Bengals: 14
With a 10 point victory over the Bengals the Jets have advanced to the second round of the playoffs against either the San Diego Chargers or the Indianapolis Colts. The Jets used a superb running attack led by rookie RB Shonn Greene and an extremely efficient Mark Sanchez to put up points against a good Bengals defense. With this win, the Jets managed to quiet a lot of critics who have criticized the team;s recent wins against teams who had "nothing to play for." The Jets defense and running attack lived up to their reputation as the best in the league used them to dismantle the Bengals.
Thumbs Up:
- Shonn Greene controlled the majority of the running game with 21 carries for 135 yards and a touchdown. His long touchdown on the counter pitch play was a huge play in the game and he really dominated the Bengals on the ground. The formula is in place for the Jets the rest of the playoffs. If Greene/Jones are able to get a rhythm established on the ground it will enable Mark Sanchez to make safe throws.
- Mark Sanchez finished 12/15 for 182 yards and a touchdown and turned in his best performance as a pro in his biggest game. He was extremely efficient and only made safe throws. With the running game working the way it was there was no reason for Sanchez to take risks down the field. He made a few big throws and was careful with the ball.
- Darelle Revis played an excellent game despite getting absolutely screwed by at least 2 pass interference calls. The refs seemed to have it out for number 24 last night as Revis was called on two pass interference penalties where there was clearly no penalty. In fact, on one of the plays Ochocinco seemed to clearly push off. However, despite the rash of bad calls against him Revis was still able to make an acrobatic interception as well as hold Ochocinco to 2 catches.
- Jay Feely normally doesn't get that much credit on here because I expect that a kicker can do his job. However, last night Feely went above and beyond after he had to take over the punting duties with Steve Weatherford out with an irregular heartbeat. Feely was able to nail almost half of his punts inside the 20 which was better than I could have expected.
- Braylon Edwards dropped a clear touchdown on a 40 yard Mark Sanchez pass that just went right through his hands. Edwards has been plagued by drops in his career and he cannot afford to make that same mistake if the Jets want to have any hope of knocking off the Colts or the Chargers next week.
- Referees. The two pass interference calls against Revis were absolutely wrong which I have already gone over above. Also, the late hit on David Harris was absurd and gave the Bengals a free 15 yards.
- Special Teams, other than Jay Feely, did not have a good day. The Bengals opened up the game with a long kickoff return and were able to get a long punt return soon thereafter. Also, we gave up 3 points with two false start penalties on two consecutive Jay Feely field goals. These are the kind of mistakes which we can't afford to make against better teams.
That was the game I was hoping to see out of the Jets all season. We were able to control the ball on offense with the running game and throw it just enough times to keep the Bengals off balance. Sanchez protected the ball and made some plays when we needed it. The run defense was poor but the overall defense was good as we did a good job holding the Bengals to 14 points. This Jets team is going to be dangerous next week whether we play the Colts or the Chargers. With this defense and running game this team can beat anyone if they play a good game.
Who to Play:
Personally, I would rather go to San Diego and play the Chargers because I want to avoid Peyton Manning as long as possible. This means rooting for the Ravens to upset the Patriots tonight. This has a few positives. 1.) We get to see the Patriots eliminated from the playoffs. 2.) It keeps alive the slim hope of a home AFC Championship game. 3.) No Peyton Manning until a potential AFC Championship game.
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