Jets lose home opener

The New England Patriots won their 21^st   straight regular season game by beating the New York Jets for the eigth consecutive times in the Meadowlands yesterday. Pats quarterback Matt Cassel has not started a game in nine years with his last start coming as a senior in high school. The former backup USC quarterback was efficient filling in for Tom Brady, who is out for the season with a knee injury. Cassel finished the game 16-23 for 165 yards (89.9 QB rating) and zero turnovers.

 In his home debut, Jets quarterback Brett Favre completed 18 of 26 passes for 181 yards, one touchdown, and one crucial interception. On the first drive of the game the Jets moved the ball down to the Patriots 19 yard line.  However, newly signed kicker Jay Feely missed a 31-yard field goal wide right. Feeley was replacing Mike Nugent, who injured his thigh last week vs. the Miami Dolphins.

In the second quarter the Jets had a first-and-goal from the New England 3-yard line and could not get in the end zone. They ran the ball three straight times into the aggressive Patriots front seven and were forced to kick a 21-yard field goal. On third-and-1 the Jets stayed with their goal line package with receivers Jerricho Cotchery and Laveranues Coles on the sidelines. The revamped offensive line could not help Thomas Jones gain three yards which could of resulted in a 7-6 Jets lead. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer should have scripted a play for the three-time MVP. The Jets did not trade for Favre to be conservative inside the red zone. The Jets did not recover from the critical possession as they watched the Pats score 10 unanswered points.  

The Jets had another opportunity to put points on the board with Favre  leading the Jets down the field in the third quarter. He connected with second year wide receiver Chansi Stuckey for a 28 yard gain. However, on the next play Cotchery’s 22-yard gain was nullified by an offensive pass interference call. Two plays later, facing a 2^nd-and-25 Favre was intercepted by second-year safety Brandon Meriweather. The Pats marched down the field and running back Sammy Morris capped it off making the game 13-3. During the drive Cassel completed a key pass to running Kevin Faulk for 22 yards on 3^rd-and-9. Critical penalities contributed to another  dissapointing loss to their division foes. They were penalized six times for 60 yards. Eric Mangini was outcoached once again by Bill Belichick and the defense did not put enough pressure on Matt Cassel.  Also punter Ben Graham and the punt coverage averaged 27.3 net yards which gave the Pats great field position.

The Jets finally scored a touchdown with 10 minutes remaining in fourth quarter as the lead was cut down to 16-10. Favre found an open Stuckey in the end zone for the score. However, the Jets defense could  not make a key stop, as they allowed the Pats to hold the ball for five minutes resulting in Stephen Gostkowski’s fourth field goal of the game. Former Jet running back Lamont Jordan played a critical role in the drive and finished the game with 62 yards on 11 carries. The drive was also extended by two penalties: 12 men on the field and a roughing the passer by linebacker Calvin Pace. The Jets square off against the 0-2 San Diego Chargers next week on Monday Night Football.