Looking At The NFL’s Top Teams: Installment 1 – The Jets

The New York Jets started the 2010 season with a penalty-ridden 10-9 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Struggling to get first downs, their offense was unable to score a single touchdown all day, and it looked as if Mark Sanchez would spend another season relying on his running backs and defensive squad for salvation.

But then something happened. The New England Patriots came to town, and the Jets responded by holding the Brady Bunch to only two touchdowns, while Sanchez threw for three of his own. The Jets walked away with a decisive 28-14 victory after shutting down the Pats’ offense in the second half, and suddenly I began to wonder which game was more indicative of this year’s Jets team.

That question was not answered in week three when they traveled to Miami. While Sanchez once again managed to complete three touchdown passes against another fierce division rival, the Jets’ once-top rated defense failed to prevent the Dolphins from gaining 363 yards through the air. Yet even though the Fish put up a much better fight than the Patriots of the week previous, they too fell to defeat, and the Jets’ offense was beginning to look like a force to be reckoned with.

Which brings us to their week-four outing against the Buffalo Bills.
Few people expected that the hapless Bills were going to accomplish what the Patriots and Dolphins could not against one of the better – albeit inconsistent – defenses in the NFL, and the ones who did would be sorely disappointed by the time this game was over. Once again Mark Sanchez proved that he can actually throw the ball like a starting quarterback, adding two more passing touchdowns to his record, and bringing his four-game total to eight. An impressive showing by LaDainian Tomlinson on the ground helped lead the Jets to a 38 to 14 blow-out of the Bills, and more importantly, a third consecutive division win.

Bottom line – The Jets have an improved offense this year, thanks in no small part to the effective passing game of Mark Sanchez, and their defense is still one of the toughest in the league, despite Darrelle Revis’ nagging hamstring injury. While Sanchez will likely suffer a few more week-one-like fiascoes before the season is over, right now he has the sort of confidence under his belt that can elevate an average player to the ranks of the very good.

If the Jets can defeat an atypically low-scoring Minnesota Vikings team on Monday night, even a poor showing by their second-year quarterback won’t be discouraging enough to rattle him in any substantial way as the season progresses. Look for the Jets to go 10 and 6 this (regular) season, and with a little luck, maybe even 12 and 4.

By Edward L. Daley (aka DarcPrynce)

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