Jets v. Titans Post Game

Jets- 24
Titans- 17

Record: 3-0

The Jets continued their winning ways today with a huge win over the reeling Tennessee Titans. Any thought that the Jets would "let down" in this game was quickly dispelled as they opened up the first two drives of the game with touchdowns to take a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. The second quarter was a little shaky as there was a complete role reversal as the Titans fought back. We saw once again the halftime adjustments of Rex Ryan which are absolutely amazing. Ryan had the defense playing very well in the 4th quarter which led to 13 straight incompletions from Kerry Collins to end the game.

Game Ball:

Jerricho Cotchery got open all day against the Titans secondary and finished with 8 catches for 108 yards and a touchdown. His most important catch of the day came on a 45 yard pass down the sideline in which he made a great grab while maintaining possession and getting both feet in. This led to a field goal which put the Jets up 7. Cotchery exposed a weak Titans secondary and is one of the crispest route runners in the AFC right now. He made a great catch on the slant for the touchdown which proved to be the most important score of the game.

Thumbs Up:

• David Harris had a great game with a key interception and sack in the 4th quarter. The interception came at a critical time and ended a potential game tying touchdown drive. The sack came on the Titans final drive and forced them into a long 3rd down situation. Those two plays pretty much ended two potential scoring drives for the Titans.

• Mark Sanchez was incredible again today as he became the first rookie to ever start a season 3-0. He finished 17/30 for 171 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. The Titans defensive line was providing pressure all day and Sanchez was able to maneuver in the pocket and find open receivers. He found 7 different receivers on the day and seemed to spread the ball around nicely. The run for the touchdown on the first drive showed me that he is not afraid of contact as he took a big hit before extending for the touchdown. The 45 yard pass to Sanchez own the sideline was perfectly placed as Cotchery was tightly covered. Overall, Sanchez played well enough today to safely secure a third straight rookie of the week award and I am amazed by his development so far.

• Kris Jenkins did his usual job of clogging up the middle and wreaking havoc for the opposing offensive line. He made an excellent play in the 4th quarter where he busted through the line and tackled the running back for a 4 yard loss with one arm while fighting off an offense lineman with another. He is a disruptive force and is playing even better than he did last season.

• I said before the season that Eric Smith would have a huge year for the Jets. Ryan has learned to use him in the right way and Smith has developed into a very solid backup. With Sheppard and Strickland out this week Smith came up huge with a few good pass breakups. Keep your eye on him the rest of the season as he will continue to impress.
  

Thumbs Down:

• I was a little disappointed in the offensive line today. Sanchez was rushed a lot more this game and the Titans reached him a lot by rushing only 4 people. The Titans d-line is very good but the offensive line is the best unit on this team and they need to do a better job protecting Sanchez as well as opening more holes for Thomas Jones.

• Thomas Jones had a very disappointing game today. He finished with 14 carries for 20 yards and was largely ineffective. His only good carry which went for about 30 yards was brought back because of a Nick Mangold holding call. Jones will continue to get the ball 15-20 times a game and he will have to produce a lot better than he did today if the Jets hope to be able to hold leads in the 4th quarter and run down the clock.

Game Notes:

• Both Strickland and Sheppard were inactive for this game due to injuries. The Jets will need one or both to return next week in order to shut down a very potent Saints offense.
• Sanchez showed no sign of the "knee tendinitis" which put him on the injury report this week as he ran in the touchdown with no problem.
• The 3-0 start is the first ever by a rookie quarterback.