Gameday Live 2: Patriots at Jets

JETS WIN, 28-14

For the Jets fans who are still reading this blog (and not delirious or out celebrating or doing cartwheels), here are some Bill Belichick postgame quotes for your reading pleasure. For Jets fans, I presume, listening to/reading Belichick's curt comments after a Jets win is tantamount to puffing a victory cigar.

On the loss: "They made a few more plays and that’s why they won. We’ve got a lot of work to do this week. Too many penalties and turnovers…. We just didn’t play well on a whole."

On the Patriots' second half collapse: "We had a couple opportunities and we just didn’t take advantage of very many of them. It just wasn’t good enough."

On the Jets defense: "They did a good job."

On the Jets offense: "Overall, as a defense, we didn’t do well enough. We gave up 28 points and that’s not going to win many games. Scoring 14 and turning it over three times isn’t going to win either."

On if he was impressed by the Jets play: "They did a good job; better than we did. They pretty much do what they do, and they did it better than we did."

On Mark Sanchez's three-touchdown performance: "He played well. Their whole team played well."

And one more. Randy Moss on Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie: "Revis is a good player. I’m not taking anything away from him. Cromartie is good, I’m not taking anything from him... They’re a little cocky and arrogant at times, but you have to commend a team when they come in and talk the talk and walk the walk and prove it on Sunday.”

If anyone is wondering, since Moss' post-game attire came under some scrutiny last week: He was decked out in a a “Randy Moss Motor Sports” winter cap with a red du-rag beneath it, a gray “Toronto Basketball” sweatshirt and the big headphones he sported in the press conference last week.
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First Quarter
The Jets have had a bit of luck thus far in the first quarter. The Patriots, on their first drive, reached the Jets' 19, but Stephen Gostkowski missed a 37-yard field goal. Upon taking over on downs, the Jets offense got aggressive on first down. From a single back formation, Mark Sanchez play-faked to Shonn Greene and threw deep to Dustin Keller over the middle. The pass was a little high and deflected off the tight end's hands. It was almost intercepted by safety Patrick Chung, but the ball hit the ground as he dove for it. It was initially ruled an interception, but the Jets challenged and the call was overturned. That's two bullets dodged already... At the end of the first quarter, they're scoreless, but the Patriots are at the Jets' 19 with a 2nd and 12.

Second Quarter
- The Patriots take the lead on Tom Brady's 6-yard touchdown to Wes Welker at 13:17. Welker ran a short out, beating Antonio Cromartie toward the right sideline, and dove into the end zone. The score capped a 75-yard drive that ate 8:10 off the clock. 7-0, Patriots

- The Jets tie the score on Sanchez's 10-yard touchdown to Braylon Edwards on a fade in the left corner of the end zone at 6:22. The score capped a 62-yard drive. Edwards, however, was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for taunting the Patriots defensive back after scoring.... At 9:16 - on the same drive - the Wildcat made its first appearance. Brad Smith subbed in for Sanchez, took the shotgun snap and handed off to Jerricho Cotchery on an end-around. The Patriots didn't bite, though, and the run only went for two yards off left tackle. The highlight of the drive was Sanchez's five-yard pass to Tomlinson. The quarterback avoided a sack, cut right and made a (Favrean) backhand toss to Tomlinson on the right and he scampered wide for a few yards. 7-7, tie

- After going 0 for his first 3 on throws to/catches, Randy Moss made a one-handed snag of a 34-yard touchdown with 0:53 left in the half. Yes, he beat Darrelle Revis for it. Moss got about two steps of separation on a skinny post, reached out and plucked the pass with his right hand. He never put both hands on the ball, by the way. He just held it extended in one hand the whole way. Possibly a little showboating in that. The big play on the drive was a 46-yard, zig-zagging catch-and-run by Hernandez that got the Patriots to the Jets' 34. 14-7, Patriots

Nick Folk ended the first half with a 49-yard field goal as time expired. The Jets managed a 49-yard drive in the final 53 seconds of the half. 14-10, Patriots

Halftime Items

Randy Moss has been thrown to five times and has two catches, the big one a 34-yard touchdown in the final minute of the half. He almost had a long touchdown in the first quarter (after beating Revis and Leonhard deep), but the ball was slightly overthrown and Moss couldn't make the catch in the back of the end zone. At 1:37 in the second quarter, Brady threw for Moss on a slant and Revis made a diving swipe to knock it away. So if you're keeping score, Moss leads 1-0 right now.

Mark Sanchez is 12-for-16 with 121 yards and a touchdown and has rebound well from a somewhat slow start in this game. He's completed 12 of his last 14 passes and right now has a QB rating of 116.9.

Edwards, who was thrown to just twice against the Ravens, has four catches for 42 yards and a 10-yard touchdown. And a taunting penalty for good measure.

Tom Brady is 13-for-20 with 179 yards and two touchdowns (to Moss and Welker). Hernandez has been his most productive receiver, yards-wise, with 80 yards on four receptions.

Neither team has been able to get much from its running game. Greene leads the Jets with 18 yards on four rushes and Green-Ellis is the Patriots' leading rusher with 13 yards on seven carries.

Pouha, who replaced Kris Jenkins on the defensive line, has been very active with a team-leading five tackles already. He actually got all five in the first quarter - all solos.

Third Quarter
* Revis has been replaced in the lineup by Drew Coleman. The cornerback has dealt with a "tight" left hamstring this week and was beaten for a 34-yard touchdown by Moss with 53 seconds left in the first half. Cromartie shifts over to cover Moss at flanker, Wilson now covers the X receiver and Coleman is in the slot... It's just been announced that Revis will be out the rest of the game with a hamstring injury. As well, Brad Smith is out with an injured jaw and his return is questionable.

So far so good with Cromartie on Moss. Brady threw deep to the receiver on a go route along the right sideline, but the ball was overthrown and Cromartie outran Moss to the spot and made the catch. His momentum carried him into the end zone after the interception, resulting in a touchback. The Jets will take over at their 20 with 9:40 left in the quarter.

- Folk pulled the Jets within a point with a 36-yard field goal at 4:53. The kick capped a 10-play, 80-yard drive. The longest of the drive - the game and the season, too - was Sanchez's 39-yard completion to Dustin Keller. He found the tight end on the left off a great play-fake on a third-and-1. Keller got open up the seam on a corner route and Sanchez hit him in stride. Keller then picked up about 10 more yards after the catch, getting the Jets to the Patriots' 49. 14-13, Patriots

* Brad Smith, who left the game earlier with what was called a jaw injury, has returned... But the Jets lose center Nick Mangold. He's now out with a shoulder injury.

- The Jets take the lead on Cotchery's 2-yard touchdown. The Jets ran trips left and Cotchery worked his way open on a slant toward the middle of the end zone and Sanchez hit him at 0:38. The Jets' drive went 60 yards on seven plays, the longest of which was a 31-yard run by Tomlinson. New York also got the two-point conversion on a pass to Edwards. Aside: the Jets have an Eminem theme going today with the stadium music. The players took the field to "Not Afraid" and, after that touchdown, they were blasting the opening riff from "Lose Yourself." 21-14, Jets

Fourth Quarter

Brodney Pool picked off a Brady pass at the 41 at 14:54. The ball was intended for Moss but it was tipped twice, first by Cromartie, then Moss, and Pool made a lunging catch near the sideline and just managed to keep both feet inbounds. The play was first called an incompletion, but the Jets challenged and won.

- The Jets add to the lead with a touchdown to Keller, Sanchez's third of the game. On third-and-1, Sanchez went play-action again, had a ton of time, and found Keller on a crossing route in the left corner of the end zone with 6:09 left. Keller now has seven catches for 115 yards and a touchdown and Sanchez is 21-for-30 with 220 yards. The Jets moved to the Patriots' 26 with 8:19 left thanks to a pass interference call on Darius Butler. He was defending Edwards up the left sideline on what looked like a back-shoulder fade, but he gave him the arm bar and was flagged. A pass interference call on Patrick Chung got the Jets to the 5. Cotchery was running a comeback route on the left and Chung held him on his break. The pass went wide, way out of bounds, but the flags were thrown. 28-14, Jets

And the stadium erupts as the Jets force a turnover with 4:06 left. Jason Taylor blitzed the weak side and nailed Brady from behind, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Bryan Thomas and returned 25 yards to the 41. Taylor was hurt on the play and was down on the turf being tended for about a minute. He was able to walk off the field on his own, though.

With 2:41 left, the Jets went for it on fourth-and-1 and Tomlinson picked up three yards to convert and essentially end the game. Tomlinson dove over the the line (like he used to on those goal line carries in San Diego) and got through. The Jets have a first down at the 43 with 1:56 left (two-minute warning).

- And with a kneel down at 0:15, the Jets win it. Final: 28-14, Jets