New York Jets and their shattered hopes of glory – NFL Season review (Part VI)
Continued from part V...
Jets were in a must-win situation and after playing 14 games, they were 8-6.
They played their next game against the New York Giants, who were struggling to lead the National Football Conference (NFC) East division.
Against New York Giants
In this game, Jets needed their quarterback, Mark Sanchez, to accelerate, but he failed badly resulting in his team’s loss.
Sanchez finished with completing 30 of his 59 attempted passes for 258 yards. He threw one touchdown and two interceptions and got a passer rating of 54.2.
Jets started the game well and scored a touchdown in the first quarter to take the lead.
For the next two quarters, however, Jets did not score while Giants got 10 points in the second quarter and seven in the third.
Giants increased their lead by scoring a field goal early in the final quarter. Jets replied by scoring a touchdown, but Giants scored nine more points after that to win the game.
The final score settled at 29-14.
Before this game, the players of both teams were involved in trash talk, and Rex Ryan even claimed that his team was a better New York team. However, he could not prove that on the field.
Jets’ linebacker, Bart Scott, said after the game:
"I mean, we don't deserve to control our own destiny. We haven't played good enough football to do that. We need to try to finish strong, but if you don't make it to the playoffs, you've got nobody to blame but yourself."
At Miami
The dejected Jets played their last game of the regular season against Miami Dolphins.
Jets were pathetic and Mark Sanchez’s performance was particularly embarrassing. The quarterback completed 21 of his 32 attempted passes for 207 yards while throwing two touchdowns and three interceptions. He received a passer rating of 65.5.
Dolphins scored a field goal to take the lead in the first quarter. Jets replied by scoring a touchdown in the same quarter.
Jets added a field goal in the second period and increased the lead, but Dolphins also managed a field goal to reduce the deficit to only four points.
The third quarter went goalless and Dolphins found their rhythm in the fourth in which they scored a touchdown and two field goals to take the score to 19-10.
Jets were nine points behind with around two minutes left on the clock. They scored a touchdown, but could not get another scoring move and lost the game.
The final score settled at 19-17 as Jets finished the season with eight victories and eight defeats.
Ryan, however, refused to give up and commented after the game:
"I'm always going to chase the Super Bowl. I know I get criticized for it beyond belief, but if you don't, then you're probably a loser, OK? I'm not a loser."
What’s next?
Jets have acquired quarterback, Tim Tebow, from Denver Broncos recently to serve as Sanchez’s backup. However, both players are expected to battle hard for the starting role and the team is expected to come up with much improved offensive line in the next
season.
It is yet to be seen if Jets are able to live up to the claims of being the best New York team as the other New York team, New York Giants, will defend the Super Bowl title in the next season.
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