The Jets were starting on the road against an up and coming Texans Team. We had a rookie Head Coach, a rookie quarterback, and a revamped defense. All the cards were not in our favor heading into the game. However, by the time the game was over, we looked like there is a light at the end of the tunnel and the new Era of the Jets have begun.
Sanchez showed such poise in his NFL debut. He bad a few bad throws that could have resulted in intereceptions but he shrugged it off and looked like a veteran leading the Jets to a 24-7 victory over Houston. And he was amazing on 3rd down where I think he was maybe 9 of 11 passing on 3rd down conversions. This guy is a rookie? He passed for 272 yards and a touch down. Yeah, he had an interception too which lead to Houston's only score of the game but that will happen as he learns how to play in the NFL. He lead the offense the entire game keeping the ball for 38:46 of the 60:00 minutes. His first TD throw was a beautiful line drive to Chansi Stucky for 30 yards.
The running game was solid but it took a while for Thomas Jones to get started and when he finally did, he had two long runs of 30 yards or more to end with over 100 yards (107) and two touchdowns. Leon Washington was all over the place making runs and catches. This guy is going to be a major weapon this year.
And how about our defense? They were amazing and will get even better once Ellis and Pace are back in the lineup from their suspensions. How about this stat: Houston's offense got past midfield just once in 3 quarters. They only gave us 183 total yards to this "high powered" offense giving our offense time to rack up 462 yards. Bart Scott started things off squashing Schawb on his first pass as he released the ball. Jenkins was a monster out there as well as David Harris. We were just blitzing all over the place and putting such pressure on the QB. And Houston couldn't run either. They had just 38 yards rushing the entire game. Their two big stars - Steve Slaton was held to 17 yards, while Andre Johnson had just 35 yards receiving due to Revis blanketing him. And this Defense is just beginning. As they gel and learn the system, they are going to get even better and better. When was the last time you saw the Jets win the coin flip and defer to get their defense on the field first?
What I loved is how we responded after the big Sanchez mistake in the 4th quarter where we gave them 7 points. Jones had a nice 38 yard run and a few plays later, we scored again to solidify the lead. And who says we don't have any receivers. Cotchery had 6 catches for 90 yards, Stucky had 4 catches for 64 yards, and Keller had 4 catches for 94 yards. Yeah, Brad Smith dropped another easy catch and I am not a fan of him on the receiving end as another year of dropped passes is unacceptable.
So, it was a great start for Gang Green. We have another challenge this Sunday when the Patriots come into the Swamp. If we play like we did, maybe the tides will turn in the AFC East this year !
NOTES:
- Mark Sanchez, the first Jets rookie quarterback to start the first game of a season since Dick Jamieson in 1960, threw for 272 yards with a touchdown and interception in the win.
- New York improved to 4-0 all-time against Houston.
- Thomas Jones rushed for 107 yards with two TDs, his fifth career game with at least 100 yards and at least two scores.
- New York held a 22-11 edge in first downs and 462-183 edge in total yards.
- Sanchez is the fourth rookie QB since the 1970 merger to win his first start on opening day on the road, joining John Elway, Joe Ferguson and Chris Weinke.
Sanchez showed such poise in his NFL debut. He bad a few bad throws that could have resulted in intereceptions but he shrugged it off and looked like a veteran leading the Jets to a 24-7 victory over Houston. And he was amazing on 3rd down where I think he was maybe 9 of 11 passing on 3rd down conversions. This guy is a rookie? He passed for 272 yards and a touch down. Yeah, he had an interception too which lead to Houston's only score of the game but that will happen as he learns how to play in the NFL. He lead the offense the entire game keeping the ball for 38:46 of the 60:00 minutes. His first TD throw was a beautiful line drive to Chansi Stucky for 30 yards.
The running game was solid but it took a while for Thomas Jones to get started and when he finally did, he had two long runs of 30 yards or more to end with over 100 yards (107) and two touchdowns. Leon Washington was all over the place making runs and catches. This guy is going to be a major weapon this year.
And how about our defense? They were amazing and will get even better once Ellis and Pace are back in the lineup from their suspensions. How about this stat: Houston's offense got past midfield just once in 3 quarters. They only gave us 183 total yards to this "high powered" offense giving our offense time to rack up 462 yards. Bart Scott started things off squashing Schawb on his first pass as he released the ball. Jenkins was a monster out there as well as David Harris. We were just blitzing all over the place and putting such pressure on the QB. And Houston couldn't run either. They had just 38 yards rushing the entire game. Their two big stars - Steve Slaton was held to 17 yards, while Andre Johnson had just 35 yards receiving due to Revis blanketing him. And this Defense is just beginning. As they gel and learn the system, they are going to get even better and better. When was the last time you saw the Jets win the coin flip and defer to get their defense on the field first?
What I loved is how we responded after the big Sanchez mistake in the 4th quarter where we gave them 7 points. Jones had a nice 38 yard run and a few plays later, we scored again to solidify the lead. And who says we don't have any receivers. Cotchery had 6 catches for 90 yards, Stucky had 4 catches for 64 yards, and Keller had 4 catches for 94 yards. Yeah, Brad Smith dropped another easy catch and I am not a fan of him on the receiving end as another year of dropped passes is unacceptable.
So, it was a great start for Gang Green. We have another challenge this Sunday when the Patriots come into the Swamp. If we play like we did, maybe the tides will turn in the AFC East this year !
NOTES:
- Mark Sanchez, the first Jets rookie quarterback to start the first game of a season since Dick Jamieson in 1960, threw for 272 yards with a touchdown and interception in the win.
- New York improved to 4-0 all-time against Houston.
- Thomas Jones rushed for 107 yards with two TDs, his fifth career game with at least 100 yards and at least two scores.
- New York held a 22-11 edge in first downs and 462-183 edge in total yards.
- Sanchez is the fourth rookie QB since the 1970 merger to win his first start on opening day on the road, joining John Elway, Joe Ferguson and Chris Weinke.
1 comment:
What a game! Since I live in CA, I was getting all set to listen to the game on my Sirius radio but then decided to just take a chance and sure enough - there was the game. Turned off the radio and watched the "new" Jets crush the Texans. Couldn't have asked for much better start to the season.
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