Well, the Mangini honeymoon is over and now it’s time to face the gloomy reality. The Gang Green were completely outclassed by the New England Patriots who dominated the season opener from start to finish, trouncing the Jets 38-14.
The first signs of trouble had been seen in preseason when the Jets were getting manhandled at the line of scrimmage. Today the Patriots took this to a whole new level. New England scored on their first possession, as they methodically moved the ball down the field without much resistance from the Jets.
In the second quarter the Gang Green got a so much needed spark when the Pats fumbled on a field goal attempt. New York took over on their 34-yard line and 10 plays later QB Chad Pennington connected with WR Laveranues Coles on a 7-yard TD pass. New England quickly took the lead again, as they marched 73 yards down the field and scored another touchdown with 1:09 remaining in the second quarter.
The game was basically decided on the opening kickoff of the second half when the Pats scored on a 108-yard return, extending the lead to 21-7. The Pats then also scored on their first second half possession when Brady connected with Randy Moss on a 51-yard TD pass. Moss was covered by 3 Jets’ defenders but it still wasn’t enough as Brady had absolutely no pressure on him. The game began looking like a blowout, 28-7. Later in the third quarter Pennington, who returned after an injury sustained earlier in the quarter, threw another touchdown to Coles.
In the final quarter New England put up 10 more points on the board. The Jets, already realizing that the game was pretty much over, replaced Pennington with Kellen Clemens who was only 5 of 10 for 35 yards.
This game brought up bad memories of a few years ago when the Jets got dominated by the Colts in the season opener. Today’s game was at least as bad. Without any running game and no pressure on Tom Brady the Gang Green had basically no chance in this game. Offseason acquisition RB Thomas Jones gained only 42 yards on 14 carries. The Pats, on the other hand, had two runners with over 50 yards and amassed 134 total yards on the ground. The Jets also failed to produce a single sack in the game, allowing Brady (22 of 28 for 297 yards, 3 TDs) to easily pick his receivers.
How much does one game mean? Not much, just look at the Pats a few years back when they got destroyed by the Bills in Week 1 only to win the Super Bowl later that season. The Jets unfortunately are a different case. This wasn’t just a bad game; this was more like a demonstration of how many holes this team really has. There are quite a few signs of a very long season and Eric Mangini will have to work his maiden season magic to change this situation.