The New York Jets left Foxboro with their 2009 season on life support after a sloppy 31-14 loss to the hated New England Patriots Sunday. The Jets were in a deep 24-0 hole late in the first half but just when they dug themselves out at 24-14 to start the fourth, a pair QB Mark Sanchez interceptions sealed their fate. The rookie had four picks on the day, three to CB Leigh Bodden. Wes Welker , benefitting form the attention the Jets were giving WR Randy Moss, catching 15 passes for 192 yards. The loss helped dwindle Gang Green’s season to the brink of hopelessness.
Sanchez’s first interception was taken back by Bodden for a 55 yard TD midway through the first quarter. Coach Rex Ryan admitted that the play was deflating for a team and quarterback trying to regain a confidence lost weeks ago amidst a month full of losing. “When you spot em a td , its gonna come back and bite you.” Randy Moss ended the quarter with a four yard TD grab and a 14-0 Pats lead. The quick strike caught CB Darrelle Revis by surprise. Revis who was challenged all day in one on one coverage however, did a solid job in containing Moss who managed just 34 yards on the day. The two resumed their week two battle in which Revis felt slighted afterwards by Moss who claimed that Revis had not shut him down alone but rather with the help from Jet safeties.
The Jets found hope down 24-0 late in the first half on a blocked punt for TD by Brad Smith. The Jets then cut the lead to 24-14 midway through the third on a 29 yard TD pass from Sanchez to WR Jerricho Cotchery. With the ball near the 50 to start the fourth quarter though, Sanchez, looking for Cotchery again was intercepted by Bodden again. A New England punt then pinned the Jets inside their own ten where Sanchez committed the worst of his four ints. Rolling out and in trouble, he played right into coach Bill Belichick’s hands, throwing downfield into coverage. The ball was intercepted by Brandon Meriweather leading to a second Laurence Maroney TD, a one yard plunge with 5:06 left. That put it away at 31-14.
For the Jets, the game resembled nothing of the week two Jet win that saw Ryan’s aggressive defense pressure the rusty Tom Brady all day. Welker was out with an injury that day . The early season “W” gave the Jets initial control of the AFC East at 2-0. The win also had many Jet faithful believing that Sanchez and Ryan could very well be the saviors for a franchise known for little else besides Joe Namath and the habitual losing that has occurred since 1969. “We are a desperate football team right now,” said Jets linebacker Bart Scott, There is no magic remedy.” No there isn’t. All there is right now, is the cold reality that once again, a promising Jet season appears headed for the scrap heap.
A look back on the three keys:
JETS PRESSURE ON BRADY: There was little of it early on as the Pats built a 24-0 lead. At 24-14, the D got to him a bit but a slow defensive start led to a deficit that the team couldn’t recover from.
REVIS vs MOSS ROUND TWO: Revis kept Moss quiet but what good was it? Welker went off.
EMOTION: The Jets had to play with a ton of it. Rex Ryan cried this past week. That should’ve had this team flying around from the get go. Instead, well, here’s Ryan after the game.”When you come out of the tunnel you gotta be ticked off. The last two weeks we’ve let the other team dictate the tempo to us. This is the first game we clearly got our butts kicked.”