The New York Jets will be playing in the AFC Championship game against the Pittsburgh Steelers after knocking off the New England Patriots Sunday at Gillette Stadium 28-21. The Patriots were heavily favored going into the contest but for the second straight week the Jets were able to overcome the odds and come up with the win. As they had in Indianapolis the previous week; they were going up against one of the top quarterback’s in all of the NFL in New England’s Tom Brady. The Patriots QB would complete 29/45 passes for two touchdowns and one interception. However New York quarterback Mark Sanchez while not having the yardage of his counterpart went 16/25 for 194 yards and passed for three touchdowns in the victory.
New England with time slipping away in the fourth quarter would try two on-side kicks in the hopes that they could recover the ball and tie the game. Both times the gambit would fail as the Jets would recover both kicks scoring a touchdown on the drive following the first one. The New York defense would rule the proceedings for the entire contest getting the interception and causing the Patriots to fumble three times. They would also make the New England offensive line look like swiss cheese as they hit Brady seven times in the contest and had him running for his life most of the contest.
The Jets would set the tone for the contest on the first drive by their oppponents as linebacker David Harris picked off a Brady pass at the New York 30 yard line and ran it back 58 yards to the Patriots 12. Although the Jets did not score on the ensuing possession they had stopped the New England drive.
The Patriots would score on their next drive as Shayne Graham kicked a 34 yard field goal through the uprights and giving his team a 3-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. New York would take the lead with 10:54 to play in the second as Sanchez would hit LaDainian Tomlinson with a seven yard pass which he ran into the end-zone for a touchdown. After the extra point from Nick Folk the Jets held a 7-3 advantage.
Sanchez would get his second touchdown of the quarter as Braylon Edwarrds caught a 15 yard pass with 33 seconds left in the half. After the successful kick through the goal posts by Folk, New York would enter the locker room at the half leading 14-3.
There would not be another successful offensive drive until late in the third when Alge Crumpler took a two yard Brady pass into the end-zone with with 13 seconds to play. Sammy Morris would run up the middle past the goal line for a two point conversion and the Patriots were just three points down at the end of the third in a 14-11 contest.
New York would get a little more breathing room with 13:00 on the clock in the fourth as Sanchez had his third touchdown of the day when he threw the ball seven yards to Santonio Holmes for the score. The Folk extra point was good and the Jets were ahead 21-11. Neither team would score again until with 1:57 to play Shayne Graham got his second field goal of the day; this one from 35 yards out to make it a 21-14 contest.
The Patriots hoping to get fortunate kicked the ball on-sides but it was recovered by the Jets. Two plays into the drive running back Shonn Green carried the ball 16 yards past the goal line for a touchdown. The extra point was good and New York would have a 28-14 advantage. The Patriots would tighten the game once again as Brady connected with Deion Branch on a 13 yard pass which Branch ran into the end-zone. Graham got the extra point through the uprights and it was back to a seven point game as the Jets led 28-21.
New England would once again try an on-side kick hoping they would recover but New York once again got the football. Sanchez would take the knee on the first play running out the clock and the Jets sent the Patriots home for the year after just one Post Season game.
New York will once again be playing in the opponents house next Sunday as they take on the Steelers in the AFC Championship contest. For New England and their fans, they once again have the off-season to complain how far their team should have gone in the Playoffs.
No comments:
Post a Comment