New York Jets Report Card Week 9: Grading Each Unit

The New York Jets went into Buffalo to take on the Buffalo Bills and emerged victorious by a score of 27-11 on Sunday in Week 9.

The Jets came into the game needing a win to keep pace in the AFC East and they got it. The Jets dominated the game from start to finish, though it didn't always reflect that way on the scoreboard.

The Jets led only 3-0 at halftime before turning it on in the second half. New York was led by their defense, which completely shut down Fred Jackson, Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Bills' offense.

On offense the Jets employed their ground-and-pound attack and also got some timely plays from Mark Sanchez.

Let's break down how each group played in the Jets' Week 9 win.

Quarterback

Sunday was a great example of the frustration many New York Jets fans have with Mark Sanchez.

At times, he was dreadful. After leading a great drive down the field to open the game Sanchez three a head scratching interception in the end zone. He also lost a fumble late in the first half when he bobbled a shotgun snap.

Outside of those two costly mistakes, we saw a composed Sanchez. He completed 71% of his passes and averaged 8.2 yards per attempt. He was constantly stretching the ball down the field and not just dunking the ball off.

Grade: B-

Running Back

Shonn Greene had a solid day on the ground racking up 76 yards on 19 carries.

Greene looked sharp, breaking tackles and exploding through the hole. He also had a 42-yard run called back because of a holding penalty. Greene has really picked it up the last few weeks and is starting to put his early-season struggles behind him.

LaDainian Tomlinson did a nice job converting on a goal line attempt.

Grade: B

Wide Receiver/Tight End

It was a great day all around for the New York Jets "Flight Boys." Plaxico Burress showed he could be a weapon outside of the red zone, leading the team with 79 yards receiving.

Santonio Holmes had a gorgeous touchdown grab and also helped draw two pass interference penalties that set up touchdowns. Jeremy Kerley was effective in the slot.

Dustin Keller was able to get open over the middle and caught four passes for 64 yards in limited action. It was limited because Keller for some reason, decided to hurdle a Buffalo Bills defender only to land on his head. Luckily, the injury was only minor. Tight end Matthew Mulligan was called for a holding penalty that negated a big Shonn Greene run.

Grade: B+

Offensive Line

Hats off to the offensive line. They played a great game.

They did a nice job in the running game opening up some big holes for Shonn Greene and company.

They did an even better job in pass protection. Sanchez was sacked only once. He rarely had pressure in his face and was allowed plenty of time in the pocket to look downfield for his receivers. This offensive line looks like it's finally gelling.

Grade: A-

Defense

The New York Jets defense had a tough task going up against the Buffalo Bills offense, which had been one of the most prolific units in the entire league. Rex Ryan and Mike Pettine's crew more than stepped up to the challenge on Sunday. The entire unit played great, easily their best showing of the season.

The defensive line did a great job, particularly Sione Pouha who dominated the line of scrimmage. His performance was even more impressive considering both Mike DeVito and Kenrick Elis were inactive. Fred Jackson had just 82 yards on the ground and for the most part wasn't a factor.

While the Jets didn't record any sacks, they still did a good job pressuring Ryan Fitzpatrick. The pressure was the cause of both of Fitzpatrick's interceptions.

The secondary played terrific as usual. They played great man-to-man coverage on the outside frustrating Fitzpatrick. He completed under 50 percent of his passes and finished with a passer rating of 51.9.

Grade: A

Special Teams

Nick Folk missed his first field goal of the season, but was money otherwise. The miss was excusable as it was from 50 yards, while he nailed attempts of 49 and 50 yards. He's quietly having a great season.

It was business as usual for Joe McKnight who had a 59-yard kick return and seems to have at least one big return every week. Meanwhile, the man he replaced, Brad Smith, was quiet as a mouse for the Buffalo Bills.

Punter T.J. Conely also had one beauty punt that was downed at the 1-yard line.

Grade: A

Coaching

Rex Ryan did a great job getting the troops ready to play coming off the bye. He was criticized for giving them too much time off during the bye, but it paid off as the team looked fresh.

Rex and defensive coordinator Mike Pettine planned to contain Fred Jackson which they did and also confused Ryan Fitzpatrick in the pocket.

On the offensive side, Brain Schottenheimer called a fantastic game. He mixed in the run and the pass well and called some well timed play-action passes. He also let Sanchez throw the ball downfield more and that paid off with Santonio Holmes drawing a couple flags.

Grade: A