There are certain games a team expects to chalk up in the win column. The New England Patriots surely felt this way heading into Sunday against the New York Jets, who brought a 4-4 record in Gillette Stadium, which has historically not been kind to opposing teams. But someone failed to mention this to the Jets, who walked out of Gillette Stadium with a 17-14 win, and a glimmer of hope of remaining in the hunt for the AFC East.
The loss sent the Pats to 6-3 and ended their 57-game streak without consecutive losses. The conditions of muddy and slippery fields played a part in the Pats' poor performance, but the Jets' adapted with a strategy of runs and short passes (On an interesting note, the grass at Gillette Stadium was replaced with turf yesterday; apparently, the Patriots' management doesn't like losing back-to-back games). The Jets' long drives prevented a New England comeback, and for the second week in a row, a seemingly perfect set-up for Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to march his team down the field ended in frustration.
Brady found himself pressured all day by the Jets' defense, despite throwing 25-of-37 attempts for 255 yards. He found the end zone only once and threw one interception. Incredibly the Pats outperformed the Jets with 377 yards of offense to 27. Corey Dillon rushed for 98 yards, while Reche Caldwell had 90 yards receiving and the Pats' lone touchdown.
The Pats made a surge in the fourth quarter with a 69-yard scramble down the field in only 31 seconds to bring the game within three after a successful two-point conversion. The defense held strong against the Jets, and with 1:08 and no timeouts, took over at their 11-yard line. Brady and company made it to the Jets' 45 with none seconds left, but on the ensuing play Brady was sacked for the final play of the game.
With the win, the Jets have turned a seeming runaway for the Patriots into a true two-horse race for the AFC East. Both teams have relatively easy remaining schedules, with both teams left to face the Houston Texans, Green Bay Packers, while the Jets get the Buffalo Bills and Oakland Raiders and the Patriots face the Detroit Lions and Tennessee Titans. Both teams will face the Chicago Bears, which could be the deciding factor on who stands atop the AFC East.
After their loss to the Miami Dolphins last week, the fate of the Bears seemed precarious. The opinion that their success may be fleeting only lasted through the first half of their game against the New York Giants, however.
Coming out firing in the second half, Bears' quarterback Rex Grossman threw for two touchdowns in the third quarter, putting his team up 24-20. In the fourth quarter, the Giants looked like they would narrow the Bears' lead to one with Jay Feely's field-goal attempt. But a one-point deficit amazingly turned into an 11-point one when Feely's short kick landed in the hands of Bears' cornerback Devin Hester.
Hester watched as the Giants ambled in his direction, or in some cases, off the field, and realized he would have a chance of returning the ball. Pausing for a few seconds to let his blocking team set up, Hester broke out of the end zone past the confused Giants and ran for a 108-yard TD. The run tied an NFC record and was the final blow for the Giants.
Giants signal-caller Eli Manning struggled all night against Brian Urlacher and the Bears' defense, completing only 14-of-32 passes for 121 yards and two interceptions. Manning also fumbled three times, and although he recovered two, it was just another stat that showed a rough day for the Giants' signal caller.
The one bright spot of the game for the Giants was Tiki Barber who ran for 141 yards on 19 carries. Little helped to soothe the loss for the Giants, however, and with the loss of tackle Luke Petitgout, who broke his leg in the first quarter, the mood was even darker. With the loss, the Giants have allowed the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys back into the NFC East race, with both teams winning on Sunday and moving to 5-4.
The Jets' defeat of the Patriots wasn't the only upset on Sunday. The Cleveland Browns shocked the Atlanta Falcons in Atlanta with a 17-13 victory, while Houston achieved the improbable when it beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 13-10, winning on the road for the first time since December 2004.
