Grading the Jets win over Jaguars
Calvin Pace gets a piece of Maurice Jones-Drew of the Jacksonville Jaguars during a run. (Sept. 18, 2011) Credit: Jim McIsaac
OFFENSE: B+
The Jets, tired of hearing about their first-quarter struggles, scored an offensive touchdown on a six-play, 65-yard drive to set the tone right away. Dustin Keller had a tremendous game, racking up 101 yards and a touchdown on six receptions. Santonio Holmes reeled in a nifty 17-yard touchdown and averaged 14 yards per catch. Shonn Greene didn't exactly run wild, at times dancing too much behind the line of scrimmage. He finished with 49 yards on 16 attempts, including a 1-yard TD run. About the only real negatives were Mark Sanchez's two interceptions and the fact they didn't get Plaxico Burress involved.
DEFENSE: A
To say the Jets did a number on Jaguars quarterback Luke McCown is an understatement. They held him to a 1.8 passer rating, picking him off four times and forcing Jack Del Rio to bench him and insert rookie Blaine Gabbert. Antonio Cromartie did his best to make fans forget about the Nnamdi Asomugha pursuit, intercepting McCown twice and nearly returning one for a touchdown. Rookie defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson showed why the Jets made him a first-round pick, sacking McCown on Jacksonville's first possession of the game for a safety.
SPECIAL TEAMS: A
Cromartie excelled in the kickoff return department for the second straight week. He averaged 42.5 on his two returns and posted a 46-yarder, once again bringing a dangerous element to the Jets' return game. He gives them a long-distance threat each time he touches the ball on kickoffs. Nick Folk canned all three field goals. Punter T.J. Conley did a decent job, averaging a net of 37.4 with a long of 44.
COACHING: B+
Rex Ryan should get a lot of credit for reversing his approach when it comes to the opening coin toss. Typically, he likes to defer to the second half and put his defense on the field first because of his defensive background. But he changed things up this time and it was the perfect remedy to cure those first-quarter offensive blues. The Jets took the ball and marched right down the field, establishing early that it was going to be a long day for the Jaguars. Perhaps it's nitpicking, but they should have pulled Sanchez in the fourth quarter with a 29-3 lead, just to make sure their franchise signal caller didn't get hurt -- especially after he had already banged his throwing arm on Matt Roth's helmet.
