Jets Upset Patriots 34-31

It wasn’t easy.  It certainly wasn’t pretty.

But let’s talk for a moment about what it actually WAS.

Huge.

Huge with capital letters and as many exclamation points as you can stand.

The Jets wandered into Foxboro last night and emerged bloody but unbowed….the winners of an immensely exciting football game that, thanks to the NFL, only about 27 people actually saw.

I’m joking about the number, but the fact that a game this important was put on a network with such limited accessibility is a crime and a slap in the face to football fans everywhere.  Those who were robbed of their viewing privileges missed Brett Favre and Matt Cassell  combining for 658 passing yards and five touchdowns.   They were left out of Jerricho Cotchery’s return to football relevance.  They didn’t witness Randy Moss catch the tying touchdown pass in the waning seconds with new Jet Ty Law draped all over him like a cheap suit.

This was football as it ought to be each and every Sunday.

Get your act together, Roger Goodell.  Don’t let this happen again.

Jets Analysis:

Offense:  Favre played a masterful game, spreading the ball around, finding the open receiver and not committing a turnover….Thomas Jones rushed for over 100 yards for the fourth time this season.  He is finally fulfilling the promise that he has held since he was obtained by Gang Green…. For about the 800th time this season, I will repeat myself:  Can someone PLEASE get the ball in the hands of Leon Washington more?  After all, he only scored twice even though he touched the ball just 11 times….Cotchery, Laveranues Coles and Dustin Keller all combined for 18 catches, 212 yards and two touchdowns.  The emergence of Keller as a primary weapon is especially encouraging.

Defense:  Kris Jenkins once again stuffed the run from his nose tackle position.  He has turned out to be one of the most important free agents the Jets have ever acquired….LB Eric Barton has stepped up his game with the injury to David Harris.  He had 14 tackles last night and forced a fumble…. Darrelle Revis kept Moss in check most of the night.  The Patriots’ superstar only had two catches for ten yards prior to his touchdown…. Dwight Lowery was victimized often by New England, though he defend three passes.

Overall:  This would likely have been a different game if the Patriots had been able to wield a healthy Tom Brady.  However, that doesn’t diminish the fact that the Jets won a difficult, important game on the road against a tough opponent that has had their number recently.  They have a brutal matchup next week against Tennessee, but, for now, they can bask in the glory that comes with being in first place in the highly competitive AFC East.

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