Jets Beat Chargers, Still Don't Seem Convincing

The Jets have come away with another victory in these 2009 Playoffs, but was it as convincing of a win as you might have thought it would be if the Jets beat the Chargers?

It definitely was not for me. 

What I saw was a Charger team that basically threw the game away. This team was not ready for a playoff run once again.

Let's just start with the penalties. The Chargers had 10 penalties for 87 yards. Not only that, but the majority of these penalties were personal fouls, which led to first downs every time for the Jets, and penalties that just stopped their momentum.

These penalties included a block in the back by receiver Malcom Floyd just as Vincent Jackson had taken Philip Rivers' pass into the Jets' red zone. A third down pass interference by Quentin Jammer kept the Jets going and led to a field goal that cut San Diego's lead to 7-3.

An unnecessary roughness call on Shaun Phillips followed the swing play of the game, an interception of Rivers by safety Jim Leonhard that set up the Jets on the Chargers' 16. Mark Sanchez, playing another clean playoff game, threw the final two yards to Dustin Keller.

Penalties were only half of the Chargers' mishaps.

Every time the Chargers started to drive, something would go wrong—like the impossible interception that basically fell into Darrelle Revis' lap and into the lucky Jets' hands. There was even an errant snap by the center that stunted the Chargers' first drive.

Even when the Chargers would put together a scoring drive, their Pro Bowl kicker Nate Kaeding couldn't put those points on the board. Kaeding missed three field goals, two from 40 yards or less. The Jets caught every break possible in this one.

Now take a look at the Jets. What did they do? Well, they started their first six drives with punts and had their running game shut down aside from the 53-yard run from Shonn Greene, but they were able to stick in this game because of what the Chargers were doing, not what the Jets were doing.

To be honest, the Jets, especially on offense, were not doing anything. In reality they only had one real drive. Their first field goal was fueled by the third down pass interference call that kept their drive alive, and on their first touchdown the Jets started on the San Diego 16-yard line and even had an unnecessary roughness penalty to help them get those 16 yards.

Now the last touchdown, which was their only drive of the day, came on the big run from Greene.

Even though these Jets are winning these games, it is not impressing me. They got into the playoffs by beating the Colts' second string and then beat a Bengals team that had been regressing for weeks before they played the Jets.

Then the Jets got to play these regressing Bengals in the playoffs again—of course they win—and now they get another gift: a San Diego Charger team that was not ready for the playoffs and a kicker that was not ready for the playoffs either.

With the Jets only having one drive (if you want to call it a drive) on the big 53-yard run, how can they beat the Colts? They can't. I say the Jets' luck runs out in Indianapolis

Yes, the Jets have made it here, but they still have not convinced me, because their MVP of this game was not standing on their own sideline. Instead he was standing across the field. His name is Nate Kaeding.