Jets v. Chargers Pregame

The Jets fly to San Diego to play in their biggest game since the devastating loss at Pittsburgh many years ago.  As a Jets fan, that game (and Doug Brien's missed field goals) defines what it has been like to be a Jets fan over at least the last 10 years.  They build you up slowly only to deflate you with inexplicable play.  However, the "Same Old Jets" moniker has been put to rest so far with this Jets team as they have fought back all season long to stay in the playoff hunt.  The Jets come into this game extremely hot winning 5 of their last 6 games.  All the talk about "lack of competition" should be gone as the Jets have made the playoffs with the #1 ranked rushing attack and the #1 ranked overall defense.

What to watch for....

• Watch the weather in this one.  The last time I checked there was a 20% chance of rain tonight which could really help the Jets.  The Chargers rely on the passing attack and the Jets are the best in the league at stopping that.  The ability to slow down that facet of their offense in any way will be extremely beneficial.

• Who is the tougher team?  The Jets come into this game extremely confident that they are the more physical team and the numbers seem to indicate that.  The Jets excel at playing defense and running the ball while the Chargers excel at passing down field.  This matchup couldn't get much better for the Jets as they are in a position to shut down what the Chargers do best.

• The last time the Jets played a playoff game in San Diego the crowd played a huge factor (although the Jets still won).  The Jets players at that time said that they were extremely loud through the entire game.  With a rookie quarterback playing for the Jets they will have to do something to take the crowd out of the game early.

Who to watch for...

• As it has been with the Jets all year Mark Sanchez and his ability to protect the ball is the X-Factor.  Last week he played a near flawless game and the Jets running attack and defense did the rest of the work.  If the Jets want to have any chance to win this at all Sanchez is going to need to have his throws limited and kept simple.

• Dwight Lowery and Donald Strickland will both be active for this one and will have the extremely difficult task of covering some of San Diego's very good receivers.  The Chargers have a lot of weapons (most notably Sproles and Gates) who these two are going to have to cover.

• Shonn Greene and Thomas Jones will once again spearhead a running attack which needs to eat up clock and keep the Chargers high powered offense off the field.  The Chargers have struggled in stopping the run all season and if one of these two guys can get going it could be a long day for them.

Game Thoughts:

This Jets team has surprised me all year.  I came into the year expecting 8-8 or 9-7 (Can't remember which one I predicted) but I never thought that they could make a serious playoff run in Ryan's and Sanchez's first year.  However, behind a stellar defense and a great running attack the Jets are looking to book themselves a trip to Indianapolis to see the Colts.

Game Prediction:

Chargers: 24
Jets- 13

A Day Before the Game

Woodson Wins DPOTY

Charles Woodson winning defensive player of the year shows how ridiculous the process is.  He had a great year but no defensive player in the league meant more to his team or played better defensively than Darelle Revis and the playoff game where Fitzgerald and others burned Woodson showed that.  Revis shut down Moss (x2), Owens (x2) ,Steve Smith, Andre Johnson, Chad Johnson (x2), Reggie Wayne, and Marques Colston and those are only the big names.  Hopefully this loss inspires him this weekend.

Jets v. Bengals Postgame

Jets: 24
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.

Thumbs Down:

• 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.

Game Thoughts:

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. 

Wild Card: Jets v. Bengals

The Jets travel into Cincinnati as the underdog in a rematch of a week 17 match-up.  However, little will be the same in this game as the Bengals will come into it with a lot more to play for.  Just two weeks after being written off by Jets head coach Rex Ryan the team somehow stumbled themselves into a playoff berth.  This game will feature two teams which will employ very similar strategies.  Both teams will look to utilize their strong running attacks and great defenses.  The Jets come into this game with the league's #1 ranked defense and the #1 ranked rushing offense.

What to watch for...

• Brian Schottenheimer's play calling will be huge in this game.  Schotty needs to keep the offense out of Sanchez's hands and only force him to throw when it is necessary.  I really like what he has done in the past few weeks with Brad Smith lining up in a wildcat/option formation.  This seemed to catch the Bengals off guard last week and the Jets may be able to run a similar formation successfully this week.  The key to this game on offense is establishing the run.  If the Jets can get a running game going they will be extremely difficult to stop.

• Will David Harris play?  Harris was the Jets leading tackler and was a strong consideration for the pro bowl.  (should have made it)  However, he got injured late in the first half last week and hasn't been able to fully practice all week.  If Harris can't play it is going to open up a huge gap at the middle linebacker position.

• How will the Bengals respond?  After a 37-0 drubbing last week at the Meadowlands it will be interesting to see how the Bengals respond.  They couldn't get anything going in Week 17 and this should fuel the Jets confidence.

Who to watch for..

• Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene will anchor the Jets running attack and are the only hope of the Jets establishing a good offensive rhythm.  Look for Jones to get around 25 carries today with Greene getting around 10 as the Jets look to keep the ball out of Sanchez's hands and not forcing him to make plays until it is necessary.  One thing to watch for is whether Greene can hold onto the ball.  He runs harder than any running back I have seen since Jamal Lewis but he also has fumbling problems.  Turnovers for the Jets will kill any chance they have of winning this game.

• Darelle Revis will once again be tasked with shutting down an elite receiver when Chad Ochocinco/Johnson lines up opposite of him.  Ocho was shut down last week and held to no catches by Revis.  Look for Revis to continue doing what he has done all year, shutting down top receivers.  

• The offensive line will have to continue their efforts from last week in order to open up holes for Jones and Greene as well as for giving Sanchez time to throw.  If the running game can be established early it will help out Sanchez and put him in situations where he doesn't have to make the difficult throw.

Here we go, it seems like it has been forever since we have watched a Jets playoff game but we are finally getting one tonight.  The Jets come into this game as underdogs with a great chance to upset the Bengals.

Game Prediction:
Jets-16
Bengals- 13

Jets Make the Playoffs

The New York Jets have made the playoffs.  Amazing, Unbelievable,  Shocking are just a few words that can describe how I feel about this playoff birth.  With a convincing win over the Bengals the Jets have played themselves into the playoffs and a first round rematch against the Bengals.  The ups and downs through this season were absolutely incredible.  5 of the 7 losses came by a combined 17 points with some truly heartbreaking losses.  However, none of this matters now as the New York Jets have given themselves a chance to win a Superbowl.  The Jets will travel into Cincinnati as underdogs just a week after beating them 37-0 in the last game at the Meadowlands.  On Saturday at 4:30 we will see what Jets team we will get for this postseason. 

Jets v. Bengals Pregame

Win to get in.  This is the game that Jets fans have dreamed of having all season long.  We have gone through a lot this season with some of the most excruciating losses that I can ever remember experiencing.  However, tonight there is a chance to forget all of that and make the playoffs.  I am not going to go through my normal pregame post because 1.) It is 12:10 A.M. here and I don't have the energy and 2.) It isn't needed.  It's as simple as this.  WIN AND GET IN.