The Jets tried their best, they almost did it, but their effort just wasn't enough to overcome the New England Patriots. The Gang Green had a 3-point lead with two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but first the defense allowed the Pats to tie the game and take it to overtime, and then QB Mark Sanchez fumbled the game away in the extra period.
This somewhat brought memories of Week 5 when the Jets had a chance to beat the Texans late in the game. In that game, just like today, Mark Sanchez turned the ball over instead of leading his team to a potential game-winning score.
How many of us did really think that Sanchez was going to finally do it in overtime against the Pats? The result was pretty much what most of fans had expected - another stupid mistake and turnover. Earlier in the game Sanchez inexplicably took a sack that almost drove the Gang Green out of field goal range when he could have easily thrown the ball out of bounds. He did it again in overtime, only this time he also fumbled, burying all hopes for an upset.
Another crucial mistake in the second quarter when the Jets' QB threw an interception, underthrowing a wide open WR Stephen Hill in the end zone, left at least three points on the board. Then, earlier in the same quarter, a botched hand-off to RB Shonn Greene resulted in a safety, gifting two points to New England. People keep making excuses for Sanchez, but he's now a 4-year starter who keeps making the same mistakes year in and year out.
Then, there's also Tony Sparano, who was supposed to be a better fit than the hated Brian Schottenheimer. Well, the Sparano offense hasn't been a hit thus far to say the least. QB Tim Tebow, who was supposedly acquired to be a pace changer, has been barely used on offense. The ultraconservative "play not to lose" approach that the Jets often used in the Herman Edwards days was seen again late in the game today. First, the Gang Green made no attempt to score a TD when they recovered a New England fumble late in the fourth quarter, settling for a field goal and taking almost no time off the clock. Then, in overtime, they took it one step further, playing as conservative as it gets when the game was on the line and they had to score on their sole possession.
On the positive side, WR Jeremy Kerley probably had the best game of his career - 7 receptions for 120 yards. TE Dustin Keller was back to his old self, catching all 7 passes that were thrown to him. RB Joe McKnight, who was questionable for this game, contributed on both special teams and offense. He averaged 29 yards on kickoff returns and also had a 13-yard run, the longest Jets' run of the game.
Next Sunday the Jets (3-4) will take on the Miami Dolphins (3-3), whom they already beat earlier this season. The current line has the Gang Green favored by 2.5 points, if you look to bet on NFL football.The Dolphins, however, are a better team than they were in Week 3 and coming off a bye week.