http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/jets/post/_/id/30648/up-and-down-jets-are-playoff-contenders
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Up-and-down Jets are playoff contenders
By Rich Cimini
ESPN.com
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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The NFL lives by the principle, "On any given Sunday." Not the New York Jets. For them, it's, "Every other Sunday."
Every other Sunday, the Jets are an elite football team. They're 5-0 in odd weeks, having defeated a couple of the best teams in the league. They did it Sunday, beating up the New Orleans Saints, 26-20, at MetLife Stadium.
Everybody knows how the Jets play in even-numbered weeks -- they stink -- but it's time to recognize the reality of the situation: They're a legitimate playoff contender.
The standings say so. The calendar says so. And their schedule says so. At 5-4, the Jets have a ... good ... chance .. to .. make ... the ... playoffs.
You have to say it slowly to believe it, but there's no denying it anymore. The Jets are starting to think it, too.
"Most definitely," rookie defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson said. "If we stay consistent like this, we'll be a tough team to deal with. We have spurts where we show we're a playoff team."
A few lockers away from Richardson stood linebacker Calvin Pace, the oldest player on the team not named David Garrard. Pace, 32, isn't one for hyperbole, so his words carry more weight than Richardson's. Pace, too, believes this team has a realistic chance to do what no one thought possible in the preseason, when the Jets were 32nd in the Week 1 ESPN.com Power Rankings.
"We're a little inconsistent, but obviously we can beat anybody," Pace said. "We just have to put today's effort into the rest of the season and carry us into playing in the postseason. If we bring our A-game, we're hard to beat."
The brought their A-game only seven days after an F performance in Cincinnati. The revived defense, shredded by Andy Dalton the previous week, limited the high-powered Saints to only two field goals in the second half. Drew Brees got his yards (382) and threw a couple of touchdowns, but he was rattled at times, throwing two interceptions and taking two sacks and several hits.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Up-and-down Jets are playoff contenders
By Rich Cimini
ESPN.com
<!-- template inline --><!--video-->
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The NFL lives by the principle, "On any given Sunday." Not the New York Jets. For them, it's, "Every other Sunday."
Every other Sunday, the Jets are an elite football team. They're 5-0 in odd weeks, having defeated a couple of the best teams in the league. They did it Sunday, beating up the New Orleans Saints, 26-20, at MetLife Stadium.
Everybody knows how the Jets play in even-numbered weeks -- they stink -- but it's time to recognize the reality of the situation: They're a legitimate playoff contender.
The standings say so. The calendar says so. And their schedule says so. At 5-4, the Jets have a ... good ... chance .. to .. make ... the ... playoffs.
You have to say it slowly to believe it, but there's no denying it anymore. The Jets are starting to think it, too.
"Most definitely," rookie defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson said. "If we stay consistent like this, we'll be a tough team to deal with. We have spurts where we show we're a playoff team."
A few lockers away from Richardson stood linebacker Calvin Pace, the oldest player on the team not named David Garrard. Pace, 32, isn't one for hyperbole, so his words carry more weight than Richardson's. Pace, too, believes this team has a realistic chance to do what no one thought possible in the preseason, when the Jets were 32nd in the Week 1 ESPN.com Power Rankings.
"We're a little inconsistent, but obviously we can beat anybody," Pace said. "We just have to put today's effort into the rest of the season and carry us into playing in the postseason. If we bring our A-game, we're hard to beat."
The brought their A-game only seven days after an F performance in Cincinnati. The revived defense, shredded by Andy Dalton the previous week, limited the high-powered Saints to only two field goals in the second half. Drew Brees got his yards (382) and threw a couple of touchdowns, but he was rattled at times, throwing two interceptions and taking two sacks and several hits.
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[FONT=verdana, arial, geneva]Muhammad Wilkerson and the Jets' defense made Drew Brees look less than elite.[/FONT] |