The contest was played in front of a handful of fans who braved a cold rain to watch Kellen Clemens outduel Brodie Croyle and lead the Jets to a 13-10 overtime victory in their season finale.  Here’s a breakdown of the Jets performance.

Offense:

Kellen Clemens didn’t blow the doors off, but he was sabotaged by several drops by his receivers.  He still needs to show more confidence in the pocket….The running game came through for the Jets.  Thomas Jones turned in a workman-line effort and Leon Washington had two dynamic runs in the fourth quarter.  If the line can be improved in the offseason, the Jets are in good shape at the position….Good game by Jerricho Cotchery (8 catches, 76 yards).  He made several key receptions and kept playing hard even after he absorbed a tremendous blow from cornerback Patrick Surtain. 

Defense:

Good pressure applied by the Jets.  They sacked Croyle three times and hurried him into several incompletions….Aided by an early injury to Chiefs RB Kolby Smith, they held KC’s running game to a paltry 53 yards….The Jets didn’t allow a first down until the second quarter….Hank Poteat and Kerry Rhodes did blow their coverage on Jeff Webb to allow the Chiefs to tie the game and send it into overtime.

Special Teams:

Mike Nugent kicked two field goals, including the 43 yarder that won the game….Ben Graham averaged 45.1 yards on his 8 punts….Jets were fooled by a fake punt by KC which resulted in a first down.

I’ll be doing a series of articles in the offseason that will address the areas the Jets need to improve in and whom they might target in April’s draft.  For now, I will sum up by saying that, though this season was a bitter disappointment after last year’s playoff appearance, there is reason to hope for the future.  I expect the Jets to be a much more competitive squad next September.

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