victory for the Jets improves their record to 9-5. Next up, they will host the Patriots at MetLife Stadium next Sunday.
Position Grades for New York Jets
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Quarterback
Ryan Fitzpatrick was solid Saturday, completing 26 of 39 passes for 299 yards with a touchdown and a pick. He could have been better, and he could have been worse. Truthfully, though, the fact Fitzpatrick was able to put together the day he did considering how poorly his offensive line played bumps this grade up a bit.
Fitzpatrick was constantly under duress, rarely had a clean pocket and was forced to throw on the run more times than not. The good effort from No. 14 earns him a B. His postgame interview? Well, that gets an A.
Running Backs
It's so difficult to judge running backs because so much of what they do is predicated on the play of the offensive line. With that said, Bilal Powell saves this grade from being a C or lower. Starter Chris Ivory managed just 37 yards on 13 carries and was stuffed on a 4th-and-1 near the goal line and again on 3rd-and-short a series later.
It wasn't a pretty day for No. 33, but Powell was quite impressive again. The back gained 25 yards and a touchdown on the ground. He also caught seven passes for 54 yards as a receiver. B+
Tight Ends
Eh? It was a positive sign that a Jets tight end even caught a pass, as Kellen Davis did when he made a nine-yard reception early in the game. But, both Davis and Jeff Cumberland were called for penalties. D.
Receivers
Brandon Marshall finished with four receptions for 74 yards. Eric Decker had six for 55. Kenbrell Thompkins caught two for 50, and Quincy Enunwa four for 49. A couple of drops by Marshall, and one by Decker, are what's keeping this group away from an A. Instead? B.
Offensive Line
Horrible. Honestly, it may have been the worst outing of the year for the group. Fitzpatrick was under constant pressure from the game's first drive until he took a knee to end the game, and there were no running lanes opened for Ivory. The Jets also failed to get a couple of short-yardage conversions.
In a win, it's tough to imagine giving a group an F, but that's what this unit deserves. Incorporate the poor pass protection, poor run blocking and the abundance of penalties called on the likes of Brian Winters and Breno Giacomini? It really wasn't pretty. F.
Defensive Line
Sheldon Richardson had a sack, and Damon Harrison was all over the field (eight tackles for a nose tackle?), but the Jets' top-ranked run defense allowed 133 yards on the ground. The defense made plays when it had to, but the front struggled a bit. C.
Linebackers
Erin Henderson may be one of the more underrated signings by the Jets this offseason, and with Demario Davis continuing to struggle, Henderson has had to step up...and has. He had five tackles for New York. Aside from Henderson, David Harris missed most of the game with a back contusion, and Davis, as mentioned above, continued to struggle. Calvin Pace had a sack, but there wasn't much noise from Lorenzo Mauldin. C+
Defensive Backs
Four interceptions. Facing Matt Cassel and Kellen Moore, the Jets secondary played like it was facing, well, Matt Cassel and Kellen Moore. Darrelle Revis, Marcus Gilchrist, Calvin Pryor and Marcus Williams all had picks; Williams' sealed the game. The defense held Dez Bryant in check with just 50 receiving yards. It was a nice game from the back end. A.
Special Teams
Bad. Ugly. Pathetic. The special teams continue to be horrible. Against the Cowboys, the team missed an extra point and then had a formation penalty on a converted field goal that ended up resulting in a missed field goal after the ball was backed up five yards. Coverage-wise, Lucky Whitehead averaged 26.2 yards per kick return and 9.0 on punt returns. Something needs to be fixed here; otherwise, the unit is going to cost the Jets a game. F.
Coaching
This one was a trap game, and you could tell the Jets almost expected the Cowboys to just roll over. There was almost a sense that the Jets were looking past Dallas to the Patriots next week, which while unacceptable, is understandable. Todd Bowles and Co. got the team up for their game against the Titans last week but failed to this week. A questionable decision to go for it on 4th-and-goal at the 1-yard line nearly cost the Jets the game, too. C.
Needing Two Big Plays, Jets Turned to Two Unlikely Receivers
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The two biggest plays made by the Jets came from the two unlikeliest players.
With an offense featuring the likes of Chris Ivory, Eric Decker, Brandon Marshall and more, it was Quincy Enunwa and Kenbrell Thompkins who played the heroes of New York's victory over Dallas.
In the fourth quarter with the Jets down 13-9, Ryan Fitzpatrick set up in the shotgun on a 3rd-and-14 at the Cowboys 27-yard line. It was kind of an interesting play for the Jets, as a decision would have to be made after the third down. With a kicker in Randy Bullock who had already missed a field goal and an extra point, did it make sense to go for a chunk of yards on this play and then send the offense back out on fourth down? Or, should the offense go for it all?
Fitzpatrick went for it all.
Feeling pressure, the quarterback climbed the pocket as if he was going to run. Just before crossing the line, he found Enunwa open over the middle and fired a pass to him. Enunwa made the grab, broke a tackle and fought his way to the Cowboys 3-yard line for a gain of 24. Two plays later, Fitzpatrick found Decker for the go-ahead touchdown.
"He had a big catch on a similar route that was called back earlier," Fitzpatrick said. "It was kind of a little bit of a broken-down play. I started moving up in the pocket, and he did a great job getting in between the linebackers; under the Mike, over the Will, and the safety was there.
"I made a horrible pass. It was end-over-end; he made a great catch. The safety and the Mike were right there, and that was the play of the game I thought. His catch there allowed us to get in the end zone."
After the Cowboys tied the game on the ensuing series, Fitzpatrick again took to the air, but again it wasn't to someone many would expect.
With 1:01 left in the game, Fitzpatrick lined up in the shotgun on 1st-and-10. On the right side of the field was Thompkins. On the snap of the ball, he ran a few yards up before hesitating. Cowboys cornerback Byron Jones saw the hesitation and glanced inside at Fitzpatrick, expecting a quick slant. When Jones' eyes left Thompkins, the wideout burst up the field and got behind the corner.
The result? A 43-yard gain. Three plays later, the Jets kicked the game-winning, 40-yard field goal.
"We talked about that one earlier in the game," Fitzpatrick said. "[Thompkins] came up to me, again, just a smart football player, and said, 'Hey, in this particular coverage, I can get down the sideline.' We called the play, got the coverage and really, I don't know if I've ever thrown that one to him before, it was just kind of a trust throw.
"I had to get rid of it, and he made a great play."
Bilal Powell Making a Difference with the Jets
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Each and every offseason, Bilal Powell chooses something to work on in order to refine his game. In the past, he's spent time improving on his vision, hands, route running and various other things. This offseason, he wanted to focus on his explosiveness.
So, he ran hill drills near every day. He spent countless hours sprinting up, jogging down and then sprinting back up the inclined sides.
“In year five, there’s no such thing as getting faster,” Powell said back in training camp. “Right now, it’s about being able to explode and working on acceleration. That’s kind of what I keyed in on this year. I like how it worked. I’m feeling pretty good. I feel lean.”
All that work Powell put in? It's paying off.
Big time.
Against Dallas, Powell rushed for 25 yards and a touchdown and then added a team-high seven receptions for 54 yards. It was his third straight dominant performance as Jets offensive coordinator Chan Gailey continues to work him into the game plan.
How dominant has he been? In the last 12 quarters, Powell has scored three touchdowns and has gained 269 yards of offense.
With Ivory serving as the lead back, Marshall and Decker doing what they've been doing and Kenbrell Thompkins and Quincy Enunwa being worked in, the fact the Jets now have a second back who is a threat out of the backfield is quite big. It's just another weapon for Fitzpatrick to play with, and suddenly he has an awful lot of toys.
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Brandon Marshall Ties Jets Single-Season Record, Costly on Two Drops
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When Brandon Marshall catches a pass next week against the New England Patriots, he'll set a new Jets single-season record for receptions in a season.
Against the Cowboys, he caught four passes for 74 yards. On the season, he now has 93 grabs, which ties Al Toon's franchise record set back in 1988.
Marshall's performance overall, though, left a little to be desired for the Jets. See, as good as Marshall has been for New York (he's been really, really good), the one poor aspect of his play that's plagued him has been drops. He had two more on Saturday bounce off his hands, bringing him to 11 on the year, the third-highest total in the league, per Pro Football Focus.
On the Jets' first drive, facing a third down, Fitzpatrick went to Marshall on the left side of the field. While he was covered tightly by Brandon Carr, the ball bounced out of Marshall's hands, and the Jets had to punt. A few series later, Fitzpatrick went deep to Marshall down the right side, and the ball, almost unbelievably, bounced right out of his hands.
Marshall, again, has been everything the Jets could have hoped for and more when they shipped a fifth-round pick to Chicago to acquire his services. But on Saturday, his drops nearly cost them a game.
Ryan Fitzpatrick on Busted Nose
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"I'm done doing photo shoots with Eric Decker." — Ryan Fitzpatrick
Early in the victory over the Cowboys, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick suffered an injury just above his nose. His helmet slid a bit above his head, giving him a gash. When it started to bleed, he went to the sidelines, and the trainers patched him up.
It is not believed that Fitzpatrick will need stitches.
During his postgame press conference, Fitzpatrick was asked about the injury and how he's feeling. In typical Fitzpatrick fashion, he responded in a way that only he can.
Sheldon Richardson on Dallas Cowboys
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"It's a big stadium, but they're not a big team. We should have beaten them a lot worse than what we did." — Sheldon Richardson
When Jets defensive end Sheldon Richardson wants to be, he's a great quote. He has a witty sense of humor and confidence that make him quite the riot in the locker room. With that said, when Richardson chooses to use that wit and confidence together is his call. Sometimes, he's a quote machine; other times, he's a bit quieter.
After the Jets had put the final touches on the victory over Dallas, Richardson was asked about the Cowboys. So, he answered.
Todd Bowles on Jets Injuries
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"[David Harris] has a back contusion. He'll get more tests done. [Muhammad Wilkerson] had his head checked, then he came back into the game. [Dee Milliner] has a hamstring and he's day-to-day." — Jets coach Todd Bowles
Entering Saturday's game with the Cowboys, the Jets were, except for those on the injured reserve, about as healthy as they've been all year. In fact, of those on the inactive list, not one missed the game due to a physical ailment.
During the game, though, that wasn't really the case. At his postgame press conference, Bowles offered an update on those who got banged up.
Connor Hughes is the New York Jets beat writer for the Journal Inquirer and Scout.com. All quotes, practice observations and advanced stats referenced are gathered firsthand or via transcript unless otherwise noted.
Connor can be reached on Twitter (@Connor_J_Hughes) or via email (Connor_j_hughes@yahoo.com).
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