Jets’ ‘D’ holds off Tennessee
What went right for the Jets...
1 Closing it out — The Jets’ top-ranked defense gave up its first touchdowns of the season, but they put the hammer down late. David Harris had a big interception to halt a potential game-tying drive by Kerry Collins, who went 0 for his last 13 passes.
2 Game changer — After building a 14-0 first-quarter lead, the Jets conceded 17 unanswered points. It looked like Tennessee had everything going its direction until Ryan Mouton muffed a punt and Larry Izzo recovered with seven minutes left in the third. “It was a big momentum switch,“ said safety Eric Smith. “It was like giving us points.“ The Jets punched it in to regain the lead.
3 Early risers — The Jets looked every bit undefeated and the Titans every bit winless early on at Giants Stadium. The Jets opened the game with a 10-play, 74-yard touchdown drive, then followed it up with a fumble recovery and a touchdown pass to Ben Hartsock. For Hartsock, it was his first career touchdown in his sixth season in the league. “I’ve been holding off for several years, telling offensive coordinators not this week, not this week,” said Hartsock. “I guess it was this week.” The Jets would only enter Tennessee territory once more in the half.
What went wrong ...
1. No Rush To Get There - After two weeks of solid rushing, the Jets ground game was grounded by a Titans’ unit that played more physical than New York’s offensive line. Sanchez’s first quarter touchdown rush of 14 yards was the longest of the game for New York, typifying an overall poor ground performance. “For the second week in a row, the defense carried us,” said lineman Wayne Hunter.
2. Sanchez‘s Struggles - Much like last week, Sanchez showed his rookie side for long stretches. After leading two touchdown drives to start the game, Sanchez appeared to have the Jets heading for another score before fumbling the ball on the second play of the second quarter. He also almost threw an interception and had another fumble - though this one was recovered - in the other drives of the second quarter. All told, the Jets had only 13 yards of total offense in the second quarter and Sanchez did not have another completion until the third quarter.
3. The Offensive Line - The Jets weren’t dominant on either side of the line, but the offensive line looked less then solid. Thought to be a strength of the team, the pass protection exposed Sanchez on several plays in Sunday’s game and the line has been spotty at best in kick-starting the run. The poor ground game and Sanchez’s errant performance can be directly blamed on the play along the line.
Big Number
8 - Number of catches by Jerricho Cotchery, who caught 107 yards worth of balls. It was a game high haul for the wideout, who had 10 receptions on the season.
Stat Box
After a strong start in Houston, Thomas Jones has seen his rushing yardage - and carries - go down steadily:
Opponent - Carries - Yards Touchdowns - Long
Texans 20 107 2 39
New England 14 54 0 10
Tennessee 12 20 0 5