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The New York Jets played there most complete game of the season since toppling Tom Brady and New England Patriots in Week Two (16-9) as Darrelle Revis scored the team's first defensive touchdown of the season in a 17-6 victory.
The Jets improved to 5-6 with five games to play with playoff possibilities still on life support.
While mathematically still in the hunt, the Jets will need to virtually run the table at 10-6 and hope for the best with various tie breakers working against Gang Green.
The defense harassed Panther quarterback Jake Delhomme all day long as he continued to play the worst football of his career.
Delhomme finished 14 for 34 for 130 yards and 4 more INT's that led to two Jet scores. The Jets got to Delhomme 3 times as he overthrew receivers and looked erratic all day long.
The running game was no better as the Jets held DeAngelo Williams to just 40 yards on 16 carries of which 18 came on one carry. Jonathan Stewart carried the ball 9 times for 35 yards and 13 came on one carry. Take away the two big ground gainers, and the Jet defense held the Panthers to just 44 yards all day long!
The only bright spot for the Panther offense was the fact Williams reached the 1,000 yard mark as he pushed his overall total for the season to 1,022.
Mark Sanchez distributed the ball well today as 5 receivers made receptions with Dustin Keller grabbing 4 balls for 68 yards and Braylon Edwards catching an additional 3 balls for for 40 yards. While Sanchez didn't throw any touchdowns, he managed the game well with a magnificent 13 of 17 for 154 yards and just one INT.
A silence fell over the Meadowlands in the second half when Sanchez was forced out of the pocket and ran to his right looking for the first down marker. The Panthers Richard Marshall grabbed the rookie from behind and forced him out of bounds with Sanchez apparently grabbing at his left knee.
Sitting out for three plays, Sanchez returned after Kellen Clemens briefly took control of the offense and the Jets were forced to punt. Clemens looked flat as he underthrew his receiver and it only confirmed the need for the franchise to get themselves a legitimate back-up for Sanchez as the weather gets colder and the possibility of injury greater in the season's waning weeks.
Only Jet owner Woody Johnson and GM Mike Tanenbaum can explain why this franchise refuses to invest in a real back-up for the rookie Sanchez!
Upon his return Sanchez threw an ill fated interception which could have opened the door for another second half collapse and Panther comeback.
Steve Smith would make a spectacular catch in the end zone despite great coverage by Revis, but Jet Head Coach Rex Ryan challenged the ruling on the field and Carolina was forced to settle for a John Kasay field goal to make the score 14-6 with about 12 minutes left to play.
The final score came with roughly four minutes to play as Jay Feely booted a 47-yard field goal to extend the Jet lead to 17-6 all but sealing the victory.
After weeks of Rex Ryan talking about his defense, the unit led by Darrelle Revis actually came to play.
Revis proved again why he is an elite, shutdown defender as he held Pro Bowler Steve Smith to just two receptions and no touchdowns. Revis doubled his interception total for the season at four and the Jet defense looked every bit aggressive against the run holding the Panthers to just 75 yards on the ground.
Thomas Jones had another good outing with 75 yards on 25 carries increasing his season yardage total to 959 on a total of 216 carries. With 5 games remaining, Jones is poised to reach 1,000 yards for the fifth consecutive time next week as he improved his all-time yardage total to 8,774 and his 57th lifetime rushing touchdown.
The Jets received some help with the Buffalo Bills defeating the Miami Dolphins 31-14 which leaves both clubs tied at 5-6. Unfortunately for the Jets, the Dolphins hold all tie breakers and the Jets would love to see the New Orleans Saints knock off the Patriots Monday night which would leave New England at 7-4 and the Jets just two games behind in the loss column with five to play.
The Jets will play division rival Buffalo on Thursday in Toronto, Canada in what should be regarded as a neutral site as the Jets seek to get back to .500 in a must win scenario. The Jets are catching a break as they'll play indoors versus playing at night in chilly Orchard Park where the Jets have historically played poorly in sub zero conditions in past December contests.
With Mark Sanchez showing lots of guts and managing the offense quite well, the Jets just might be able to play themselves back to respectability with the faint hope of a playoff spot should they continue to win while getting some needed help along the way.
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