The Jets gave up 21 first half points and trailed 21-13 at the half. The malaise attributed to perhaps the two week layoff coming off of their bye week. Both S Jim Leonard and FS Kerry Rhodes were  quoted saying he team was flat defensively in the first half. That’s a hard pill to swallow for Jet fans, especially since reports had coach Rex Ryan chewing out his team this week to stop the excuses, imploring them to play like a playoff team he was quoted as claiming they are.

Star RB, the little bulldozer, Maurice Jones Drew torched the Jets early and often , with 78 first quarter yards. He finished with 123 on the day. The biggest play of the game however, came on a TD that Jones Drew chose NOT to score on.  With the score 22-21 Jets with 1:48 left, the Jets called for “Free Way”  a play that allows the opposing team to score in order to get the ball back and have a chance to win. On the first try the Jets mistakenly tackled Drew. “We couldn’t even get that right,” Ryan, never at a loss for words, admitted afterwards. The second time, Drew shrewdly stopped at the one yard line. With no time outs left thanks to wasting two earlier ( to prevent a  twelve men on defense flag and the other by Sanchez on the Jags goal line), the Jets were forced to watch the clock wither away. Josh Scobee added the virtual extra point at the gun for the 24-22 Jags win.

This erased the comeback that left the Jets up 22-21 with 5:04 left thanks to a Thomas Jones (21-77 yds) one yard TD plunge. WR Braylon Edwards (3-79 yds) had a key two point conversion knocked out of his hands by the Jags FS Reggie Nelson. The throw was behind Edwards but still catchable. “Nelson is paid to make plays and he made a godd play on that one.” Edwards said. The former Browns WR, known for the dropsies is now 1-8 combined in games played this year with Cleveland and the Jets. His fault? No, but the frustrations is apparent. “It stinks..its not my fault per se but I don’t want to fell like the black sheep.” he added lamenting what so many Jets who’ve come and gone in this franchise’s consistent  losing history must feel upon exiting the stadium.

The Jets are not dead yet. They ARE however, on life support. The defense has still yet to create points off of turnovers. The Sanchez to TE Dustin Keller combo, so poised to break out and open up the passing game outside the numbers, is just missing the mark on too many occasions. All parts, including game management by the coaches, need to start clicking fast or this season will be gone by Turkey day.

As for Sunday, has a player ever taken a knee over scoring a touchdown in order to keep the clock moving like Jones-Drew did? Probably not. Only the Jets franchise would be involved in a play like that.

Nonetheless , the Jets need to go to Foxboro and try to begin to erase the ghosts of their Gang Green past that have somehow crept back into the equation. Worse, they need to do it against  the furious Pats, their hated rivals, who want revenge from their week two loss at the Meadowlands. Bill Belicheck’s first place crew also will be stinging from the loss at Indy Sunday night that saw them go for a strange fourth and two on their own 28 yard line in order to prevent Peyton Manning one last shot. It backfired.

The 4-5 Jets remain just two games  back of the 6-3 Pats. A  win would inch them closer to the top of the AFC East and  give them the tie breaker over New England. When the dust settles this week, that will be how Rex Ryan must frame this next test. As a game that, with a win, restores hope. To do that, Ryan will have to stop Brady and put the “Same Old Jets” talk to bed again. It’s funny how these negative Green ghosts somehow rear their ugly heads every season.

A LOOK BACK ON THE THREE KEYS TO THE JAGS GAME:

Turnovers: The Jets defense, built off pressure and chaos, again, didn’t get any. End of story.

Thomas Jones vs Maurice Jones Drew. Jones-Drew won the battle in yardage 123 to 77. He also made the play of the day by not scoring on the final drive.

Mike Sims-Walker vs Darrelle Revis: Sims Walker managed a TD catch but didn’t dominate the field. Revis is a big play guy the Jets desperately need

going forward. An interception taken back by a ball hawk shut down corner like Revis, would aid the Jets offense in a huge way.

Follow TJ Rosenthal on twitter@ thejetreport

The win moves the Jets to 4-3, a game behind the Pats with a rematch against the Dolphins at home next week in the final game before the club’s bye week. Oakland has been a place of heartache for Jet fans over the years. Miserable dramatic regular season losses coming at inopportune times coupled with a bunch of playoff defeats had Jet fans chomping at the bit for revenge. They certainly got it on Sunday, and some.

The Jets took control from the opening kickoff and didn’t let go all afternoon. JaMarcus Russell who was awful and later benched, was his usual clueless self in the pocket . A penalty on the Silver and Black’s kickoff return team on the game’s first play, left the Raiders pinned inside the 5 on their first series. The Jets defense, humbled and bottled up after 3 straight defeats, were chomping at the bit for a chance to break out. On first down, unaware of Calvin Pace blitzing into his sights somehow, Russell held the ball too long and was stripped by the Jets dangerous game changing LB. From there the Jets rammed it in on a 4th down Thomas Jones TD. 7-0 Jets. That would turn out to be all they needed.

Russell then threw the first of 2 interceptions, the first one, to safety Jim Leonard who returned the pick into the red zone. From there Mark Sanchez (9-15 143 yds. 2 TD), trying to rebound from a dismal 5 int performance against Buffalo, ran it in for the 14-0 lead. The plan for Sanchez was clearly pared down by Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, in an attempt to lessen the rookie’s turnovers that have become the primary cause for the teams three game skid. “Ground and pound,” a term Ryan likes to refer to regarding running downhill with the lead late In games, may now become the sensible game plan motto for the NFLs #1 rushing offense.

The Jets 3rd fake punt of the season at the end of the first quarter kept a drive alive that led to a Shonn Greene TD, his first in the NFL.  That made It 21-0 Jets. Greene (19-144 yds) impressed many in his first extended time. Playmaker Leon Washington’s season ending broken leg during the first half yesterday led to the unplanned arrival of Greene onto the scene. Washington who was carted off the field, was in a contract year. The likeable Washington chose to be a team player and not cause waves by holding out In the final year of his contract during training camp so lets hope the organization will be classy enough to return the favor. The potential emergence of Greene ( a 3rd round pick as Washington was 4 years ago) from here on in though may make for tough decision making between GM Mike Tannenbaum and owner Woody Johnson during the offseason. For now however, Greene looks ready to take on the carries. As for  replacing Washington , a special teams pro bowler in 2008, kick returns, that’s another story.

Maybe speedy WR David Clowney  could be a candidate. Clowney’s 35 yard TD grab put the Jets up 31-0 in the 3rd quarter. His 4 catches for 79 yards in the absence of WR Jerricho Cotchery due to a hamstring injury that has now kept the starting WR out for 2 games, showed off some of Clowney’s exciting big play potential. He’s a speed demon, a  threat to score at any time like Washington, who will be sorely missed on offense for his versatility in the kickoff, run and short passing game.

The defense meanwhile was embarking on their first week without star NG Kris Jenkins, out for the season after suffering a torn ACL during the OT loss to Buffalo in week 6.  The three man  rotation of  Mike Devito, Sione Pouha and the recently re-signed Howard Green, filled In somewhat admirably as the Jets for the second straight week forced the opposition to go to the bullpen at QB. Raider RB Justin Fargas was able to break off a few nice runs in the first half, but the Raiders trailed by so much so early, throwing became the emphasis for head coach Tom Cable’s club. The true test for this new revamped Jet front will come next week against the vicious Wildcat combo of Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown.

Raider backup Bruce Gradkowski replaced Russell (6-11 2int 1 fumble 61 yards) when It was 21-0, in order  to provide a spark. The Jet defensive engines however, were already humming. Greene later added insult to injury with his second rushing TD, a 33 yard explosion against a downtrodden Raiders defensive unit, to make It 38-0. The win gives the Jets that much needed good feeling again. A feeling that got lost during a losing streak that dropped Gang Green from the NFL’s new darlings, into second place.  A win against the hated Raiders was essential for a club that can now as a result of the thrashing,  still entertain division title hopes.

A Look Back on the Three Keys against Oakland:

Sanchez Ball Control: Excellent game plan that worked to perfection thanks to the ground and pound combo of Jones and Greene. Sanchez was left to simply have to manage the game, make a few throws and be smart with the ball in the pocket. 0 int’s looks a lot better than 5 doesn’t it?

Jet run game controlling the ball: We asked for more Shonn Greene in the Oakland preview piece. However, we didn’t want it coming on the heels of a Leon Washington season ending injury. Regardless, the #1 rushing team in the NFL gave Sanchez the day off essentially. We’ll take more of those any day.

Jet D Rallying: With Jenkins gone for 2009, It was clear that the Raiders would try their luck keeping It  on the ground. They tried. 21-0 Jets threw that plan out the window. We asked Pace to step up and change the game. He did so on the first play and the team never looked back We also noted that TE Zach Miller was the key player to stop in the Raider passing game. Miller caught 2 passes for 15 yards.