Jets News 7-11

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Jets' defense has its swagger back

November, 6, 2011

Nov 6

7:56

PM ET

By James Walker

Kevin Hoffman/US PresswireAn aggressive Jets defense limited Ryan Fitzpatrick to just 191 yards passing on Sunday.

ORCHARD, PARK, N.Y. -- In a rare occurrence this season, New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan stepped to the podium Sunday with very little to complain about with his defense.

"We gave up an 80-yard drive at the end of the game there when we were up a bunch of scores," Ryan scoffed. "So that was disappointing."

Ryan pointed out the only blemish in an otherwise stellar day for New York's talented but, at times, underachieving defense. The Jets' strongest unit turned back the clock -- circa 2009 and 2010 -- to cruise to a 27-11 victory over the Buffalo Bills.

More than 70,000 Bills fans came to Ralph Wilson Stadium expecting a "whiteout." They nearly witnessed a shutout, as New York battered and confused Buffalo's offense for four quarters. The Bills turned over the football three times and gained only 287 total yards.

New York's defense officially has its swagger back. That could only mean trouble for the rest of the NFL.

Jets defensive tackle Sione Pouha even has a nickname for the defense regaining its identity.

"It's totally attitude -- it's 'Jetstitude' the way we look at it," Pouha said. "It's playing like a Jet, aggressiveness, going out there in attack mode. I think today kind of displayed just what Jet football is all about."

Although they don't always put it together, the Jets have the NFL's most talented collection of defensive players.

The cornerback tandem of Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie is tops in the league. The linebackers, led by David Harris, Bart Scott and Calvin Pace, are physical playmakers. The safeties and defensive line play good, complementary roles when the Jets are at their best. All of those things came together in a big game.

"When everybody is rolling, this team is very hard to beat," Jets defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson said.

It marked the first time Buffalo was held to fewer than 20 points this season. Afterward, the Bills sounded perplexed about how the game went downhill so quickly.

"If it was one thing, we could have solved that," Bills coach Chan Gailey said. "You can always solve one thing in a game. They would bring pressure, they would play coverage. ... They would give us something we hadn’t seen or they would bring an extra guy. It was a combination. They kept us off balance and that’s what we can’t allow to happen."

The Jets' defense took apart Buffalo's offense systematically. It started with punishing Bills tailback Fred Jackson.

Jackson has bullied defenders all season. But New York matched and exceeded Jackson's physicality. The Jets even knocked Jackson (82 rushing yards) out of the game temporarily in the second half with big hit that caused a fumble and shoulder stinger. Buffalo's offense never recovered from that blow.

With Jackson not his usually dominant self, the Bills couldn't get anything going offensively.

Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick had his worst game of the season. He threw for 191 yards, two interceptions and a late touchdown in garbage time. Most of the game the receivers were blanketed, and Fitzpatrick dangerously threw into tight coverage.

"For us, we were on our heels trying to figure out what they were doing and trying to figure out what was going on," Bills receiver David Nelson said. "It wasn't because of play calling or anything like that. We only had the ball twice in the first quarter and going three-and-out. We couldn’t get in rhythm."

It didn’t take long for several Jets players to turn toward the New England Patriots. The reigning AFC East champions are up next for the Jets with first place in the division on the line. The Patriots -- currently in a three-way tie for first place in the AFC East with the Jets and Buffalo -- beat New York 30-21 in the first meeting at Gillette Stadium.

Pardon me, but the Jets "can't wait" for next week's rematch at home.

“If you can’t get fired up and ready to play for this game, you shouldn't be playing," Jets tailback LaDainian Tomlinson said. "That's plain and simple."

Last month, New York was a team close to imploding during its three-game losing streak. This month, the Jets have their sights set on first place in the AFC East after a three-game winning streak.

It's a stunning turnaround for the Jets, who have found the winning formula with an aggressive defense and a ground-and-pound style on offense.

New York showed on Sunday it has as good a shot as anyone in the second half of the season.

"We know what we're capable of doing. We know we're not a team that's going to fold in the tank," Wilkerson said of the midseason turnaround. "We lost three in a row, but it's a long season. We kept preparing like we’ve always been doing, knowing that we'd get things turned around."

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Rapid Reaction: Jets 27, Bills 11

November, 6, 2011

Nov 6

4:04

PM ET

By James Walker

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Here are some initial thoughts on the New York Jets' 27-11 victory over the Buffalo Bills.

What it means: The Jets (5-3) are back in the postseason hunt. New York took itself from the brink of implosion early in the season to win three consecutive games. This was a huge victory over a division rival and moves the Jets into second place in the AFC East. The Bills dropped to 5-3 and give the early tiebreaker to New York. They could be in third place in the AFC East by the end of the day if the New England Patriots beat the New York Giants. If New England loses, there could be a three-way tie in the division.

Jets' D is back: Don't be fooled by the final score. New York won this game with great defense. The Jets were dominant on that side of the football. The team reverted back to last year's form with a masterful performance against a good Bills offense. New York forced three turnovers and held the Bills to 287 total yards. Many of those yards by Buffalo were gained in garbage time. The Bills failed to score at least 20 points for the first time this season.

QB struggles: The "Sanchez-Fitz-Moore Watch" should be interesting this week. Buffalo quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and New York quarterback Mark Sanchez both were inconsistent. The difference is Sanchez played much better in the second half to win the game. He finished with 230 yards, one touchdown and two turnovers (one pick, one fumbled snap). Fitzpatrick threw for just 191 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

What's next: The Bills will travel to play the Dallas Cowboys next week. It will be the first of three consecutive road games for Buffalo. The Jets will have another big AFC East showdown against the Patriots at Met Life Stadium.

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HAMILTON: It's one failed test

Paul Hamilton

Orchard Park, NY (WGR 550) -- Sunday wasn’t the first big game this year’s Buffalo Bills played and it won’t be the last. They still doesn’t change the disappointment both the players and the fans feel after being dominated by the Jets.

It started right off the hop. New York took the ball on its own 6. The Jets converted two 3^rd and 4 situations. Overcame a sack by Alex Carrington and picked up 14 yards on the next play. It took over ten minutes for the Jets to get to the Bills 7 only to have Mark Sanchez throw a ball right to Jairus Byrd in the back of the end zone.

That may have been the one highlight they can hang their hat on.

Nick Barnett has played in some big games while in Green Bay and he knows what goes into them. The Bills MLB said, “I don’t think it was our best game. As for the Jets, give it up to them, give them credit, they went out there and played well, we didn’t play well. When we play big games like this, we’ve got to have it and we didn’t show up.”

The Jets didn’t put up obscene numbers. New York didn’t get close to the 275 yards rushing it averaged over the last four games vs Buffalo, but they did insist on the run with 39 carries. It only averaged 3.2 yards per carry, but kept the ball away from the Bills.

Mark Sanchez was efficient, going 20 of 28 to keep the chains moving. What this boiled down to is the Jets had the football for 37:52. That’s almost a full quarter more than the Bills.

The Jets moved the chains and had ten more first downs. They were 6 of 11 on 3^rd down, the Bills were 3 of 11.

Joe was pointing out the whole first half how Nick Mangold was throwing Marcell Dareus all over the field. To the kid’s credit he was better in the second half, but Dareus is too good of a football player not to learn from this game.

The Bills just plain and simply were awful offensively in the first half. Ryan Fitzpatrick has 24 yards passing.

Rex Ryan knew what to do to confuse Chan Gailey and his offense. Gailey admitted after the game he had no answers to some of the new things Ryan threw at him. That is one advantage the Jets will have over the Bills while George Edwards is here. Rex Ryan has forgotten more defense than George Edwards knows. Honestly, I think Gailey can be up to the challenge offensively and must be for the rematch.

I know the Bills are a team learning how to win. Learning how to excel in big games. When New England was here, the Bills passed the test. This one they failed miserably, but thanks to the Giants walking into New England and beating the Patriots, there’s a three way tie for first place in the AFC East. Buffalo still has a game in New Jersey and in New England. The Bills still face the Dolphins twice.

Part of this process is how they snap back. After a great start this team has now lost three of five. This is the first one that they really got out played.

The Cowboys and Dolphins aren’t world beaters. Is 7-3 out of the question? I don’t think it is.

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Posted: Sunday, 06 November 2011 6:05PM

Reaction: Jets 27 - Bills 11

Joe Buscaglia Reporting

JoeB@wgr550.com

Orchard Park, NY -- Well, that sure was a dud, wasn't it?

I'm sure the feeling some have following the Buffalo Bills 27-11 loss to the New York Jets can be likened to the building anticipation when a monstrous firework is lit, waiting for the big explosion once it flies in to the air -- only to watch it fizzle out next to the ground in which it's tightly packed.

Sunday marks a huge disappointment for the Bills players, coaches and fans. It was a chance to prove themselves further in the battle for the AFC East crown, but the Jets simply had their number all game long.

It was pure dominance on the part of the Jets. If it weren't for Sanchez turning the ball over three times in the first half, this game would have been out of hand way earlier than it was.

New York was more prepared, better coached and never allowed Buffalo to get comfortable from sunrise to sunset.

Let's take a deeper look in to the game that was:

- We haven't had too many opportunities to say this during the first half of the season, but head coach Chan Gailey was flawed as a play-caller. For a few drives there, I felt as though someone had teleported the Bills back in to 2007. Many times there were Dick Jauron-esque maneuvers with Gailey electing to run the ball up the gut twice followed by a third-down passing play in the first half. It seemed like he was trying to compensate for the extraordinary talent lining up at cornerback opposite Stevie Johnson. That's all well and good -- you can respect Darrelle Revis but not sacrifice the play-calling and playmaking that have gotten you're team to a 5-2 record in the first place. Gailey has said it all season long: They pass to set up the run. For some reason Sunday, they chose the opposite line of thinking. Fred Jackson has been great this season, but they needed to get the defense on their heels. It's what has worked in large part through the first seven games. Plenty of blame can be doled out after the loss, but Gailey deserves more than anyone for his play-calling against the Jets.

- This will be the first time we hear the folks that exclaim the following: "The Bills paid Fitzpatrick too early!" Or: "So much for being a $60 million quarterback!" I'm not going to defend his game today, however, we must remember it is only one game of the season. His first interception was rather surprising, due in part to the fact that Calvin Pace was standing right there waiting for the ball. Normally, Fitzpatrick diagnoses those types of coverages and makes the smart read. But Pace, who isn't the best linebacker in coverage, just stood there and got an early present for the holiday season.

- One of the things I looked forward to most heading in to the contest was seeing how rookie nose tackle Marcell Dareus fared against the NFL's best center, Nick Mangold. The conclusion? Dareus had the first game where it was evident that he was merely a rookie. Mangold mired the Jets performance as a whole. He flat-out dominated Dareus play in, play out. It wasn't even close. It's not going to be a fun day for Dareus when he has to review the tape of this game. On the bright side, now he knows the gold standard of interior line play in the NFL. The hope for the Bills is he takes the butt-whoopin' he just received and works even harder to get where Mangold is. He has time yet.

- I thought Jairus Byrd was exceptional for the Bills against the Jets. His interception, like Calvin Pace's, was a gift from Mark Sanchez. I'm referring more to the overall run support he displayed throughout the game. That doesn't always equate to tackles, but rather the process of taking on blocks and helping out when his teammates lost their containment. He was one of the lone bright spots for Buffalo in the loss.

- Speaking of teammates that lost containment: Violator number-one is Spencer Johnson. I don't understand the fascination of having him penciled in as the starter at outside linebacker when he can't move laterally. There were three, maybe four plays to my count where it looked like he had perfect position, but couldn't get his momentum moving to the sidelines quickly enough. That led to Shonn Greene or LaDainian Tomlinson to simply use their speed to get to the edge and turn it in to a big gain. I've said this before, but do we need any more evidence that a capable outside linebacker is the top priority in the off-season? It needs to happen, and no one can tell me differently.

- Oh, Aaron Maybin. Anyone that needed a stark reminder as to why he was never embraced by Bills fans can look to his meaningless skirmish with David Nelson following an interception -- that he completely started. Nelson might just be one of the nicest, most level-headed players on the team and somehow Maybin wants to start something with him. His on-the-field actions baffle me. To his credit, though, he should have had a sack in the fourth quarter. Had it not been for Andy Levitre blatantly pushing him in the back and getting called for it, the nightmares of Bills' fans would have come true. I'm sure most, if not all, will take that penalty rather than allow a sack to 'Mayhem.'

- Coming in to the game, I thought that with a healthy Donald Jones the Bills would be able to recapture the success they've had in the past with David Nelson lined up in the slot. To a certain degree, it worked. There were plenty of opportunities that were missed with him, too. The one that comes to mind most came in the third quarter. The Bills, fresh off a momentous 52-yard reception from Stevie Johnson, faced a critical third down in the red-zone. A third down that, with a touchdown, could have done wonders for the team in their comeback attempt. Nelson came from the left side of the line, and streamed across the back of the end zone with a step on his trailing defender. There was a linebacker in front of Nelson in a zone look, but had Fitzpatrick lofted the ball to the 6-foot-5 Nelson in the corner of the end zone, I believe it would have been a 13-7 Jets lead rather than a further daunting 13-3 deficit. After the play, Nelson jumped up and down in frustration because he knew he had six points had his quarterback gave him a chance. Fitzpatrick just missed it. That happened fairly often against the Jets, not just in the passing game.

- For as much flack as he gets, I thought the absence of Chris Kelsay in the lineup was quite noticeable against the Jets. Kelsay has served as a calming presence for an otherwise young and inexperienced outside linebacker group. Despite not having the sacks to show for it, his pressure off the edge is something that is very valuable to the team. They better hope his calf injury isn't going to hinder him for the rest of the season, because this outside linebacker group will lead to a number of problems moving forward.

- Some are pinning blame on the play of Fred Jackson today. I think that's a little bit misguided. Jackson accounted for 120 yards of total offense -- 41.8-percent of all the Bills yards in the game. Additionally, he did it with an injury that listed his return as 'questionable.' He dropped a pair of passes, but those were brought on by solid defensive play, not him just dropping it with no one around. With so many other things that are bigger problems for the Bills that led to the loss, I don't believe Jackson deserves a big share of the negativity stemming from the result.

- Classy move by fans at Ralph Wilson Stadium today in giving a standing applause to former kicker Scott Norwood when he was honored during the first quarter by the team. I guarantee he was extremely nervous about it, and I'm glad no goofballs decided to give him crap about a kick that happened twenty years ago. He was a great kicker for the Bills for a long time. My hat's off to you, Bills fans. Great job.

- Despite the terrible loss that saw the Bills get their heads smashed in by their division rivals, the team still has a winning record halfway through the season and are fighting for a playoff spot. It's okay to be mad about this loss, that's a rational reaction. It's not okay to read out the team's obituary on the season based off this one loss. With eight games to go, it's on them now to extend that success. This quote from Chan Gailey sums it up perfectly:

Question: Did the Jets show you what it's like to play in a big game?

"I don't know if I'm ready to go there. I'll be honest with you. I think we have the make-up to be that. We were not that today. But I think we have the make-up to be that. The one thing about it is you've got half a football season left, it starts this week and you get a chance to go do something about it. If you don't like it, do something about it."

Bills' MVP: Jairus Byrd - 6 tackles, 1 interception, lots of run support.

Bills' LVP: Chan Gailey - The worst play-calling of the season by far.

Up Next: November 13 at Dallas

Final Thoughts: The Bills were outclassed by the division rival New York Jets. They let a team come in to their home and spray paint the walls and the carpet with their team colors. With that said, it's a long season. The Bills get to play the Jets one more time at the end November. All is not lost just yet. But I don't know that any one loss will sting Bills' fans quite as hard as this one did Sunday.

Twitter: @JoeB_WGR

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Can't wait? H-e-e-e-e-re's Bart

November, 6, 2011

Nov 6

9:28

PM ET

By Rich Cimini

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Bart Scott was back to being Bart Scott in the aftermath of Sunday's 27-11 win over the Bills. In other words, he was interesting and funny and condescending.

• Bart on the upcoming games against the Patriots and Broncos (a Thursday-night contest): "Hopefully, we can beat the Patriots, and then flush that turd and move on to a short week into a tough environment."

• Bart on the media's perception of the Jets: "I’m sure now their will be something written about how the Jets are back, and we won’t listen to that either, because at the end of the day we know that you guys don’t know what the hell you’re talking about."

• Bart, asked in a joking way, if he saw Mark Sanchez's holding penalty: "I was too busy going hard at Buffalo fans. We took a lot of (garbage) during the game, so I wanted to make sure I could give a little bit back."

• Bart on criticism of the Jets' defense: "The way that people talk about us, you wouldn’t think that we were the No. 6 defense in the league (eighth, actually). We just want to play to our standards, which is very high. We don’t care what other people say, because we know what we go through, and we know what we’re fighting for, which is each other. There’s not a selfish guy in this game."

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Holmes making plays; We got duped

November, 6, 2011

Nov 6

9:06

PM ET

By Mike Mazzeo

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Mark Sanchez’s third-quarter touchdown throw to Santonio Holmes on Sunday afternoon was perfect.

Well, yeah, because Holmes made a circus catch, reeling in the pass with three Buffalo defenders around him.

“First off, it was a great pass from Sanchez. The confidence he had and believing in me, that he can deliver the pass between, two, maybe three defenders in the red zone. He placed it where only I could catch it. I knew I had to grab it, pull it down and make a big play from it.”

Holmes only caught three passes for 29 yards in the Jets’ 27-11 road demolition of the Bills, but he did have that one big score.

Oh, and there was the 42-yard pass interference penalty he drew right before he caught the TD, which was somewhat questionable.

“I think those guys did a pretty good job trying to cover us,” Holmes said. “But they obviously got caught and the refs were right on top of them when they needed to be and they made the calls that were necessary.”

• We all got duped.

Sure, it may have looked like Eric Smith and his old buddy Brad Smith were tussling after a special teams play early in the game, but that wasn’t the case.

“It was all a joke,” Eric Smith said, laughing. “It was great to see Brad. I’m just mad I didn’t get to hit him a little harder.”

• Plaxico Burress, who fought through lower back soreness to haul in five passes for 79 yards, leads the team in receptions with 23 and touchdown receptions with five. His 323 receiving yards ranks third.

• In his last four games, Shonn Greene has rushed 81 times for 345 yards. ... The Jets created three turnovers on Sunday and now have 19 for the season. Nick Folk missed his first field goal of the season, snapping a franchise-record of 11 straight made FGs without a miss to start a season. He is 12 of 13 on FGs this season. ... Joe McKnight is averaging 40.2 yards per return this season -- tops in the NFL.

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Sanchez picks himself, Jets up in 2nd half

November, 6, 2011

Nov 6

7:50

PM ET

By Mike Mazzeo

The Jets quarterback had single-handedly destroyed a 15-play opening drive by throwing an ill-advised interception in the end zone -- his first in the red zone and third in the end zone this season.

“It kind of got away from me a little bit,” said Sanchez, whose throw to tight end Dustin Keller sailed high and into the waiting arms of Buffalo safety Jairus Byrd.

“That’s the worst part,” he added of the miscues deep in enemy territory. “That’s the worst play to have it. I think it’s just the way things have gone, those things need to be eliminated.”

Week 9: Jets 27, Bills 11

Gang Green beat Buffalo in an AFC East showdown. Jets Center » Blog »Then, right before the second quarter ended, Sanchez mishandled a perfect snap out of the shotgun from center Nick Mangold, which ended in another turnover.

“It was just a crappy catch, bad catch,” Sanchez said. “Shouldn’t have happened. Stupid.”

But just like he did two weeks ago after a gaffe-riddled first half against San Diego, Sanchez redeemed himself in the second half.

The 24-year-old signal-caller connected with wideout Santonio Holmes on an 8-yard scoring strike, capping off a 17-point third-quarter outburst, and the Jets went on to pummel the Bills, 27-11, to earn their first road victory of the season and improve to 5-3 overall at the halfway point.

“We know he’s still a young quarterback, and we have to play well as a team for him to be successful,” linebacker Bart Scott said. “If the quarterback plays well, he gets all the credit, and if he doesn’t, he gets the blame. It just comes with the job.”

So does the burden of being one of the most high-profile athletes at one of the most important positions in all of sports in the city of New York.

“Guys know that I can battle and that I can play through adversity,” said Sanchez, who connected with seven different targets on Sunday. “It’s obviously frustrating because you let those guys down, that’s the worst part of it for me. I’m not worried about making bad throws or bad reads. I can get those right. I know I can fix that.”

In total, Sanchez completed 20 of 28 passes -- a season-high 71.4 percent completion rate -- for 230 yards, one TD and one INT while finishing with a passer rating of 92.9, the fourth time this season he’s had a passer rating of 90 or greater. For the season, Sanchez has connected on 61.6 percent of his pass attempts, while throwing for five TDs and two INTs during Gang Green’s recent three-game winning streak.

During the second half Sunday, the Jets scored on four consecutive drives.

“I thought we were hot,” Sanchez said. “We got hot there for a while. The run game set up the pass game.”

Take a look at this note from our friends at ESPN Stats & Information: The Jets were able to pound the ball early and often on the ground and opened up the game with three straight run plays to set the tone for the day. The play-action game opened up as a result for Sanchez, who completed 11 of 12 passes for 129 yards and his only touchdown of the day when using the play fake. The 12 play-action attempts by Sanchez matched his career-high in a game, when he also completed 11 of 12 passes against the Bears in Week 16 last season.

“I’m not worried if we run it or throw it a lot, as long as we’re winning,” Sanchez said. “We were pretty efficient in the passing game [sunday].”

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Jets WRs Santonio Holmes, Plaxico Burress enjoy productivity, limelight

Published: Sunday, November 06, 2011, 10:40 PM Updated: Monday, November 07, 2011, 1:44 AM

By Conor Orr/The Star-Ledger

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Rick Stewart/Getty ImagesJets wide receiver Santonio Holmes celebrates a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills today.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — On the sideline after his third-quarter touchdown, Jets receiver Santonio Holmes stood next to receivers coach Henry Ellard and re-enacted nearly the whole play.

He mimicked the separation from the cornerback and the stunning, high-wire grab he made without a foot on the ground. To Holmes’ right, receiver Plaxico Burress joined in, nodding with approval.

In so many ways, this was a moment the Jets had been waiting for. Both star receivers content, for the moment. Both productive. Both causing matchup headaches against a daunting secondary.

“I’ve been doing this for a while,” Burress said. “And I know how quickly things can change.”

Despite expecting to be inactive because of a lingering back issue, Burress finished with five catches for 79 yards, coming within an inch of his sixth touchdown catch of the year. Holmes, questioned of late due to his sputtering production, caught three more for 29 yards and a touchdown, setting up two scores by drawing pass interference penalties.

And somewhere in between, the Jets (5-3) passing game that had looked clunky, forced and unnatural in recent weeks righted itself in a 27-11 victory over the Buffalo Bills (5-3) at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

“My hat’s off to Plaxico (Burress),” coach Rex Ryan said. “His back was bothering him but he played great anyway. And I guess you guys can get off of Santonio. He only had one touchdown but he affected two other ones with the (pass interference.)

“Next week, I challenge somebody to come up with somebody else that’s struggling, because it seems to work.”

Burress said that his back issue comes and goes in “little spasms” but doesn’t think it will plague him throughout the season.

Burress saw this success coming early. After he took some time to feel out the coverage, Burress jogged off the field during a break and talked to Holmes and his offensive coordinator.

“I came to the sideline, I was telling (offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer), I was telling Tone, hey, they haven’t covered us, they haven’t covered a route today,” Burress said. “… As far as executing, they didn’t do anything to sto

p us.”

Burress broke out where he hadn’t earlier this season and became more productive between the 20s. Twice on the team’s first drive — an 87-yarder that ended when Sanchez threw an interception in the end zone — Burress caught 14-yard passes for first downs. Again, in the second he made a 19-yard catch that put the Jets near midfield on a drive in which they would score their only three points of the first half.

And Holmes was able to stretch the field, having some of his jersey pulled along the way. Combined, Holmes drew 59 yards worth of pass interference penalties, one to set up his third-quarter touchdown, and another in the end zone that set up John Conner’s 1-yard run.

“That was good to see,” quarterback Mark Sanchez said. “Us moving down the field, marching down the field.”

Conor Orr: corr@starledger.com

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Jets' Mark Sanchez disappointed with interception in win over Buffalo

Published: Sunday, November 06, 2011, 10:30 PM Updated: Monday, November 07, 2011, 7:06 AM

By Jenny Vrentas/The Star-Ledger

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Kevin Hoffman-US PRESSWIREMark Sanchez has thrown 12 touchdowns and 6 interceptions this season.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Jets were riding high after today’s 27-11 victory against the Buffalo Bills, but coach Rex Ryan admitted he was “bummed out” when the offense squandered some of its early chances to take control.

One of those missed chances was on the Jets opening possession, a 15-play drive lasting 10:09 that ended in an end-zone interception. It was Mark Sanchez’s third interception of the season snared in the end zone.

“That’s the worst place to have it,” said Sanchez, who was 20 of 28 for 230 yards, with the interception and a touchdown. “It’s just the way things have gone, but those need to be eliminated.”

Sanchez had two turnovers, the interception and a fumble near the end of the first half. The Jets were at their own 49-yard line, with a possible chance to drive into field-goal range before halftime.

Sanchez called it “a crappy catch, bad catch. Shouldn’t have happened. Stupid.”

Sanchez has 12 touchdowns to six interceptions this season, a good ratio. But giving away the ball within scoring range is a more costly mistake.

His interception today was intended for tight end Dustin Keller, but Sanchez said it “got away from me a little bit” and sailed past Keller to safety Jairus Byrd.

“It’s obviously frustrating because you let those guys down, that’s the worst part of it for me,” Sanchez said. “I’m not worried about making bad throws or bad reads, I can get those right, I know I can fix that.”

Keller left the game in the first half after attempting to hurdle CB Terrence McGee on an 11-yard catch, flipping, and landing on his head. He was taken into the locker room to be tested for a concussion but passed and returned for the second half. Keller said he was instructed by Ryan — and 52 of his teammates — not to try that again.

RB Shonn Greene left the game in the fourth quarter after he got “smashed in the head,” Ryan said. Greene said he felt “very weird” when he got back to the sidelines but he passed concussion tests. The coaches decided to keep him out.

Nick Folk set a franchise record for most field goals from the start of the season, making 11 straight. The previous record was 10, shared by Pat Leahy (‘86) and Jay Feely (‘09). Folk’s streak ended when he missed a 50-yarder in the second quarter.

DL Mike DeVito (knee) and Kenrick Ellis (ankle) were inactive today. Asked how his knee was after the game, DeVito said, “next week.” Also inactive were QB Kevin O’Connell, WR Eron Riley, RB Bilal Powell, CB Isaiah Trufant (hamstring) and TE Shawn Nelson.

Aaron Maybin, Jim Leonhard and Ellis Lankster, former Bills, were game-day captains, along with Jamaal Westerman and Matt Mulligan.

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Jets return to ferocious defensive form in beatdown of Bills

Published: Sunday, November 06, 2011, 9:16 PM Updated: Monday, November 07, 2011, 1:44 AM

By Conor Orr/The Star-Ledger

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Richard Mackson/US PresswireJets outside linebacker Calvin Pace intercepts a pass from Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick during the first half today.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Bart Scott bookended his afternoon with a pair of plays on Buffalo Bills running back Fred Jackson that told the tale of an enigmatic but ever-confident Jets defense.

The first was on the opening play of the second series.

Jackson spun out of Scott’s grasp and buzzed down the sideline for a gain of 14 yards, drawing a booming cheer from the lively white-out crowd at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

The second was on fourth-and-1 in the fourth quarter.

With the Bills clinging to what little life they had, they sent their franchise tailback straight into the barrel of the Jets defense.

Scott, along with Calvin Pace, met the running back with a resounding thud and deflated the Bills’ hopes of ending the day in sole possession of first place in the division.

“He made me look silly the first play of the game,” Scott said. “I had a clean shot at him. I knew if I missed him again I probably wouldn’t see the field again.”

In a 27-11 victory, the Jets’ once-daunting defensive persona returned.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, the second-most efficient quarterback in the AFC, finished 15-for-31 with a touchdown and two interceptions.

Jackson, the league’s leading rusher, who had more than 110 rushing yards in each of his last three games, finished with 82.

The Bills (5-3) hadn’t scored fewer than 20 points since Jan. 2, in a season-ending loss to the Jets.

“I’d say that’s probably our best overall effort this season,” said Harris, who, along with Pace, intercepted Fitzpatrick in the game.

“You give credit to the Buffalo Bills, they average (28) points a game, (sixth) in the league in (total) rushing, they’ve been rolling and it was a huge victory for us.”

Scott said he recognized so many of Buffalo’s plays from last season.

The difference was that the Bills were running them with confidence now, something they’d built since last season and something the Jets had seen slip away earlier this year.

“They didn’t put any new magical formula in. It’s all about executing,” Scott said.

“That’s still a quality football team and they’re dangerous whenever a team that traditionally hasn’t won and starts winning has to handle success because that can be a dangerous thing.”

The game plan dared a wunderkind quarterback to throw as the Bills spread out their best offensive players, trying to get them into one-on-one matchups.

The Jets, though, held firm, taking away chances in the open field while staying true to the top priority — locking down Jackson and capping big plays from the Bills’ receivers.

It was a strategy they executed confidently, on an afternoon in which they talked proudly again.

“This year? Of course. I think it’s the best complete game we played,” Scott said. “… We shut them down and I think when you want to be a quality defense that’s what you have to do.”

Conor Orr: corr@starledger.com

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Jets upend Bills, 27-11, to win third in a row

Published: Sunday, November 06, 2011, 4:06 PM Updated: Monday, November 07, 2011, 1:36 AM

By Jenny Vrentas/The Star-Ledger

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Kevin Hoffman/US PresswireJets running back LaDainian Tomlinson dives in for his team's first touchdown today against the Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo, N.Y.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Even before the final seconds had drained off the clock, and during the jubilant walk up the tunnel of Ralph Wilson Stadium, LaDainian Tomlinson fast-forwarded seven days to the New England Patriots. He said he wasn’t the only one.

We know who we’ve got next. Let’s go, Patriots. Here we go.

The Jets made one big move in the division race today, with a dominant 27-11 victory over the Buffalo Bills. They were already eyeing their next one.

“If this is our time to take over and win the AFC East, this is the time to do it,” the veteran Jets running back said. “This is the week when it has to happen. We have a chance to put (the Patriots) at two losses in the division, and we’ll control our own destiny.”

What a difference a month makes. The newly 5-3 Jets have turned three straight losses into three straight wins, and third place into a three-way tie for first (with a little help from the crosstown

Giants). Brimming with confidence, they chided the media for doubting them and strategized about securing not just playoff games but home playoff games.

Nose tackle Sione Pouha dubbed their attitude a “Jets-titude,” and today this was its definition: aggressive, physical play with — what else? — a chip on their shoulders.

The Jets have now won after the bye, and won on the road for the first time this season, and with the most critical game so far this season up next, projected their team as something close to invincible.

“We feel like there’s nobody that should beat us,” left guard Matt Slauson said. “The only issue is we need to quit beating ourselves. We can’t turn the ball over; we can’t have as many penalties. As long as we play like we did in the second half, nobody can stop us except for us.”

Those were precisely the miscues that prevented the Jets from taking over today’s game until the second half. Their defense was suffocating a multi-dimensional Bills offense and picked off Ryan Fitzpatrick twice in the first half, but the Jets offense was meanwhile squandering its many opportunities.

A first-quarter drive lasting 10:09 instead ended with quarterback Mark Sanchez’s third interception in the end zone this season. Sanchez fumbled a snap at midfield toward the end of the second quarter, too. Five first-half penalties on offense sucked away momentum (and a 41-yard run by Shonn Greene).

Coach Rex Ryan said the Jets were looking like the “Bad News Bears.”

But the Jets talked about this at halftime: They amassed 191 yards of offense to Buffalo’s 73, had the ball for 20:47 to Buffalo’s 9:13, and yet held just a 3-0 lead. Six and a half minutes into the third quarter, the Jets were in control, leading 13-0 after a 1-yard touchdown run by Tomlinson.

It was the first of three straight touchdowns (Santonio Holmes and John Conner followed), as the run game thrived, and Holmes and Plaxico Burress were both key contributors in the pass game. Buffalo couldn’t keep up.

Chan Gailey, the Bills head coach, said his team lost because it wasn’t physical enough. That was precisely the challenge Tomlinson issued in the pre-game huddle, telling his teammates to out-physical Buffalo’s “pretty ball.”

“I feel like, in the AFC East, we’re the only ones that still play physical football,” Tomlinson said.

Linebacker Bart Scott called the Bills’ style “finesse football,” but however you phrase it, the Jets had the answers. They planned to overwhelm the Bills with power, making their opponent pay for putting their athletes in space. They took away Buffalo’s screen game with tight man coverage.

It worked: The Jets allowed just a single field goal through the first 56:46 of play. Fitzpatrick, who had completed more than 70 percent of his passes each of the past three weeks, connected on just 48.4 percent.

“You’d need to bring that up to Fitzpatrick and ask him if he saw anything unusual,” Ryan said of the Jets’ defensive plan. “Maybe it’s not as vanilla as it looked.”

The Jets certainly don’t look vanilla, or disoriented, or on the fringe of the playoffs picture anymore. Meanwhile, a few hours north in New England, there’s a rival team that’s lost two straight — with these Jets champing at the bit to make it three.

“If we want to win our division, you’ve got to beat New England,” Ryan said. “It’s much easier said than done but we’re just the guys for the job. And we hope to prove it next week.”

For more Jets coverage, follow Jenny Vrentas on Twitter at twitter.com/Jennyvrentas

Jenny Vrentas: jvrentas@starledger.com

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November 6, 2011, 10:29 pm

Jets’ Big Win Produces a Three-Way Tie for First

By BEN SHPIGEL

A capsule look at the Jets’ 27-11 victory over the Bills on Sunday.

Notable Number

Going in, the Jets were counting on a truism of football: the Bills’ high-powered offense could not score if it did not have the ball. The Jets dominated time of possession, holding the ball for 37 minutes 52 seconds. Their running game opened up play-action opportunities. Their short-passing game complemented Shonn Greene (76 yards), who also had a 41-yard rush negated by a penalty.

Key Plays and Performances

The 36-yard punt by T.J. Conley that pinned the Bills at their 1 did more than ultimately improve the Jets’ field position on their ensuing drive, which ended in a 50-yard field goal by Nick Folk. It symbolized the Jets’ outstanding special-teams performances. Folk made 2 of 3 field-goal attempts. Joe McKnight averaged 41.5 yards on two kickoff returns. And the Jets’ kickoff coverage held their old friend Brad Smith in check, never allowing him to break a long run.

Talking Point

The Jets (5-3) ended the first half of the season in a three-way tie atop the A.F.C. East. With the Patriots reeling after two straight losses, can the Jets overtake them next week?

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Winning Prescription: First, Do No Harm

Rick Stewart/Getty Images

Mark Sanchez has improved since his rookie season, but the Jets still need him to be a game manager. More Photos »

By GREG BISHOP

Published: November 6, 2011

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Orchard Park, N.Y.

The latest news, notes and analysis of the N.F.L. playoffs.

Go to The Fifth Down Blog

After the Jets’ locker room emptied, after their season, if only temporarily, had been saved, linebacker Bart Scott and quarterback Mark Sanchez chatted in a corridor at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

On the day everything had changed, they lingered, talking, the final two Jets to leave.

At one point, Scott draped his arm around Sanchez’s shoulder, a my-buddy moment that perfectly encapsulated the events here Sunday and the Jets’ season. For these Jets to remain the same old Jets — you know, the team that advanced to back-to-back A.F.C. championship games — they will have to execute the same formula Coach Rex Ryan has used since his arrival in 2009.

It will not be because of Sanchez.

This season was supposed to be different from his rookie season, different from his second season, different because Sanchez would no longer be asked simply not to lose games. He would be asked to win them.

The Jets gave Sanchez a tall, rangy, red-zone magician in Plaxico Burress. They gave Sanchez a slot receiver with more than 900 career receptions in Derrick Mason. They made re-signing their top wideout, Santonio Holmes, their top priority. Then they talked, proudly and openly and repeatedly, about slinging passes all over the field.

Yet the Jets’ 27-11 victory over Buffalo on Sunday did not signal this new era so much as it highlighted a welcome return to an old one. The Jets won behind an offensive line that opened holes as wide as Niagara Falls for Shonn Greene (19 carries, 76 yards) to run through. They won because the defense bottled up running back Fred Jackson, frustrated quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and forced three crucial turnovers.

They won not because of Sanchez, but in spite of him. Sure, his final statistics — 20 completions in 28 attempts, 230 passing yards, 92.9 passer rating — showed that Sanchez played a solid, if unspectacular, game.

That’s who Sanchez is. A solid, if unspectacular, quarterback. On Sunday, he made his 39th regular-season start, a sample more than large enough to project his likely progress. But the Jets care most about this season. And right now, to return to the playoffs, to win their division, to reach the Super Bowl they talk about like 53 broken records, their defense, not Sanchez, must carry them.

Again.

“At the end of the day, this is a team,” Scott said. “We know he’s still a young quarterback, and we know we have to play well as a team for him to be successful. That’s how it has to work.”

Late in the third quarter Sunday, Joe McKnight lined up at quarterback for the Jets while Sanchez jogged wide, to imitate a wide receiver. His goal there was to avoid being hurt. Coming off the line, he flinched, badly, comically, then leaned forward, holding more than blocking the defender in front of him.

It was not his only ill-advised decision. Not Sunday. Not this season.

Later, at his news conference, Sanchez called his attempt at blocking terrible. Of his first-quarter interception, the one that wasted a 15-play, 133-yard drive (after penalties) that consumed two-thirds of the first quarter, he said, “You can’t throw picks like that.” Meanwhile, his fumble late in the second quarter wasted another gift of field position from the defense.

At halftime, the Jets should have led by two touchdowns, or perhaps three, so thoroughly had they dominated. They slinked into the locker room clinging to a tenuous 3-0 advantage because their quarterback had continued with the oldest, most certain way to lose a football game: turn the ball over, especially in the red zone.

Sanchez has improved his accuracy this season, but only slightly, the football equivalent of a restaurant that turns a bad meal into a barely edible one. He is on a pace for 14 interceptions, one more than he threw last season and six fewer than he had as a rookie.

Halfway into his third season, Sanchez has yet to make the great leap the Jets expected. But if his team proved anything Sunday, it proved that it doesn’t necessarily need him to. In this passing league, the Jets need Sanchez not to throw interceptions, not to drop snaps, to hand off the ball and make enough plays, and to watch the defense work.

Basically, what they asked him to do his first two seasons.

Scott calls this the Jets’ formula: run the ball, control the clock, dominate on defense, wear down opponents late in games, repeat.

“That’s our way,” he said. “That’s how we’ve been successful the last three years. That’s how we’re successful now.”

It is. The Jets have the best defensive player in football in cornerback Darrelle Revis, who, by allowing a long completion Sunday to Stevie Johnson, actually looked human. They played their most complete defensive game this season. They returned, Scott said, to their roots.

On the other side of the cramped locker room, speaking of Sanchez’s attempt at blocking, offensive tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson said, “Hey, the more that he can do, right?”

Sort of. Because the Jets don’t need more from Sanchez, not at this point. They need less. Fewer turnovers. Fewer interceptions. Fewer mistakes. Same as always. Their defense will take care of the rest. Again, same as always.

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Mark Sanchez needs to sack his woes if Jets are to catch Patriots and first place in AFC East

rex Ryan and Jets stay patient with their uncommonly talented quarterback as playoff push nears

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Monday, November 7 2011, 12:55 AM

Tom Szczerbowski/Getty ImagesORCHARD PARK, NY - NOVEMBER 6: Mark Sanchez #6 of the New York Jets throws a pass during NFL game action against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium on November 6, 2011 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)

going to concede anything in the division when they stepped onto the field at Ralph Wilson Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

These kinds of statement games do not come easy for the Jets. The first-half offense seemed scripted by Mr. Magoo, as the Jets stumbled through penalties and turnovers that crippled their production and gave Buffalo hope that they could squash the Jets.

Then something strange yet predictable happened. The Jets offense picked up the tempo, eliminated the mistakes made good use of the brilliant play of the defense and began to play a game that resembled professional football. And fortunately for Gang Green, the upstart Bills (5-3) didn’t get the memo about when the real game started until the fourth quarter. By then the Jets had jumped out to a 20-3 lead and were well on the way to a 27-11 victory.

“It was frustrating because we’d set it up and then turn the ball over,” said Rex Ryan. “We had a stretch there where we looked like the Bad News Bears.”

Extra! Extra! Mark Sanchez Still A Mystery!

OK, so it’s not a news flash that Gang Green’s signal-caller still baffles everyone with his inconsistency over the course of a game. But if Sanchez doesn’t find a way to put together a full four quarters of superb play, the Jets’ playoff run will be old news before the end of the month. The Jets are in the midst of a three-game stretch that was just as important as those three road games they dropped to Oakland, Baltimore and New England earlier this season.

The victory against Buffalo was pivotal. It set the stage for a fight for first place in the AFC East against New England - which lost to the Giants - next week and for an important conference match against Denver the following week.

The Jets’ defense has elevated the level of its play in its last victories, against San Diego and Buffalo. Now the Jets need Sanchez to raise the level of his game to match. And that means playing a full four quarters without lapses in judgment and better ball security.

During the Jets’ opening drive, Sanchez looked brilliant in guiding the team on a 17-play, 89-yard march that consumed 10:09. He moved them down to the Bills’ 9-yard line. Then on a second-and-goal at the 7, he made a dreadful decision by trying to squeeze a tight pass into double coverage to tight end Dustin Keller in the end zone. The ball sailed on him and was intercepted by Bills safety Jarius Byrd at the back of the end zone.

In the second quarter, he bobbled a snap in the shotgun and lost the fumble at midfield to kill another drive. Against a better team, those mistakes would have come back to haunt the Jets. But the Bills couldn’t capitalize.

Fortunately, the Jets left that version of Sanchez in the locker room at halftime and brought out the one that led four straight scoring drives without a miscue.

It is this kind of maddening inconsistency from their young quarterback that the Jets must eliminate to have any chance of surviving what will be a nail-biting ride through the last half of the season and a push to the playoffs. It’s a good thing the Jets’ defense is getting back to its smothering form, which it displayed again against Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and running back Fred Jackson.

Sanchez has thrown three interceptions in the end zone this season, but this was his first with the team inside the red zone. Fortunately, this one wasn’t a killer.

“I’m not worried about making bad throws or bad reads. I can get those right. I can fix those. You hate to let your guys down,” Sanchez said.

With the victory, the Jets improved to 5-3 and are in a tie with the Patriots and Bills for the AFC lead.

But with half the season gone, they are far from a playoff lock and they still don’t know what they have in Sanchez. He showed them the good and the bad against the Bills. But next week when he duels Tom Bradyin another pivotal division game, Sanchez will have to show them greatness for four quarters. Playing from behind is not Sanchez’s forte.

His teammates continue to be patient with Sanchez’s inconsistent play. They realize he possesses sublime physical gifts and has the ability to make all the throws. They also see all the weapons he has around him to get the job done.

“We know that he’s still a young quarterback,” said linebacker Bart Scott. “We have to play well as a team in order for him to be successful. Drew Brees wasn’t given the keys to the car until he went to the Saints. Sometimes it takes time. In the meantime we have to play together as a team to help each other out."

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/mark-sanchez-sack-woes-jets-catch-patriots-place-afc-east-article-1.973179#ixzz1d1luOxhc

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Jets defense gets physical, shuts down Ryan Fitzpatrick and Bills

Jets running back Tomlinson applauds hitting on both sides of ball

BY Hank Gola

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Monday, November 7 2011, 1:33 AM

Gary Wiepert/AP

Jets safety Jim Leonhard jumps on fumble caused by hard-hitting defense that adopts ground-and-pound mentality.

you’ve got New England that spreads you out and Buffalo does the same thing. We’re still that ground and pound old school mentality and that was my message. Guys, let’s play physical today.

Let’s hit ’em in the mouth every play. If we do that, if we play our style of football, we’re going to win the game.”

They did that and they won Sunday’s showdown against the Bills rather convincingly.

While the Jets’ offense controlled the clock, if not the scoreboard, for the majority of the game, the defense took it to a Bills team that came into the game with the fifth-best rushing offense in the league, the 10th-best overall offense and a scoring average of more than 34 points per game at home.

Yet, despite missing Mike DeVito and Kenrick Ellis up front, the Jets were able to contain all-purpose back Fred Jackson and frustrate quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Jackson, who came into the game leading the AFC in total yards from scrimmage, was held under 100 rushing yards (18-82) for just the third time this season and limited to three catches for 38 yards as the Jets took away Buffalo’s screen game. Fitzpatrick, meanwhile, was 15-for-31 for 191 yards, one TD and two INTs.

The Jets forced three turnovers in all, stopped the Bills on fourth-and-inches early in the fourth quarter and kept the Bills out of the end zone until an 80-yard drive in garbage time.

“Totally attitude, it’s Jets-i-tude,” said DT Sione Pouha. “Total aggressiveness, going out there in attack mode. I think today just displayed what Jet football is all about.”

The Jets adjusted to the loss of their two D-linemen with tight man coverage that took advantage of Fitzpatrick’s tendency to lock onto his first receiver. And they stopped the run without their big people but still matched up physically against the Bills’ spread attack.

“We give a lot of credit to the guys up front,” safety Jim Leonhard said. “We did some things where we were in some light boxes and we like our matchups. We like our guys up there. . . . One thing when you get spread out, you’ve got to win your one-on-one matchups and not be content with just handling your job. ou’ve got to do a lot more. ”

Said linebacker Bart Scott, “We have to force our tempo on them, so if you want to spread us out and put your athletes into space, we have to make them pay the price, and I think we did that relatively well . We know we want to make people work for everything they get. You may score on us, you may move the ball on us, but all those body blows pay dividends late in the game.”

Actually, the Bills were pretty much stifled early in the game. Fitzpatrick had a 2.8 QB rating at halftime.

“If it was one thing, we could have solved it,” said a stumped Bills coach Chan Gailey. “They would bring pressure, they would play coverage. We’d throw one just outside the reach one time or we’d drop one or they would give us something we haven’t seen or they would bring an extra guy. They kept us off-balance and we can’t allow that to happen.”

Rex Ryan had an explanation for that.

“Playing New York Jets defense,” he said.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/jets-defense-physical-shuts-ryan-fitzpatrick-bills-article-1.973239#ixzz1d1micNeY

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NY Jets coach Rex Ryan says media criticism motivates Santonio Holmes and Plaxico Burress

Ryan says media should pick on Dustin keller next

BY Hank Gola

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Monday, November 7 2011, 12:00 AM

“I guess you guys can get off Santonio (Holmes),” he chided. “Next week, I challenge somebody to come up with somebody else that’s struggling because it seems to work. First it was Shonn Greene and then Plaxico and now Ton. I think it is Dustin (Keller), to be honest with you. I think he is struggling.”

Holmes caught a pass for one touchdown but set up two others with interference flags. Burress followed up his three-TD game against the Chargers with a team-high five catches for 79 yards.

“My hat’s off to Plaxico Burress,” Ryan said. “His back was bothering him but he played great anyway.”

Burress told Ryan before the game he would do what he could.

“And I was able to do a lot more,” Burress said. “I felt better than I thought I was going to feel. The training staff did a great job stretching me out and getting me ready.”

MIGHT AS WELL (NOT) JUMP

Keller gave the Jets a scare when the tight end tried to go airborne over DB Jairus Byrd and ended up coming down hard on his right shoulder. Keller got up groggy, Ryan said, but passed the concussion protocol and returned to the game in the second half.

“He’s got to quit trying to be Dwight Stones, high jump champ,” Ryan said.

Keller said it was a “last second call” to try to hurdle the defender for the first down he didn’t get.

“That one just happened to be a bad one,” he said.

Keller was asked if Ryan said anything to him afterwards.

“Rex and about 53 other guys told me not to ever do that again,” he said.

Tomlinson joked he was going to teach Keller how to do it “the right way.”

bye bye bad streak

It was the Jets first post-bye win under Rex Ryan in three seasons. He made sure to bring that up.

“That’s good, to finally get that monkey my back,” he said.

It sounded as though the point had been emphasized in team meetings during the week, however, along with talk about the Jets’ 0-3 road record coming in.

“Obviously the Jets couldn’t win away and the Jets couldn’t win after a bye,” said DT Sione Pouha.

“Our whole attitude is don’t tell us what we can’t do. We’re out there to prove something to ourselves first and then whoever gets affected, gets affected.”

greene, devito headaches

Greene came out of the game after taking a blow to the head. Ryan said he was “a little groggy” and that it

was a coaches’ decision not to put him back in.

Ryan also opted against playing DL Mike DeVito (knee) after personally testing him on the field before the game.

“He was close but I kind of used some leverage on him and I just never felt the power he normally plays with,” Ryan said. “It really upset Mike. He really wanted to play in the worst way.”

folk misses one

Nick Folk had field goals of 49 and 50 yards but he also missed his first FG of the season, that from 50 yards on his second attempt of the game. He had set a Jets record by making his first 11 kicks of the season.

Stevie: respect to jets

Bills WR Stevie Johnson was asked if the Jets had taught the young Bills how to play big games.

“Yeah, I give them all respect, I give them props,” he said. “They came in and handled business. I can’t say we don’t know how to handle it. I think we can. It was just one of those games where we came out flat in the first half and they were on point.”

norwood hits this time

The Bills honored K Scott Norwood, who received the Ralph Wilson Service Award, in the first quarter and the fand gave him a nice ovation. Norwood, who will forever be remembered for his missed “wide right” field goal in Super Bowl XXV, returned to the stadium for the first time since he retired.

“For what I had to give I think I exceeded what I could do, leading the league in scoring and the Pro Bowl, things of that nature,” he said. “I didn’t do it long. For what I did while I was here, the bottom line was I did the best I could in all situations and handled myself the same way.”

The Bills also honored the memory of former center Kent Hull, who also played for the New Jersey generals of the USFL. Hull died unexpectedly two weeks ago. Former coach Marv Levy was there for both of his ex-players.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/ny-jets-coach-rex-ryan-media-criticism-motivates-santonio-holmes-plaxico-burress-article-1.973155#ixzz1d1nT64LV

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Jets report card

Jets Blog

By BRIAN COSTELLO

Last Updated: 8:55 AM, November 7, 2011

Posted: 2:39 AM, November 7, 2011

OFFENSE

After failing to find the end zone in the first half, this unit put things together in the second half. QB Mark Sanchez (20-of-28, 230 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) had two first-half turnovers that ended up not hurting the Jets. WR Plaxico Burress (five receptions, 79 yards) had his best game as a Jet. The line had a great game. B

DEFENSE

The Bills entered the game averaging 30.1 points, but did nothing yesterday until garbage time. NT Sione Pouha (seven tackles, one forced fumble) had a huge game. LBs Bart Scott and Calvin Pace combined to stop Fred Jackson on fourth-and-inches to seal the game. Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick looked confused all day, throwing picks to Pace and LB David Harris. A

SPECIAL TEAMS

Brad who? The Jets shut down former teammate Brad Smith, holding him to a 19-yard average on four kickoff returns. KR Joe McKnight had another huge return, bringing the opening kickoff of the second half 59 yards to raise his season average to 40.2. Nick Folk missed his first field goal of the season, but made two long ones. A-

COACHING

Rex Ryan escaped his bye-week blues, getting his first win as a head coach following a bye week.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/jets/jets_report_card_CIhCJ63EQJEWKlwcdBcBGL#ixzz1d1oTBhzG

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Jets blitz

Jets Blog

By MARK HALE

Last Updated: 8:55 AM, November 7, 2011

Posted: 2:37 AM, November 7, 2011

HERO

This is the no-brainer of no-brainers — the Jets’ defense. The Bills came in averaging 30.1 points per game, tops in the AFC. Buffalo put up just 11, with eight coming in garbage time. The Jet defense forced three turnovers, held Ryan Fitzpatrick to an absurd 24 passing yards in the first half and pitched a first-half shutout.

UNSUNG HERO

Posting his most yards since Week 2 of the 2008 season, Plaxico Burress tallied 79 yards on five catches, hauling in all five passes thrown his way. Burress led the Jets in both catches and yards, and each reception was for at least 13 yards.

ZERO

Ryan Fitzpatrick, the former Harvard QB, has now lost to the Giants and Jets this season, and yesterday he was brutal. In the first half, Fitzpatrick completed just 4 of 12 passes with two picks, posting a QB rating of 2.8. His interception to Calvin Pace late in the second quarter was a disaster.

KEY MOMENT

Trailing 6-0 with 10:10 to go in the third quarter, the Bills took the ball on their own 22-yard line, and on the first play, Sione Pouha forced a Fred Jackson fumble. Jim Leonhard recovered, and three plays later, LaDainian Tomlinson’s 1-yard TD made it 13-zip.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/jets/jets_blitz_6KebxlDsYYeaJokV1LepZJ#ixzz1d1pBH71b

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'Totally different' Jets get to face Patriots for first place

Jets Blog

By MARK HALE

Last Updated: 8:52 AM, November 7, 2011

Posted: 2:43 AM, November 7, 2011

More Print

ORCHARD PARK — When the Jets played the Patriots on Oct. 9, things began to change, Matt Slauson said.

“We feel like now we’re a totally different team,” Slauson told The Post yesterday.

The Jets will face the Patriots in a rematch Sunday. The Patriots won that one at New England, 30-21, handing the Jets their third straight loss. Now the teams will battle again Sunday night, with first place in the AFC East on the line, this time at MetLife Stadium.

“We know who we’re playing next,” LaDainian Tomlinson said after the Jets’ 27-11 victory over the Bills. “And so do they.”

The Jets and Patriots have played six times in the last two-plus seasons, including the playoffs, and neither team has won back-to-back games. Two years ago, the Jets won the teams’ first regular-season meeting, then dropped the rematch. Last year, the Jets again won the first regular-season meeting before getting drubbed in the rematch but beating the Pats in the playoffs.

Now the Patriots have taken the first game this year. So maybe the Jets are due to win this one.

“I hope that you’re a prophet,” Bart Scott said when told of the alternating wins and losses. “Light a candle for us.”

Both Slauson and Scott said they could see things start to change in the loss in Foxborough.

“Actually, we were extremely confident last time. Unfortunately we didn’t execute well,” Slauson said.

“But that was kind of the beginning of us getting rolling again. That was the start of our protection being really solid. We had Nick [Mangold] back. Our running game kind of got going a little bit.”

Scott said: “We learned about ourselves. Like I’ve said before, before this three-game winning streak ... even occurred, that was the first time I felt like we played like New York Jets. We didn’t win.

And you’re not going to always win every one. But if you’re going to lose, you want to lose your way.”

If the Jets are going to reverse their fortunes, they have to do a better job against BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who ran for 136 yards and two touchdowns in their last meeting.

“We’ve got to go in and stop the run, first and foremost,” Jim Leonhard said, adding, “We’re going to be aggressive. We’re going to try to hit Tom [brady].”

Said Plaxico Burress, “They’re the team to beat in this division. That’s what everybody’s saying. We know what they’re capable of doing. If we beat them, take care of business at home next week, we’ll be saying to ourselves that we pretty much control our own destiny. And the fate is in our own hands.”

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/jets/jets_host_pats_with_new_vibe_KYzSi4VEBNNVYct5i2txgI#ixzz1d1preIfG

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Measure Jets QB by wins not warts

Jets Blog

Last Updated: 8:49 AM, November 7, 2011

Posted: 2:14 AM, November 7, 2011

Mike Vaccaro

Follow Mike on Twitter

ORCHARD PARK -- The ball came out of Mark Sanchez’s hand all wrong and, sure, that was a problem, but even the quarterback understood that the genesis of the glitch had started a few seconds earlier, when his eyes had seen three white jerseys surrounding one green one in the end zone.

And his brain had sent the message: “Throw it anyway!”

Jairus Byrd, the Bills’ free safety, accepted that unexpected piece of largesse, wrapping his arms around the ball, taking it out of the end zone, sending 70,133 white-clad fans into a teeming, if temporary, tizzy. A 15-play, 10-minute drive had evaporated just like that. It can make a quarterback feel about 6 inches tall.

“You just can’t throw picks like that,” Sanchez would say later. “That’s just no good. I have to be better than that. Bad throws happen, but that’s the way you lose football games.”

The Jets didn’t lose this one, as it turned out, same as they didn’t lose two weeks ago to San Diego, when Sanchez had thrown another end-zone interception. The Jets mauled the Bills 27-11, restored a sense of order to the AFC East, gathered a nice bit of momentum heading toward next week’s critical home game with the Patriots.

Sanchez? In so many ways, he played a quintessential Sanchez game. He threw that one head-scratching pick, and was lucky to avoid a second when replay overturned it. But he also threw for 230 yards, hooked up with Santonio Holmes on a pretty touchdown pass, and generally dismissed the growing tide of sentiment that Ryan Fitzpatrick had zipped by him in the passing lane of young franchise quarterbacks.

Meaning: There was some bad, more good, nothing that inspires images of the young Otto Graham just yet but more than enough to remind you that Sanchez has now won 28 games in 2 1/2 years as the starting quarterback for the Jets, and if you’d like a point of comparison, here’s one: That’s five more than team watchdog Joe Namath had in his final seven years as a Jet.

That won’t be enough for some, of course, partly because there is a segment of Jets clientele and football cognoscenti for whom nothing is ever enough when it comes to Sanchez. And if we’re going to be fair about this, it’s also right to mention that Sanchez can still be scary. To Jets fans. To his coaches. To himself.

He has seven interceptions on the season; three have been in the end zone and one was a pick-six.

“Always,” he said, “at what seems like the worst possible moment.”

Said Jets coach Rex Ryan: “It’s tough down there because you don’t have a lot of room to work with, and [the ball] has to come out quick, you’ve got to throw it in tight spot. And you’ve basically got points on the board when you know you have a good kicker. Clearly, that kills you.”

So, yes, there is that.

But there is also this: Sanchez shaking off that awful pick against the Chargers two weeks ago, leading the Jets back. And Sanchez shaking off that dreadful pick yesterday, leading the Jets back again, regaining his confidence completely across the second half.

There may have been a time when the Jets -- both sides of the ball -- might have taken a cue from these Sanchez struggles and used them as an invitation to curl into the tuck position. But this is a team that has clearly hit a stride, if not a full-fledged gallop. Holmes offered up a few handclaps and a few one-liners. The defense kept the Bills muffled most of the day.

“It’s like a hot shooter in basketball,” safety Jim Leonhard said. “Even when he misses, you want to keep feeding the ball to him because you know he’s going to find the range. We know it’s our job on defense to keep feeding our offense the ball. Eventually they’ll get their stride.”

Eventually, yesterday, they did. Eventually, more often than not, they do, behind Sanchez, the lightning-rod quarterback who probably made you swear yesterday, certainly made you sweat, definitely made you shake your head a few times. And then did what he’s done 62 percent of the time he’s walked on an NFL field.

He walked off a winner.

michael.vaccaro@nypost.com

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Jets crush Bills, turn attention to Patriots

Jets Blog

Jets 27 Bills 11

By BRIAN COSTELLO

Last Updated: 8:43 AM, November 7, 2011

Posted: 2:17 AM, November 7, 2011

ORCHARD PARK -- Jets linebacker Calvin Pace stood in a corner of the cramped visiting locker room at Ralph Wilson Stadium moments after his team’s convincing 27-11 victory over the Bills. As he summed up the Jets’ victory, a smile came onto his face as he looked ahead to next week.

“It’s on to the Evil Empire, the New England Patriots,” Pace said.

The Jets put the new kids on the AFC East block back in their place yesterday to win their third straight game. Now, the Jets face the bullies of the block again, the Patriots, tied for the lead in the AFC East thanks to some help from the Giants.

The 5-3 Jets moved into a tie with the Bills and Patriots by shutting down the Buffalo offense and finding an offensive rhythm of their own in the second half. In the process, the Jets made the Bills look like frauds instead of playoff contenders.

As far as the Jets are concerned, the AFC East will not be won in Upstate New York.

“It’s still a two-team race,” Pace said. “It’s still just the Jets and Patriots. [The Bills are] doing well, but sometimes the spotlight is big. I think the Jets and the Patriots can handle that spotlight. We control our own destiny. We just have to enjoy this tonight and then get ready for Tom Brady and the boys to come in next Sunday.”

Next week’s game would have meant much less, though, if the Jets did not take care of business yesterday. The defense showed from the start that it would be a long day for the Bills offense, which was ranked 10th in the NFL coming into the game. The Bills’ first-half possessions ended with three punts, two interceptions and one turnover on downs.

It was as dominant a performance as the Jets’ defense has delivered this season. Early in the game, the Jets offense did not take advantage of the Bills’ mistakes, but it played as well as it has all year in the second half.

Mark Sanchez had two first-half turnovers and they had to settle for two field goal attempts. They also had six penalties in the opening half. Despite controlling the ball for 20 minutes, 47 seconds, they failed to reach the end zone.

Leading just 3-0 at halftime, Jets coach Rex Ryan told his team to cut out the turnovers and the penalties.

“It was frustrating,” Ryan said. “We’d set it up and then turn the ball over. Again, our style of football is to eliminate penalties and protect the football, and that’s kind of what we stand for. But we had a stretch there where we looked like the Bad News Bears.”

In the second half, the Jets offense broke through and scored three touchdowns to take a 27-3 in the fourth quarter before the Bills scored a garbage-time touchdown to make the score more respectable.

The Jets were effective in shutting down the Bills’ biggest weapons. Running back Fred Jackson rushed for 59 yards on 17 carries, before tacking on a late 23-yard run. The Jets, led by Bart Scott and Pace, stuffed him on a fourth-and-inches early in the fourth quarter that sealed the game.

“Basically, you have to cut the head off the snake,” defensive lineman Marcus Dixon said. “He’s the head. So stop him and you stop everything. He’s a good runner. We knew going in that’s who we had to stop.”

They also confused quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick with a ton of mixed coverages. Fitzpatrick completed 15 of 39 passes for 191 yards. He had a touchdown and two interceptions, leaving him with a 51.9 rating.

For the Jets, the victory ends two bothersome trends -- giving them their first road win of the year and Ryan’s first win as head coach after the bye week.

The Jets had two weeks to prepare for the Bills and they came to Buffalo confident. LaDainian Tomlinson, who had his first rushing touchdown of the year, said in his pregame speech that this was the same, old Bills team and they could be bullied.

“Basically, my message was: Play our style of football,” Tomlinson said. “They’re going to play their style, which is finesse. They like to spread you out and throw the ball all over the park. Play our style -- physical, hit you in the mouth and play it for 60 minutes. Also, I wanted to let the guys know that hey, it’s time for us to turn it up on the road, at home. This next month is going to determine where we are in the AFC East.”

brian.costello@nypost.com

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Jets crush Bills, turn attention to Patriots

Jets Blog

Jets 27 Bills 11

By BRIAN COSTELLO

Last Updated: 8:43 AM, November 7, 2011

Posted: 2:17 AM, November 7, 2011

ORCHARD PARK -- Jets linebacker Calvin Pace stood in a corner of the cramped visiting locker room at Ralph Wilson Stadium moments after his team’s convincing 27-11 victory over the Bills. As he summed up the Jets’ victory, a smile came onto his face as he looked ahead to next week.

“It’s on to the Evil Empire, the New England Patriots,” Pace said.

The Jets put the new kids on the AFC East block back in their place yesterday to win their third straight game. Now, the Jets face the bullies of the block again, the Patriots, tied for the lead in the AFC East thanks to some help from the Giants.

The 5-3 Jets moved into a tie with the Bills and Patriots by shutting down the Buffalo offense and finding an offensive rhythm of their own in the second half. In the process, the Jets made the Bills look like frauds instead of playoff contenders.

As far as the Jets are concerned, the AFC East will not be won in Upstate New York.

“It’s still a two-team race,” Pace said. “It’s still just the Jets and Patriots. [The Bills are] doing well, but sometimes the spotlight is big. I think the Jets and the Patriots can handle that spotlight. We control our own destiny. We just have to enjoy this tonight and then get ready for Tom Brady and the boys to come in next Sunday.”

Next week’s game would have meant much less, though, if the Jets did not take care of business yesterday. The defense showed from the start that it would be a long day for the Bills offense, which was ranked 10th in the NFL coming into the game. The Bills’ first-half possessions ended with three punts, two interceptions and one turnover on downs.

It was as dominant a performance as the Jets’ defense has delivered this season. Early in the game, the Jets offense did not take advantage of the Bills’ mistakes, but it played as well as it has all year in the second half.

Mark Sanchez had two first-half turnovers and they had to settle for two field goal attempts. They also had six penalties in the opening half. Despite controlling the ball for 20 minutes, 47 seconds, they failed to reach the end zone.

Leading just 3-0 at halftime, Jets coach Rex Ryan told his team to cut out the turnovers and the penalties.

“It was frustrating,” Ryan said. “We’d set it up and then turn the ball over. Again, our style of football is to eliminate penalties and protect the football, and that’s kind of what we stand for. But we had a stretch there where we looked like the Bad News Bears.”

In the second half, the Jets offense broke through and scored three touchdowns to take a 27-3 in the fourth quarter before the Bills scored a garbage-time touchdown to make the score more respectable.

The Jets were effective in shutting down the Bills’ biggest weapons. Running back Fred Jackson rushed for 59 yards on 17 carries, before tacking on a late 23-yard run. The Jets, led by Bart Scott and Pace, stuffed him on a fourth-and-inches early in the fourth quarter that sealed the game.

“Basically, you have to cut the head off the snake,” defensive lineman Marcus Dixon said. “He’s the head. So stop him and you stop everything. He’s a good runner. We knew going in that’s who we had to stop.”

They also confused quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick with a ton of mixed coverages. Fitzpatrick completed 15 of 39 passes for 191 yards. He had a touchdown and two interceptions, leaving him with a 51.9 rating.

For the Jets, the victory ends two bothersome trends -- giving them their first road win of the year and Ryan’s first win as head coach after the bye week.

The Jets had two weeks to prepare for the Bills and they came to Buffalo confident. LaDainian Tomlinson, who had his first rushing touchdown of the year, said in his pregame speech that this was the same, old Bills team and they could be bullied.

“Basically, my message was: Play our style of football,” Tomlinson said. “They’re going to play their style, which is finesse. They like to spread you out and throw the ball all over the park. Play our style -- physical, hit you in the mouth and play it for 60 minutes. Also, I wanted to let the guys know that hey, it’s time for us to turn it up on the road, at home. This next month is going to determine where we are in the AFC East.”

brian.costello@nypost.com

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/jets/jets_kill_bills_take_aim_at_pats_wvtEj17sxHvAoQ4AClVcsK#ixzz1d1sJV796

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Jets' Keller tested for concussion after leap

Jets Blog

By BRIAN COSTELLO

Last Updated: 8:52 AM, November 7, 2011

Posted: 12:50 AM, November 7, 2011

More Print

ORCHARD PARK -- Jets tight end Dustin Keller did not suffer a concussion on an ill-advised leap in the second quarter of yesterday’s 27-11 win over the Bills, but he may have a headache after getting yelled at by his teammates about it.

“He’s 260 pounds,” quarterback Mark Sanchez said. “He’s got to get violent on the sideline and use his body. He doesn’t need to be jumping.”

Keller was able to smile about it after the game, but it was a scary moment initially. Sanchez hit Keller with a short pass near the sideline and Keller ran for 11 yards when he saw Bills cornerback Terence McGee coming his way. Keller thought McGee was going to go low and jumped. McGee hit him, and Keller flipped in the air landing on his shoulder and head.

“It was just a last-second call and that one just happened to be a bad one,” Keller said.

After passing concussion tests, he returned to the game to start the second half. Jets coach Rex Ryan compared him to high-jumper Dwight Stones.

“Rex along with 53 other guys told me, ‘Don’t ever do that again,’ ” Keller said. “I’m going to try not to. You never know in that last second what you might come up with.”

Keller was not the only Jet tested for a concussion. Running back Shonn Greene exited the game in the fourth quarter with a head injury. He passed concussion tests, but Ryan held him out of the game since the Jets had a big lead.

***

Safety Brodney Pool (knee), NT Sione Pouha (leg) and DT Marcus Dixon (shoulder) all suffered injuries that are not believed to be serious.

DT Mike DeVito was inactive for the second straight game due to a sprained MCL. He tested the leg before the game, actually facing Ryan one-on-one in a drill, but could not play. He said he expects to play next week against the Patriots.

***

Ex-Jet Brad Smith had zero impact in his first game against his old team. The new Bill did nothing on offense and averaged 19 yards on four kickoff returns.

“It was great to see Brad,” said Jets safety Eric Smith, who tackled his old friend on a kickoff. “I’m mad I didn’t get to hit him a little harder, but it was good to see him.”

***

Nick Folk missed his first field goal of the season, a 50-yard attempt in the first half. He made two field goals in the game and is 12-of-13 this season. ... KR Joe McKnight actually raised his return average from 40.0 yards per return to 40.2 yards with two returns for 83 yards, including a 59 yarder.

brian.costello@nypost.com

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/jets/mates_say_keller_leaping_is_flipped_iYxC3zhBi4FQP364AbCkZJ#ixzz1d1tAJKm5

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Sore Plaxico has best game with Jets

Jets Blog

By MARK HALE

Last Updated: 9:22 AM, November 7, 2011

Posted: 12:52 AM, November 7, 2011

ORCHARD PARK -- Plaxico Burress thought he’d be missing a regular-season game for the first time since he accidentally shot himself three years ago.

Instead, the Jets wide receiver was hard to miss on the field.

“I woke up [yesterday] morning, I didn’t think I was going to play,” Burress, who had been dealing with a sore back during the week, said after the Jets’ 27-11 win over the Bills. “But I just woke up, stretched, said a couple prayers and went out and just played as hard as I could. I lasted the whole game.”

Burress hauled in a game-high five catches for a Jets-high 79 yards, posting his best marks in both categories since Week 2 of the 2008 season with the Giants. Two Sundays ago -- before the Jets’ bye -- he ripped the Chargers for three touchdowns.

Burress said he didn’t feel like his back affected him at all.

“My hat’s off to Plaxico,” Rex Ryan said. “His back was bothering him, but he played great anyway.”

As did fellow starting wideout Santonio Holmes, who essentially declined to answer a question during the week about whether he was happy with his role. Holmes drew two second-half pass interference penalties that set up Jets touchdowns, one of which he finished himself with an 8-yard TD score.

“I guess you guys can get off of Santonio,” Ryan said. “Next week, I challenge somebody to come up with somebody else that’s struggling because it seems to work.”

Fair enough. Holmes now has touchdowns in three of his last four games. Third receiver Jeremy Kerley had a productive game, too, catching four passes.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/jets/he_back_EBVq3G4jRhL1B96Vk6g3yL#ixzz1d1togv1V

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Jets notes: Greene's OK

Monday, November 7, 2011

The Record

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Greene: I’m OK

Jets RB Shonn Greene, who finished with 76 yards on 19 carries, took a hit to the head in the fourth quarter and left the game. He didn’t return although he did not have a concussion.

"I’m OK," he said after the Jets’ 27-11 victory. "I got dinged up a little bit. As I started going toward the sideline, I started feeling weird. I had to go through [a concussion] evaluation. I could’ve come back, but we were ahead in the fourth quarter and it would not have made sense."

TE Dustin Keller also took a hit to the head when he landed hard after trying (and failing) to leap over a Buffalo defender in the second quarter. He returned to the game in the second half. NT Sione Pouha left briefly in the second half with an apparent foot injury, but also returned.

Smith and Maybin

Much of the pregame talk centered on the possible impact former Jet Brad Smith and former Bill Aaron Maybin might have for their new teams.

As it turned out, not much.

Smith averaged 19 yards on four kickoff returns, and wasn’t used as a Wildcat quarterback. Maybin was credited with one hit on Buffalo’s Ryan Fitzpatrick. The pass rusher who has resurrected his career with the Jets had no sacks or tackles.

Smith’s former teammate and close friend, Eric Smith, tackled him on his first return.

"It was great to see Brad," Eric Smith said with a smile. "I’m mad I didn’t get to hit him a little harder but it was good to see him."

Briefs

DE Mike DeVito (knee) warmed up before the game and took on coach Rex Ryan in a one-on-one drill, but was scratched for the second straight game. Ryan indicated he believes DeVito will be ready for the New England game on Sunday. Marcus Dixon started in DeVito’s place against the Bills. … TE Josh Baker had a 5-yard reception in the second quarter, his first NFL catch, while filling in for Keller.

— J.P. Pelzman

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Northjersey.com : Sports : Pro Sports : Pro Football : Jets

Jets instant replay

Monday, November 7, 2011

The Record

Print | E-mail

Stars of the game

The entire Jets’ defense gets this honor, even though it allowed a touchdown to the Bills in garbage time. But when it mattered, the line stifled RB Fred Jackson, the secondary blanketed the Bills’ receivers and the linebackers not only harassed QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, but picked off two of his passes. Calvin Pace and David Harris had second-quarter interceptions.

Turning point

Despite having been statistically dominated through early in the third quarter, the Bills still were one score away from taking the lead. But NT Sione Pouha forced a fumble from Jackson, and S Jim Leonhard’s recovery gave the Jets the ball at the Buffalo 19. Three plays later, LaDainian Tomlinson’s 1-yard plunge gave the Jets a 13-0 lead, and Buffalo never threatened afterward.

Costly mistakes

Jets QB Mark Sanchez’s ill-advised throw to TE Dustin Keller, surrounded by three Bills in the end zone, wasted an 87-yard drive in the first quarter. … Pass interference calls against Buffalo CBs Leodis McKelvin and Terrence McGee, both drawn by WR Santonio Holmes, set up the Jets’ final two touchdowns. … Jackson slipped and was unable to catch a Fitzpatrick pass thrown slightly behind him on third-and-4 from the Jets’ 6 in the third quarter. Buffalo settled for a field goal.

Eye-catching

Near-perfect Jets CB Darrelle Revis was slightly human, allowing three receptions for 84 yards to Buffalo’s Stevie Johnson, including a 52-yarder in the third quarter. Revis still hasn’t allowed a touchdown catch since Oct. 17, 2010. … T.J. Conley’s 36-yard punt to the Buffalo 1, which was caught on the fly by Marquice Cole, tilted field position in the Jets’ favor early in the third quarter. … Jets K Nick Folk had his first missed field goal of the season, pushing a 50-yarder wide right in the second period. He did connect from 49 and 50 yards and is 12-for-13 this season.

Coaching decisions

Jets coach Rex Ryan netted his team three points with a successful challenge in the second quarter. He got an interception by Mark Sanchez erased, enabling Folk to kick a 49-yard field goal. … Down 20-3 in the fourth quarter, Buffalo went for it on fourth-and-inches from the Jets’ 16. LBs Bart Scott and Pace stopped Jackson for no gain.

Looking ahead

The Jets (5-3) will host New England (5-3) at 8:30 p.m. Sunday with at least a share of first place in the AFC East at stake. The Jets will try to avenge a 30-21 road loss to the Pats on Oct. 9.

— J.P. Pelzman

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Patriots loss to Giants helps Jets with division problem

Giants Blog

By BART HUBBUCH

Last Updated: 9:22 AM, November 7, 2011

Posted: 2:57 AM, November 7, 2011

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The Giants, of all people, helped jet the Jets into a first-place tie in the AFC East yesterday.

As well as strengthening their own hold on a division lead, the Giants did their Meadowlands co-tenants a big favor with a 24-20 upset that dropped the Patriots into a three-way, 5-3 knot in the East with the Jets and Bills.

The shorthanded Giants' shocking win at Gillette Stadium also heightened the drama of the Jets' nationally televised rematch with the rival Patriots this Sunday night at MetLife Stadium. The Jets have a chance to assume sole possession of the division lead with a win this weekend.

The Giants also put the Patriots and Tom Brady in a sour mood after snapping New England's 20-game regular season home win streak, though the Jets won't know until this Sunday whether that was a good thing.

"You put a lot into it each week, and it [stinks] when you lose," Brady said. "We're going to come back and we're going to fight just as hard against the Jets. We've got to get ready for the Jets, because that's obviously another tough one."

The mere mention of the Jets, on the other hand, prompted an angry snit from Bill Belichick that caused him to abruptly end his uncomfortable, near-wordless post-game news conference.

"The game's been over for 10 minutes," Belichick said when asked about this weekend's matchup.

"We'll start working on the Jets tomorrow, work on the Jets all week and get ready for the Jets. We really haven't been working on the Jets. We just finished the Giants game."

Belichick's players weren't as snippy, in part because they realize the importance of this Sunday's matchup and don't need to be reminded that Rex Ryan is 2-0 against them in the Meadowlands.

"There isn't much time to reflect on this one because we know we're going to have our hands full with the Jets," linebacker Jerod Mayo said. "No rest."

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/giants/upset_helps_jets_with_division_problem_4d0hxFUghGh1JNeH3ivdgP#ixzz1d1vX101V

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November 7, 2011, 5:00 am

Moving Month for Jets?

By GEORGE BRETHERTON

The third round of a golf major is called moving day because the tournament winner often comes from a group of players who surged on Saturday. It’s hard to picture Rex Ryan in golfing knickers, but his Jets seem poised to make a big move in November, the third month of the N.F.L. season.

The Jets’ 27-11 victory over the Bills was their finest all-around performance of the season. Were there penalties and some sloppiness that need to be addressed? Sure. But only three weeks ago, the Jets appeared in danger of “missing the cut” when they lost to the Patriots in Foxborough. At 2-3, the Jets were scuffling, and the Patriots were soaring at 4-1.

Now the Jets are tied for first place in the A.F.C. East with the Bills and Patriots. The Jets appear to be gearing up for their stretch run by sharpening their overall game.

On Sunday, Mark Sanchez (20 of 28, 230 yards, TD, INT), who was solid against the Bills, likened next Sunday’s game against the suddenly reeling Patriots to a divisional championship game.

Let’s take a quick look at what will be on the horizon for the Jets if they can continue to refine their game and find a way to hand the Patriots their third consecutive loss Sunday night at MetLife Stadium.

1) The Jets would be, at worst, tied for first place in the A.F.C. East with the Bills, who have to travel to Dallas. A Bills loss to the Cowboys would give the Jets sole possession of first. In addition, the Jets would have a one-game lead over the Patriots and would hold the tiebreak edge in the division (Jets 3-1, Patriots 2-2).

2) Cincinnati (6-2) surprisingly sits atop the A.F.C. North, but it has a difficult schedule coming up. Cincinnati is tied with Baltimore at 6-2, but the Bengals currently hold a tiebreak edge.

After next Sunday’s game against the 6-3 Steelers, the Bengals play the Ravens in Baltimore on Nov. 20. Cincinnati may catch a break with Cleveland on Nov. 27, but the Bengals then have to travel to Pittsburgh on Dec. 4. In any case, the A.F.C. North rivals Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and Baltimore will be beating up on one another in the coming weeks.

3) The A.F.C. West had a terrible day. The three teams that were tied for the division lead all lost. San Diego, Oakland and Kansas City lead the division at 4-4, with Denver only a game back at 3-5.

4) A.F.C. South-leading Houston (6-3) has a tough assignment. The Texans play at Tampa Bay next Sunday before a bye week.

If the Jets can beat New England and seize control of the A.F.C. East, they will immediately become a player in the overall A.F.C. picture.

Extra point Is November going to become moving month for the Jets?

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Palladino: Everybody Wins With Eli

November 7, 2011 8:11 AM

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Eli Manning #10 of the New York Giants scrambles as Rob Ninkovich #50 of the New England Patriots defends on November 6, 2011 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. The New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots 24-20. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

‘From the Pressbox’

By Ernie Palladino

Ernie is the author of “Lombardi and Landry.” He’ll be covering football throughout the season.

So maybe, all statistics aside, Eli Manning is the seventh or eighth-best quarterback in the NFL.

But you know who’s glad he has Manning on his side?

Tom Coughlin.

And you know who should be glad Manning is on Tom Coughlin’s team?

Rex Ryan.

Sound strange? Absolutely. The Giants and Jets don’t exactly get along in this town. Their owners have a somewhat prickly co-dependence on each other as they share that big, gray compromise of a stadium in East Rutherford. The teams battle for the back pages of the tabloids. But at least on this day, everybody — blue-clad or green-clad — should be basking in the afterglow of Manning’s fifth fourth-quarter comeback victory of the year.

And if it all comes out right for the Jets at year’s end, Ryan might think about sending Eli a thank you note for beating the Patriots 24-20 up in Foxborough.

What Manning basically did, besides putting his own team at 6-2 with a two-game cushion atop the NFC East, was enable the Jets to pull into a numerical tie for the AFC East lead with New England and Buffalo, the latter of whom the Jets beat 27-11 in Buffalo.

With New England coming up next Sunday night, the Jets now have an opportunity to put the Patriots behind them, at least temporarily. With a head-to-head advantage over the Bills and a three-game winning streak, Ryan’s group appears on a roll. And it never hurts momentum if you get some unexpected help from some buddies across the foyer.

That’s exactly what Manning gave them, though it’s doubtful the Jets were anywhere near his thoughts as he drove his team those last 80 yards for Jake Ballard’s 1-yard touchdown catch with just 15 seconds remaining.

What Manning and his offense did was actually quite amazing when you think about it. Forget that New England has the worst defense in the league. The quarterback still engineered two touchdown drives in the last 3:03, including the last following Tom Brady’s comeback bid of his own.

Brady, down by four after Manning’s 10-yard scoring throw to Mario Manningham, the No. 1 receiver with Hakeem Nicks resting a sore hamstring at home, exploited the Giants’ defense with a couple of effective Danny Woodhead draws and a 20-yard throw to Rob Gronkowski. The tight end eventually beat Michael Boley, who had a great game otherwise with 10 tackles, a strip-sack, and a tip that resulted in a Mathias Kiwanuka interception, for the go-ahead score with 1:36 left.

That, as it turned out, was time enough for Manning to beat a Brady-led team for the second straight time since the 2007 Super Bowl.

Victor Cruz for 18 yards. Ballard for 29. A scramble for 12. A huge pass interference call on Sergio Brown for a first down at the 1.

And then, after a near miss to Ballard and the stoning of Brandon Jacobs (18 carries, 72 yards and a TD in place of injured Ahmad Bradshaw) at the line, came a chancy play-action to Ballard. The tight end made like he has done it all his life, cradling his first game-winner before he fell out of bounds.

Were this later in the season, the Jets might have been huddled around the flat-screens instead of enjoying their short plane ride home from Buffalo. But there’s still a lot of football to be played. Half a schedule, in fact.

Each team will face its share of challenges from here on, the Giants moreso because of the might of their schedule.

On the Jets’ end, though, they’ll gladly accept a little unsolicited help like they received Sunday in Gillette Stadium, where the Giants proved that Bill Belichick, his rings, and his team are not impenetrable.

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Dyer: Jets Go Old School In Vintage Win

November 7, 2011 8:33 AM

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Head coach Rex Ryan of the New York Jets looks on from the sideline during NFL game action against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium on November 6, 2011 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)

By Kristian Dyer

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The Jets went vintage in their 27-11 win in Buffalo on Sunday, riding a tough defense and physically imposing their will on the Bills in what looked like an old school game from head coach Rex Ryan.

They had labeled Week 9 as “must-win” and the Jets showed up on Sunday afternoon ready to prove that point.

It was a win they were supposed to have, a win they needed to have and a win that, until the final whistle, most Jets fans weren’t sure they would have. This was a surprising Bills team that was riding on the coat tails of a no-name quarterback, a rather plebian running back until this season and a hodgepodge defense.

Moments before kickoff, the Bills looked like the real deal.

At 5-2, they had a signature comeback win over New England and looked like a balanced, poised team. It was a feel good story out of Ralph Wilson Stadium, a team that hadn’t made the postseason since 1999 had won several big games and was out to slay the Goliaths from down state. This was the Bills moment in time, their chance to step up and validate the talk that had begun to circle around their team.

Instead, the Jets bullied and beat them up; controlling the line and limited their mistakes. This was the identity the team had embraced under head coach Rex Ryan, a “Ground & Pound” offense predicated on ball control and a defense that would bend and not break, forcing turnovers and mistakes from their opposition. It was the kind of defensive performance fans got used to seeing in 2009, when the unit was the top-ranked defense in the league in Ryan’s first year with the team.

The defense looked like the group that created pressure and havoc in last year’s playoffs, making Peyton Manning look ordinary and rattling Tom Brady.

This didn’t look like the Jets team that lost three games in a row at Oakland, Baltimore and in New England. It didn’t bear a resemblance to the team that was sloppy in its win over Miami or needed a furious second half to cap a comeback win against the over-rated Chargers. On Sunday, the Jets came out strong and controlled the game, dominating every facet.

From the first whistle when Buffalo was forced into a three-and-out, it was a game the Jets put their stamp on. They never let their foot off the proverbial gas pedal in a season where the defense has looked less than dominating.

There were errors and mistakes – a poorly thrown Mark Sanchez first quarter interception and too many penalties – but though they held just a 3-0 lead at halftime, it was the Jets game to lose. This was what the Jets signed up for during preseason camp, a vintage performance.

The ground game went for 126 yards, the offense converted a season high 54 percent of their third downs and the time of possession – the Jets held the ball for 37:52 of the game – staggeringly tipped to their advantage. The Bills rarely seemed to establish a rhythm, with Ryan Fitzpatrick constantly hurried and completing just 15-for-31 passes for just one touchdown and two interceptions and a 51.9 quarterback rating.

It was a season low for Fitzpatrick in completion percentage, passing yards and quarterback rating – a far cry from his numbers the week before. Even running back Fred Jackson was held below the 100-yard threshold for just the third time this season. It looked and felt like the Jets defense of two years ago.

Dialing back to their old school mentality and forcing the Bills into mistakes with constant pressure comes at a perfect time for the Jets, who face another “must-win” next Sunday night when they host the Patriots.

Having already lost in Foxboro in Week 5, this is the Jets chance to win their way to the top of the division. In Ralph Wilson Stadium yesterday, the Jets showed that they have the wherewithal to beat one of the top teams in the conference – and that they have the ability to do it again against their biggest rival in a week’s time. Now is the Jets chance to step up and muscle their way past New England once and for all.

Kristian R. Dyer covers the Jets for Metro New York and contributes to Yahoo!Sports. He can be followed at twitter.com/KristianRDyer

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Green Lantern: Jets Are Making It Pretty Clear The Bad Seeds Are Back

Rex's Guys Have Upped Ante With Return To Stellar 'D' & Offensive Balance

November 7, 2011 6:30 AM

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The Bills’ Fred Jackson, left, has the ball knocked loose by the Jets’ Darrelle Revis on Nov. 6, 2011 in Orchard Park, N.Y. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)

By Jeff Capellini, CBSNewYork/WFAN.com

NEW YORK (WFAN) — Things just got real in a hurry.

The situation is so different, the Jets, left for dead in the division race three weeks ago, are now actually expected to win the AFC East.

That, my friends, is no typo.

The Jets marched into Buffalo on Sunday off a bye and looked like the team we thought they were way back when the prognosticating started. They utterly dismantled the high-scoring Bills, winning for the first time on the road this season and handing Ryan Fitzpatrick and Co., their first home loss.

The margin was 16, but the Jets, frankly, should have won by much more.

The Jets were ferocious animals on defense, clearly picking up from where they left off in the second half against San Diego prior to last week’s vacation. They shut down Fitzpatrick, who recently signed a massive multi-year extension, until garbage time made his “positive numbers” (15-of-31 for 191 and a TD) look a heck of a lot better than they were while the outcome was sort of in doubt. Though the Jets never sacked the Bills’ quarterback, they harassed and confused him all afternoon, picking off two passes and blanketing seemingly everyone in a white and blue uniform.

The secondary wasn’t the only thing working. Had Fred Jackson not ripped off a 23-yard run with less than six minutes to play, while the Jets were preoccupied planning Gatorade baths, the impressive running back, thought of by many coming in as a serious match-up problem for the Jets, wouldn’t have cracked 60 yards on the ground.

Defensively, there is no question now that the Jets are back. Back-to-back gems against high-powered offenses of the Chargers and Bills speaks volumes about the adjustments head coach Rex Ryan and defensive coordinator Mike Pettine have made. If Sunday’s effort wasn’t a warning shot fired across the rest of the AFC’s bow, I don’t know what would be. The Jets simply have a scary and confident defensive unit right now.

One everyone better take seriously.

Equally as impressive was the entire offensive approach under much-maligned coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. You simply have to be fair here. We often spend so much time blaming Schotty for all of the Jets’ scoring woes, but when the guy throws the football equivalent of a no-hitter, you better be standing at the door with your hat in your hands begging for forgiveness. Otherwise, you’re a phony.

Schottenheimer’s game plan was brilliant and had it not been for a few first-half momentary lapses of reason by quarterback Mark Sanchez, the Jets would have been up huge, instead of just 3-0 at the intermission. Over the previous four meetings with the Bills, the Jets had rushed for an astounding 1,000-plus yards, averaging more than 270 per game. Schottenheimer exploited Buffalo’s glaring weakness again Sunday, calling 39 running plays that resulted in 126 yards. And while the yards-per-carry average may seem low, the Jets never really gave the Bills a chance to get into any kind of rhythm defensively. The Bills simply had no idea what the Jets were going to do next.

Then there was Sanchez, another guy who exists each week with the world’s biggest bull’s-eye on his back. He made some dumb decisions in the first half, most notably his lone interception of the day. The Jets had marched 87 yards in more than 10 minutes, only to have his forced throw intended for tight end Dustin Keller picked in the back of the end zone. He later got a gift on a tipped pass interception that was overturned and fumbled away a snap out of the shotgun on the ensuing play following a Bills turnover.

Yet, Sanchez manned up in the second half before finishing the game a highly efficient 20-of-28 for 230 yards and a TD, to go along with the earlier pick. Sanchez’s decision making in the second half was like night and day from the first half. His throws were mostly spot on and he spread the ball all over the place.

So now the Jets find themselves in a three-way tie for first place in the AFC East. Technically, they lose the tiebreaker to the Patriots, but can rectify that next Sunday night when New England comes to MetLife for a prime-time showdown.

Now, are the Patriots still the Patriots the entire football world has grown to fear for seemingly ever?

I’m not so sure anymore. After watching them lose in Pittsburgh two weeks ago and on Sunday at home to the Giants, they look more to me like a team that’s lost an edge than a team that will play with one.

The Pats don’t scare anyone on the ground or defensively and, Tom Brady aside, that’s how you win once the temperature begins to drop. There is absolutely no reason why the Jets shouldn’t move the ball and contain the Patriots enough to win this game, even convincingly. The Pats don’t have a home run threat, which seems odd for a team as proficient through the air as they are. I’m pretty sure if you are looking for a repeat of New England’s 30-21 victory back on Oct. 9 — the last time the Jets lost I might add — you could be in for a rude awakening.

Vegas may still install the Patriots as the favorites, but the truth is these are two teams going in opposite directions. New England has lost consecutive games just three times since 2003, a rather amazing accomplishment considering the NFL’s parity. I just don’t think the Jets will care just how angry the Patriots will be come Sunday night. The way they are playing defense right now, I don’t think there is an offense on Earth that can light them up. And considering how pedestrian the Patriots are defensively, lighting the Jets up might be the only way they can win.

Psychologically, the Jets exorcised their Patriots demons in last season’s playoffs. Now, every time they meet it’s just a matter of which team executes better. The Pats won that battle the first time; I fully expect the Jets to win it this time.

Let’s also not forget, MetLife will be an insane asylum. All these things considered, I just don’t see the Patriots with any edges in this matchup, save for Brady. They simply don’t strike the fear of God in the Jets anymore.

Rex’s bunch really has a chance here to make a serious move in both the division and conference.

After the New England game, the schedule softens a bit — with games at Denver, home for Buffalo, at Washington and home for Kansas City. Of course, nothing is a gimme, but this team has come a long way and likely hasn’t reached its peak yet.

With another solid performance Sunday, the sky, for sake of a better term, could be the limit for these Jets.

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Remember last week: Bills edition

November, 7, 2011

Nov 7

9:00

AM ET

By James Walker

We warned you, Bills Mafia.

Someone had to lose Sunday's game between the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets. Therefore, one side had to eat a lot of crow for the immense trash-talking on both sides.

The Jets backed up their talk with a convincing 27-11 victory. But let's take a look at what Bills fans had to say leading into Sunday's game.

Enjoy.

• Mumdawg21 writes: Buffalo will have a field day with the Jets' secondary.
  
• 
  
• 14Fitzmagic writes: Mark Sanchez will throw at least three picks to the Bills, one for a touchdown. Bills will win by 10-15 points. Say goodbye to the playoff race Jets fans.
  
• 
  
• Bk2421 writes: Man, you Jets fans REALLY enjoy looking at what happened in the past and not what is going on in the present. Oh, we did this last year to the Bills. This happened over the stretch of these years to the Bills. Blah blah blah.
  
• 
  
• Taskerisgod writes: Jets, you don’t matter. Stop posting. You are third and don’t matter. You are the easy game on teams schedules.
  
• 
  
• jp123544 writes: B-I-L-L-S...BILLS BILLS BILLS...BUFALLO BILLS!! RUN FREDDY RUN...That's what he's gonna do.
  
• 
  
• SOSSED UP writes: Redskins offense>Jets offense.
  
• 
  
• ChrisHer1125 writes: Fred Jackson will rush for more yards than the Sanchise will have through the air.
  
• 
  
• Dcon522 writes: From the Jets fans I've talked to, they think they are playing the Bills of two years ago.
  
• 
  
• Faw67 writes: The Jets are the JETS -- the team the fails no matter what. The team that make fans put a paper bag over their heads. A team whose acronym says "Just End This Season".
  
• 
  
• Rich Baco writes: Unlike Jets fans...Buffalo will do it's talkin' on the field.
  
• 
  
• Huey5711 writes: Jets lose and lose big, Franchize throws three picks, 34-14.
  
• 
  
• NorthShorepsbc writes: Bills fans don't know what you are up against. You are facing a team that has guaranteed more consecutive Super Bowl championships than any team in NFL history.
  
• 
  
• NYxHITMANx writes: Hey remember the last time the Jets were in the Super Bowl? Neither do I.
  
• 
  
• Hanneman28 writes: Buffalo doesn't need the approval of other teams fans to be awesome and hard to beat. The just need to be hungry and fired up that way those same fans can call them a fluke at the end of the season while they are watching the playoffs from home. Go Bills!
  
• 
  
• Cuse271 writes: Have you ever studied the Bills offense? You clearly don't know anything about football. They clearly stumped Bill Belichick. Oh, that’s right, you know more than the best coach in the NFL? The Bills are for real, and not one of their fans expect them to collapse.
  
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• Jpicc8049 writes: Jets are No. 28 in rush offense. Pure awesomeness.
  
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• BigBS7980 writes: Apparently Fred Jackson isn't someone you Jet fans take into consideration. Better hope they game plan for him or it will be a long long day for your Yets.
  
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• Fifi592003 writes: I have a feeling the Bills and their fans will treat this game like the Super Bowl. Trust me, the Bills will be pumped up. This is why I see the Jets losing.
  
• 
  
• Khorvat2 writes: Bills 27 - Jets 17 #Yessir
  
• Depor78 writes: It's gonna be a Happy Sunday at my crib son. Bills 38, Jets 7.
  
• 
  
• Secondfh writes: 90-0, Bills.
  

Remember last week, Bills fans?

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Grading the Jets

Originally published: November 6, 2011 9:21 PM

Updated: November 6, 2011 9:46 PM

By RODERICK BOONE roderick.boone@newsday.com

Photo credit: AP | New York Jets safety Jim Leonhard dives to recover a Buffalo Bills fumble during the third quarter. (Nov. 6, 2011)

OFFENSE

C+The Jets could easily have blown the Bills out if it wasn't for their offense's miscues in the first half. Mark Sanchez's killer interception in the red zone ended a perfectly good-looking first drive, and also coughed up a fumble late in the second quarter with the Jets just having obtained the ball at their own 49-yard line. But they regained their poise after scoring just three first-half points, and also rattled off 17 unanswered points in the third to take command.

DEFENSE

A

This unit played one of its best games of the season. Buffalo had 287 total yards of offense, but 136 of those came after the Jets grabbed a 20-3 third-quarter cushion and harassed Ryan Fitzpatrick, completely taking the Bills quarterback out of his game with Calvin Pace and David Harris each picking Fitzpatrick off once. They held Fred Jackson, who came in as the NFL's fourth-leading rusher, to 82 yards and even made him fumble for the first time this season. The only negative is they surrendered an 80-yard drive to the Bills in garbage time in the fourth.

SPECIAL TEAMS

B-

Nick Folk finally missed, sending a 50-yarder wide right in the second quarter. But it came after he made a 49-yarder to give the Jets a 3-0 lead, at the time making him 11-for-11 this season and setting a franchise record for most field goals to start a season. Joe McKnight averaged 41.5 yards on his two returns, and took the opening second-half kickoff back 59 yards.

COACHING

A

From the way they mixed coverages to confuse Fitzpatrick to the offensive game plan, the coaches seemed to get it all right. Even Rex Ryan's move of holding Mike DeVito (knee) out after not liking what he saw in pregame warm-ups was a smart move. In the second quarter, challenging George Wilson's interception coming out of a television timeout was also a good decision. The call was overturned and the Jets got a field goal, taking a lead they never

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Jets Q&A: Keller passes tests, returns

Originally published: November 6, 2011 7:32 PM

Updated: November 6, 2011 9:45 PM

By RODERICK BOONE roderick.boone@newsday.com

Photo credit: Getty Images | Dustin Keller makes a catch against George Wilson of the Buffalo Bills. (Nov. 6, 2011)

What happened to Dustin Keller in the second quarter?

The tight end tried to hurdle a pair of defenders along the right sideline and got clocked, somersaulting after Terrence McGee upended him and landing hard. Keller was a little dizzy and had to pass concussion tests before he returned at the start of the second half.

"He was definitely groggy," Rex Ryan said. "He's got to quit trying to be Dwight Stones, high jump champ or something. He did take a good hit on his shoulder and his head, got up wobbly. Obviously, you bring him in, you make sure you go through the NFL protocol and make sure that he was OK, we tested him . . . I was concerned with him."

How dazed was Keller?

"I was just shook up for a couple of seconds," Keller said, "and then obviously, the doctors were concerned. So they brought me in the locker room. I was pretty upset about that because I was fine and knew I could get back into the game and everything. But he took me in the locker room, took me through all these tests over and over again, which was really annoying. But obviously, you have to follow NFL protocol. So they did. I passed all the tests."

Was it an instinctive thing to try to take flight?

"It's just a last-second call, and that one just happened to be a bad one," Keller said. " But I was told that it would've been a first down. So whatever is best for the team . . . Rex along with 53 other guys told me don't ever do that again. So I'm going to try not to, but you never know. You never know on that last second what you are going to come up with."

Speaking of injuries, is Shonn Greene OK?

Greene took a blow to his neck and head in the fourth quarter, got checked out and did not return.

Greene also had to go through some concussion tests but said he's fine.

"I got dinged up on the hit, got to the sideline," he said. "I felt better, but had to go through evaluations and stuff like that . . . It didn't make too much sense to come back in the game."

What was Mark Sanchez thinking on that first-quarter interception in the end zone?

"It kind of got away from me a little bit," he said. "It just sailed. Bad throws happen, but they just can't down there."

What about the snap Sanchez botched in the shotgun just before the half, turning it over to Buffalo?

"It was just a crappy catch, bad catch," he said. "Shouldn't have happened. Stupid."

Any thoughts about limiting Buffalo's productive back Fred Jackson to 82 yards?

"Well, he made me look silly on the first play of the game," linebacker Bart Scott said. "I had a clean shot at him and he swim-moved me. I always knew he was a quality back. He has great vision and he is their No. 1 player. We knew if we had the opportunity to slow him down, we had to stop him.''

What was up with that chest bump between Ryan and Santonio Holmes after the wideout's 8-yard touchdown reception?

"We always talk on the sideline and even before the game," Holmes said. "If '10' gets in the end zone, what's going to be our celebration? So we've got that nice little connection going, and when we do talk about it, good things happen for us."

Are the Jets happy they can put that talk about losing after their byes under Ryan to rest?

"It was great," safety Jim Leonhard said. "We made a point of it earlier in the week to make sure we got that momentum back and got the energy back, because that's where we struggled the last couple of years."

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Jets dominate Bills for first road win

Originally published: November 6, 2011 4:11 PM

Updated: November 6, 2011 11:23 PM

By RODERICK BOONE roderick.boone@newsday.com

Photo credit: AP | New York Jets' LaDainian Tomlinson scores a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills during the third quarter. (Nov. 6, 2011)

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- LaDainian Tomlinson brought the Jets together for his usual fiery pregame speech, trying to get them even more pumped up for their huge AFC East showdown Sunday.

He essentially screamed that even though Buffalo was ahead of the Jets in the standings, they were about to square off with the "same old Bills."

"The team we are, we felt like our matchup against them has always been a problem," he said later.

"Our style of football versus their style of football has always been a problem. That's why we say, 'Same Bills.' This is the same team we've beat over and over. So don't get it twisted by their record. If we play our type of football, they won't be able to beat us."

Tomlinson's words couldn't have been more prophetic.

Shaking off a sluggish start, the Jets scored 17 points in less than seven minutes in the third quarter and mauled the Bills, 27-11, at Ralph Wilson Stadium in a game they thoroughly dominated.

Buffalo scored its lone touchdown with 3:14 remaining after the Jets built a 24-point lead.

The victory, coupled with New England's last-minute loss to the Giants on Sunday, puts the Jets in a three-way tie for first place in the AFC East with the Bills and Patriots at 5-3. That sets up a highly anticipated matchup with the Patriots at MetLife Stadium on Sunday night.

"Our goal is set," said Rex Ryan, whose team has won three straight and now is 1-3 on the road.

"We want to win our division and we know how tough it is. But to do that, we had to come here and get a win against a good football team. We've got a huge, huge game coming up this week. But we are not lying to the fact that if you want to win our division, you've got to beat New England. We know how it's much easier said than done, but we are just the guys for the job, and we hope to prove it next week."

The Jets showed Buffalo -- which was wearing all-white uniforms at home for the first time since 1986 and handed out white pompons to try to create a white-out effect -- a few things. They completely bottled up the offense, surrendering only 151 yards before taking a 20-3 lead on Santonio Holmes' 8-yard touchdown reception with 3:27 left in the third quarter. They intercepted Ryan Fitzpatrick twice and limited Buffalo's top weapon, Fred Jackson, to 82 yards on 18 carries.

They actually could've put this one away a lot earlier if not for their sloppy first half. The Jets totaled 191 first-half yards to Buffalo's 73 but held only a 3-0 halftime lead, in part because of Nick Folk's missed 50-yard field goal and Mark Sanchez's two mistakes with the Jets threatening to score.

The third-year quarterback threw an interception in the end zone on second-and-goal from the Bills' 7 to halt an 87-yard drive on the Jets' first series of the game and lost a fumbled snap at the Jets' 46 just before the half.

"I thought we sustained a couple of really good drives, then we just gave it away at the end," Sanchez said. "Just got to be better in the red zone, can't throw picks like that. It's no good and it will get you beat. But I'm just proud of the way the guys battled and persevered through a tough first half."

The Jets simply mashed Buffalo for the better part of the second half, riding Tomlinson's 1-yard scoring run (after a 19-yard reception by Plaxico Burress that put the ball at the 1), Holmes' fourth touchdown of the season and John Conner's 1-yard touchdown run to take a 27-3 lead with 6:27 to play. It was all working so well that Tomlinson & Co. started thinking about their date with the Patriots on Sunday night, a game oozing with implications.

"I'll tell you what, it's right there in front of us," Tomlinson said. "If this is our time to take over and win the AFC East, this is the time to do it. This is the week that it has to happen. We have a chance to put them at two losses in the division and we'll control our own destiny.

"If you can't get fired up and ready to play this game," he continued, slapping the back of one hand into the other for emphasis, "then you shouldn't be playing. Plain and simple. That's where we are."