NASHVILLE — The Jets' season began on a warm and sunny afternoon, and after a comprehensive victory, all things seemed possible. It ended on a crisp and windy night, and after another listless defeat, all things seem possible once more.
No longer can they kid themselves that the team they fielded, that barely defeated two of the worst teams in the N.F.L. the last two weeks, is good enough to contend. There are likely to be changes this off-season after the Jets were finally, mercifully, eliminated from playoff contention Monday night in a 14-10 loss to the Tennessee Titans that should be submitted as evidence to the N.F.L. that the playoff field should be reduced, not expanded.
The Jets have had their share of disasters this season, and it is not a disproportionate share. They held fast to the delusion that they, with a sluggish offense and an erratic quarterback, could somehow slip into the playoffs. Instead, in the latest embarrassment, they committed five turnovers, all by their franchise quarterback, Mark Sanchez.
Three came in the fourth quarter, which could have been his defining moment. Maligned and criticized, and even pulled on Dec. 2 against Arizona, Sanchez had a chance to redeem himself.
Or not. One interception, then a second, which he threw off his back foot, into triple coverage, on the first play after the two-minute warning. That was the final indignity, or so it seemed. A poor punt by Tennessee gave the Jets the ball at the Titans' 25 with 47 seconds left. On the first play, Sanchez fielded a low snap from Nick Mangold, then dropped the ball, which was kicked away by Bilal Powell and recovered by the Titans' Zach Brown.
Game over. Season over.
"That situation is like a gift and we didn't take advantage," Yeremiah Bell of the poor punt. The Jets fell behind, 14-10, when Jake Locker scored a 13-yard touchdown with 20 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Three possessions went by before the Jets took over at their 8 with 5 minutes 20 seconds left. The Jets, benefited by a roughing-the-passer call on third-and-4, reached the Tennessee 23. On the first play after the two-minute warning, the result was predictable.
Sanchez, the franchise quarterback guaranteed $8.25 million next season, completed 13 of 28 passes for 131 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions.
"It hurts beyond belief," Coach Rex Ryan said, adding. "I'm not ready to say who our quarterback will be in the next game."
According to ESPN Stats and Information, the Jets became the first team since the 1986-89 Miami Dolphins to miss the playoffs two straight years following consecutive appearances in the conference championship game.
For two weeks, the Jets survived one miserable team, then another, edging Arizona and Jacksonville by a total of 8 points, as the teams ahead of them in the A.F.C. wild-card chase — Pittsburgh and Cincinnati — stumbled.
The Bengals' mauling of Philadelphia last Thursday shoved the Jets to the verge of elimination, placing them in the unenviable position of needing to win their final three games just to have a chance at reaching the playoffs.
After butt-fumbling their way to a 49-19 defeat to New England on Thanksgiving, the Jets embraced this opportunity in prime time.
Against a defense that allowed an average of 29.7 points, most in the N.F.L., the Jets in the first half tallied all of 3 points, gained all of 99 yards. Consider those 3 points at halftime an accomplishment, though, since in their previous two games they were shut out in the first half.
Sanchez, for once, was not all to blame, at least from the quarterback position. There were cries of Hallelujah throughout the land when, on their third drive, Tim Tebow took the first snap. And the second. And the third. And all five on the possession, producing 17 yards and roughly twice as many questions as to why, in Week 15, the Jets decided to unleash Tebow for his first full series of the season.
Tebow had not played since Nov. 18 in St. Louis, hampered by two broken ribs and the Jets' indecisiveness or, perhaps, unwillingness to let him play, despite considering him a far better option to back up Sanchez than Greg McElroy, their savior against Arizona. Maybe the Jets were saving Tebow for the playoffs.
In Locker, the Jets encountered a quarterback even more turnover-prone than Sanchez — nine in his last three games. The Jets blitzed and pressured and sacked him, but they could not coax an interception, a fumble, a miscue of any consequence. Instead, Locker handed off to Chris Johnson, who, by his standards, has had a modest season.
The Jets did play Johnson well for his first seven carries, limiting him to 10 yards. Then came his eighth. Powered by the names of the victims in the Newtown, Conn., school shooting that he scrawled on his shoes, Johnson burst up the middle for the longest run in franchise history. He blazed past David Harris; past Bart Scott, who zagged when he should have zigged; past Bell, who gave futile chase. The 94-yard scamper — Johnson's sixth rushing touchdown of at least 80 yards, an N.F.L. record — put Tennessee ahead, 7-3.
And to think, there were signs of progress early. On the Titans' first possession, Muhammad Wilkerson blocked Rob Bironas's 46-yard field-goal attempt. On the Jets' first possession, buoyed by three Tennessee penalties, Sanchez directed them to a field goal. The Jets led, 3-0.
That 3 beside their logo on the scoreboard stayed there awhile, for the rest of the first quarter and all of the second.
But toward the end of the third quarter, a 30-yard punt by Brett Kern gave the Jets the ball at the Tennessee 35. On third-and-12, Sanchez fired a 17-yard touchdown to Jeff Cumberland, who was able to catch the ball because Tim Shaw, the linebacker covering him, never tuned around. It was the best play Sanchez made all night.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Titans 14, Jets 10: Jets Lose to Titans as Mark Sanchez Throws 4 Interceptions
Dengan url
https://dunialuasekali.blogspot.com/2012/12/titans-14-jets-10-jets-lose-to-titans.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Titans 14, Jets 10: Jets Lose to Titans as Mark Sanchez Throws 4 Interceptions
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Titans 14, Jets 10: Jets Lose to Titans as Mark Sanchez Throws 4 Interceptions
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar