DOWN LATE, THE JETS AND BRETT PULL IT OUT

DOWN LATE, THE JETS AND BRETT PULL IT OUT
by TJ Rosenthal for Football Reporters Online

The Jets saved their season by pulling out a last minute win against what was on paper, an undermanned KC Chiefs team Sunday.  While former Jet and now Miami Dolphin signal caller Chad Pennington was throwing for 300 yards against the first place Bills, Favre was at times throwing science experiments into the air, just to see what would happen. What happened as a result was a game that was too close for comfort.  None of his three interceptions were as costly as the final one, that was returned 91 yards for a TD and a Chiefs 24-21 lead with under 8 to play. The Jets were driving and in the red zone, looking to go up two scores and essentially put the game away.

Instead the returned interception left the Jets with their backs against the wall, having to play come from behind at home against a 1-5 team without Larry Johnson and their two top QB's Brodie Croyle and Damon Huard. It was a game that for a major part of it, was controlled by the tempo of the Chiefs offense and third string QB Tyler Thigpen (25-36 280 yds 2 tds) whose outstanding game management trumped Favre's for much of yesterday.

This all until the final Jet drive. A 60 yard drive that ended in a Laverneus Coles TD with just over a minute to play. A drive where the Jets were focused and in control.  Now for the Jets to get to the post season, they'll have to stop playing down to the level of their opponents. Or as LB David Bowens said best after the win "We've got to respect everybody. It just seemed like we didn't give them any respect. I don't know if it was their record or what, but whatever it was we just came out flat..We didn't play  the way we practiced. We practiced hard all week." The Jets couldn't get it going in Oakland last week and didn't escape. They did the same thing at home yesterday and barely escaped.

Yet escape they did. To a 4-3 record and a chance to tie the Bills (5-2 and in a first place tie with the Patriots)  when they face them in Orchard Park next Sunday. A loss would have been devastating , emotionally and reaslistically. 3-4 after having come out of a soft part of the schedule would have been too much to overcome the rest of the way. So the Jets buy themselves more time. More time for Brett Fave to get acclimated. More time to find ways to incorporate Leon Washington, who broke away for a big TD out of the backfield, into the offense. More time for this defense to continue to gel as they have, especially against the run.
4-3 and only one game behind the Bills and Pats still leaves the Jets in position to make something of themselves. A franchise notorious for blowing the game BEFORE the big game fought off it's worst historic habit yesterday. They got the W. Now the story moves on to Buffalo.
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