Jets' 16-9 win over Patriots speaks volumes
Sept. 20: Jets 16, Patriots 9
Jets-Patriots rivalry through the years
They backed it all up, making good on their weeklong tough talk leading up to this one.
While the Jets certainly didn't "embarrass" the Patriots the way safety Kerry Rhodes had hoped, they did more than just enough to knock off their archrivals, 16-9, before a frenzied crowd at Giants Stadium today. They held the Patriots scoreless in the second half, scoring the game's final 13 points en route to putting an end to their eight-game home losing streak to the Patriots.
-- PHOTOS: Jets beat Patriots, 16-9
"The Patriots are a hell of a football team," Jets coach Rex Ryan said, "and I just thought we were the better team today . . . We went out and showed it."
They didn't show much in the first half, however, and headed into the locker room trailing 9-3. But they took control of the game with a quick drive to open the third quarter. The Jets needed only three plays to go 56 yards, capping their only touchdown drive of the game with a 9-yard toss from Mark Sanchez to tight end Dustin Keller on second-and-8 for a 10-9 lead with 13:57 left in the third quarter
Sanchez finished 14-for-22 for 163 yards and that touchdown, compiling a quarterback rating of 101.1.
Jay Feely added a 24-yard field goal in the third quarter and had a 39-yarder in the fourth that provided a little breathing room.
The Patriots' final drive began at their 10 with 1:48 remaining, and ended four plays later when cornerback Dwight Lowery broke up Tom Brady's pass intended for Joey Galloway on fourth-and-10 from the Patriots' 28.
Brady completed 23 of 47 attempts for 216 yards with one interception and overshot his receivers more than he usually does. The Jets, who are 2-0 heading into next Sunday's home game with the Tennessee Titans, also did a good job of making him move out of the pocket more than he prefers.
"In my opinion, this says a lot about how good we can be," said running back/kick returner Leon Washington, who totaled 203 yards on 20 touches. "We played really, really good in two phases and on offense we didn't play that well in the first half, so it says a lot about how good we can be. It's a huge win."
-- PHOTOS: Jets beat Patriots, 16-9
