Jets Back Up Talk, Finally Beat Pats at Home

September 20, 2009

East Rutherford, NJ-- There was trash talk all week long by Rex Ryan and the Jets regarding their upcoming match-up against Bill Belichik and The New England Patriots; and Sunday at the Meadowlands they backed it up on the field.

            Rookie Mark Sanchez helped the Jets walk the walk by outplaying future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady and leading the green and whites to a 16-9 victory.

            Defense and a struggle for field position dominated the game’s first half.  New York’s defense gave New England a quick three and out on their first possession, but Jets’ workhorse Leon Washington gave the ball right back with a fumble on their own 17 yard line.  Fortunately the Jets daunting defense forced the Patriots to make penalties and gave up only a field goal giving New England an early 3-0 lead.

            The Jets offense was non-existent in the first half, but the defense was able to chase Brady out the pocket forcing him to throw on the run.  The Patriots made it into the red zone twice in the second quarter, but were held to field goals on both occasions.  This would be the last time New England would score.

            Sanchez and the Jets’ first four possessions amounted to a mere three yards.  The Jets did not even pick up a first down until the second quarter and were lucky to go into the half trailing only 9-3.

            Coming off a half where he was only 3-5 for 15 yards, Sanchez came out firing in the second half.  After a strong return by Washington, Sanchez connected with WR Jerricho Cotchery for 45 yards.  He quickly followed it up with a 9 yard touchdown pass to TE Dustin Keller giving them a 10-9 lead.  This was the first and only touchdown of the game.

            Jay Feely who was responsible for the Jets first three points was successful from 24 and 39 yards in the second half giving the Jets a 16-9 lead.

            Tom Brady and the Patriots were never able to settle into their offense.  The Jets defense had Brady scrambling, pressured, and uncomfortable all day.  It was clear that Brady was missing receiver Wes Welker, although rookie Julian Edelman provided the Patriots with 8 receptions for 98 yards.

            Furthermore, Jets corner Darrelle Revis matched Patriots WR Randy Moss one-on-one and completely shut him down.  Revis held Moss to only 4 receptions for 24 yards making Brady’s task all the more difficult. 

            In the end New England had more total yards, more first downs, more third down conversions, and more time of possession.  New York was simply more efficient and got the defensive and offensive plays when needed. 

            The New York Jets used offensive weapons all over the field.  Jerricho Cotchery had 4 receptions for 87 yards, Chansi Stuckey had 4 receptions for 37 yards, and Dustin Keller had 3 receptions for 22 yards including the game’s only touchdown.  Leon Washington and Thomas Jones each had 14 carries, Washington for 58 yards and Jones for 54 yards.  Washington also had two receptions for 18 yards and provided the Jets with excellent field position throughout the game on punt and kick returns.

            New England and Coach Bill Belichik were simply outplayed by Coach Rex Ryan and New York.  New England had 11 yellow flags thrown at them for 89 yards worth of penalties which is very uncharacteristic for a team under the tutelage of Belichik.  It was clear that the Patriots needed to establish a running game (they totaled only 83 yards) which they were unable to achieve.  With Revis shutting down Moss and Welker on the sidelines, asking Brady to throw the ball 47 times to unproven receivers was too demanding.

            This victory against the Patriots at home is the Jets’ first since September 11, 2000.  It also marks only the second time Belichik has been defeated by a rookie quarterback.  The first time came at the hands of  Ben Roethlisberger in 2004 when he led the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 34-20 victory over Belichik and New England who were previously undefeated and defending Super Bowl Champions.

            As might have been expected, the hand shake between Rex Ryan and Bill Belichik after the game was brief at best.  Rex Ryan set out to send a message and he and the Jets certainly made sure they did just that.  Rex Ryan has made a strong statement with his defense, having not yet given up an offensive touchdown and giving the Jets their first 2-0 start since 2004.

            It will be interesting to see what kind of “talk” ensues between the coaches and teams as the season progresses, maybe a lot, maybe none.  One thing is for sure, the rematch at Gillette Stadium on November 22 will not be something to miss.

--Gregory Joss