This is the game to stop the doubters. If the Jets can go into San Diego and take down the Chargers in Sunday's AFC divisional playof they have to be acknowledged as a true force. Right now, they're only a cute story. Sure, they have beaten the Colts when they lay down, and they have punished Cincinnati two straight weeks. But now they draw the Chargers, who have won 11 straight games and have the best passing attack in football.
Jets to Face High Powered Chargers Air Attack Out West
Last Night's Action: Jets Back Up Ryan's Words
- Jets 24, Bengals 14: An early touchdown deficit and a road atmosphere didn't stop Mark Sanchez and the Jets in their wild-card playoff win against the Bengals. Shonn Greene and Thomas Jones had rushing touchdowns and Sanchez found Dustin Keller for a long passing score to set up a date in Indianapolis or San Diego next weekend. Darrelle Revis did his job on Chad Ochocinco -- except for a few dubious penalties -- and the Jets defense took advantage of an erratic Carson Palmer. Two missed Bengals field goals also helped. But head coach Rex Ryan said his team should be the favorite for the duration of the playoffs, and the Jets looked like the better team on Sunday.
Last Night's Action: Playoffs!
Jets 37 Cincinnati 0: On a cold and windy night at the Meadowlands, the Jets did exactly what they needed to do, thrashing the Bengals and earning a playoff spot. New York took the opening kickoff and marched down the field for a touchdown with Thomas Jones plunging in for a touchdown. After forcing the Bengals to go three and out, the Jets added a field goal to go up 10-0. Brad Smith had a 32-yard touchdown run to make it 17-0 and Jerricho Cotchery hauled in a touchdown pass from Mark Sanchez to make it 24-0. The Bengals turned the ball over to the Jets in the waning seconds of the first half and New York added a field goal to go up 27-0 at the half.
Last Night's Action: A Giant Loss
The Giants fell to the Eagles in a game without any D, the Jets routed the Bucaneers (in spite of Kellen Clemens being terrible) and the Nets managed to score 107 points—but gave up 130.
Thomas Jones Not So Happy with Brett Favre
Earlier this week, Jets running back Thomas Jones was on Hot 97, where Mister Cee wanted to know what Jones felt about "Brett Favre throwing the team under the bus"—and Jones let him know. He said, "We're a team and we win together ... but at the same time, you can't turn the ball over and expect to win... The other day, the three interceptions really hurt us. I mean, that's just reality. If I were to sit here and say, 'Oh, man, it's OK,' that's not reality. ... I don't like it, I know everybody else on the team doesn't like it.
Giants & Jets Send 13 to Pro Bowl; Start Bickering Now
Eli Manning will be in the same Pro Bowl as his brother Peyton. History is made! (But how does Matt Ryan feel about Eli's inclusion?) The Giants will send six to Hawaii, including both punter Jeff Feagles and placekicker John Carney. Combined age? 86. Their vaunted defense will have only one representative in Justin Tuck. That seems funny. The Giants' stellar offensive line did get some love. Guard Chris Snee will start, and center Shaun O'Hara will be a reserve.
Jets Can Get Back on the Horse in San Francisco
Talk of the Jets juggernaut's rolling to the Super Bowl lost some of its volume last week after a sloppy loss at home to Denver. But New England lost at home to Pittsburgh, and that means the Jets hold their one-game lead in the AFC East. Guess which teams have the easiest schedules the rest of the way? That's right, the Patriots and the Jets, in that order.
For Jets, Flight Should Be the Hardest Part
Name the worst teams in the NFL, and chances are the squads picked will appear on the Jets' schedule. Bengals? Check. Chiefs? Later on. Same with the Rams. This week's foe: the mighty Raiders, who are 1-4 and on their second coach this season. The only thing the Raiders are good at is running the ball -- they're fourth in the league. They're toward the bottom in everything else, including 24th in defense. With Brett Favre leading the charge, the Jets could be in for a fruitful passing day.
Jones, Jets Methodical in Win Over Bengals
Thomas Jones scored all of two touchdowns -- one rushing and one receiving -- last season. In Sunday's 26-14 win over the Bengals, he found the end zone thrice. The win wasn't as convincing as some may have hoped, especially since Cincinnati was without Carson Palmer, but as Brett Favre said, “I don’t believe in ugly wins. That one felt as good as any win I’ve been a part of in recent memory.”
Jets Start Easy Stretch Against Bengals
Things are going well in Jets land. Eric Mangini's wife had a baby. The child has the middle name of Brett and shares a birthday with the Jets' starting quarterback. The team is coming off a bye its biggest offensive output in recent memory. To make things better, the 0-5 Bengals that are coming to face them will be without Carson Palmer thanks to an elbow injury. So a team that made the Cowboys and Giants sweat will instead truck out Ryan Fitzpatrick, who went to Harvard. This game, which precedes games at Oakland and against Kansas City, could be the start of a winning streak.
In a Half-Full Stadium, Jets Close Out on Bright Note
A timeout and a holding penalty on the Jets couldn't prevent Mike Nugent from hurting the Jets' draft position helping the Jets end a disappointing season with a 13-10 win over Kansas City on Sunday evening at the Meadowlands. A 33-yard make, which set off some premature celebrations, turned into a 43-yard try after Wade Smith got nailed for holding. Nugent made that too, a fitting sendoff for special teams coach Mike Westoff, who told his team he wouldn't be back next season. He's been suffering from a malignant tumor in his femur and has walked around on crutches while leading the most successful of the Jets units. Given how inconsistent the offense and defense have been, that shouldn't be too hard, but the Jets' Leon Washington was one of their biggest threats -- as a returnman.
Jets Crush Dolphins and Develop Some Smugness
Maybe the Jets shouldn't have been underdogs against the Dolphins, but no one figured they'd roll as easily as they did in their 40-13 win in Miami on Sunday. Miami remained winless at 0-12 as the Jets improved to 3-9 -- with two of those wins coming against Miami. Playing without Jerricho Cotchery and his finger injury, the Jets did have Laveranues Coles back earlier than expected from a high ankle sprain. He responded...
Jets Look to Slay Another Giant
When the NFL scheduled the Jets to play the Cowboys on Thanksgiving back in the spring, it had to think it was going to get a good game between two 2006 playoff teams. Unfortunately for the league, only the Cowboys have lived up to expectations this season. Still, the game is better than some of the duds of recent years. The Cowboys look like the best team in the NFC -- which could make them...
After 55 Days, Jets Earn a Win
Bye weeks can do wonders for football teams. Time off certainly helped the Jets. They held their own against the Pittsburgh Steelers and then secured a 19-16 win in overtime after trailing by three with two minutes, 23 seconds to go in regulation. For the second straight game, Kellen Clemens engineered a game-tying drive capped by a Mike Nugent field goal -- although this drive probably should won the game. The Jets finished the job...
Jets Go to 1-5 and on Track to Nowhere
If a change in clothes doesn't help the Jets, what will? Despite looking snazzy in their New York Titans throwbacks, the Jets looked anything but sharp on the field in a 16-9 loss to the Eagles on Sunday. Some creative playcalling, including a reverse, got the Jets deep inside Eagles territory as the fourth quarter wound down, but Chad Pennington couldn't get the ball to Laveranues Coles on fourth-and-one fade.
Jets Staring .500 Right in the Face
After not smiling on the Jets for the first two weeks of the season, the schedule gods dealt an easier hand for Weeks 3 and 4. First came the Dolphins at home, and the Jets cashed in for their first win of the season. Next is a game at Buffalo against the 0-3 Bills. If there is an adjective to describe this game stronger than "winnable" in NFL jargon, it should be applied. "Gimme" works.
Jets Fans Act Like He Never Left
Welcome back, Chad! All those fans who cheered Chad Pennington's departure had nothing to complain about Sunday during the Jets' 31-28 win over Miami. All it takes is a suspect defense for a struggling unit to turn itself around. Pennington threw for two touchdowns and ran for another. Hand out the gold stars to Thomas Jones (110 yards rushing), Jerricho Cotchery (54 yards receiving) and Laveranues Coles (30 yards and a touchdown). For a team that hadn't even held a lead over the first two games, the Jets looked plenty impressive on offense in Week 3.
Mangini, Jets Deal With Greater Expectations
Life's easier the lower you keep everyone's expectations. Bill Waterson once had Calvin impart that wisdom in the comic strip, and the Jets are about to find that out as well. Last year, Coach Eric Mangini worked wonders to get the team into the playoffs and created a situation where media and fans will be looking for more. Don't be surprised if the team doesn't improve upon last year's results.
Waiting Game for Locals at the NFL Draft
The NFL Draft starts at noon today and the local teams will have to wait a long time to pick. With the Giants at 20 and the Jets at 25, we probably won’t see a local team pick until well after 4pm. The time may benefit both clubs, because each has very distinct needs they need to fill today and tomorrow.
Last Night's Action: Cool The Playoff Talk
Start with the defensive effort by the entire team, which was nonexistent until Malk Rose showed up in the third quarter. Seattle shot 52% for the game, which is inexcusable.
Pro Bowl Rosters Announced
The NFL announced the rosters for the Pro Bowl on Wednesday and six local players made it. Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora, Tiki Barber, Jeremy Shockey and David Tyree will represent the Giants while Ty Law will represent the Jets.

