Monday Morning Quarterback: New York Jets vs. New England Patriots

Oct 20, 2013; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets kicker Nick Folk (2) celebrates his game winning field goal during overtime against the New England Patriots at MetLife Stadium. The Jets won the game 30-27 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Well, the Jets got it done yesterday. It took a little bit of extra time, but they moved to one game out of first place in the AFC East with yesterday’s 30-27 win over our good buddies from New England. Let’s talk about the game.

First of all, time to put to bed the issue of the call against the Patriots on the field goal attempt. Yes, the Patriots were the victim of an obscure rule that hardly ever gets called. But, it’s a rule, they called it. Hey New England fans, ever hear of the tuck rule? You have benefited before, so get over it.

Secondly, it should never have come to that to begin with. Your precious Patriots were leading by 11 after halftime and had possession of the football. If they had scored, instead of throwing us a pick six, it never comes down to that call to begin with, so hey, pipe down! You lost the game, accept it, and move on. Save your crying for someone who cares.

Anyway, this game was an ebb and flow of momentum. The game opened with the Jets controlling the momentum, as Geno and the gang went right down the field to take a 7-0 lead. The Patriots answered with a touchdown of their own to tie it at 7, and there was the pick six. A really bad decision made by Geno, resulting in 79 yards the other way, and a 14-7 New England lead. Here the momentum was in the hands of New England, and they kept it through the half, going in with a 21-10 lead.

But the turning point came on the opening drive of the second half. Brady, instead of leading his team for a back-breaking score, he threw a pass in the direction of Rob Gronkowski. Antonio Allen, who did a good job on Gronkowski all day, stepped in front, made the pick, and took the ball 23 yards to the house to close the gap to 21-17. As we know, the Jets led the game by six before two late field goals by New England sent the game to overtime.

Then, the Jets get a break that they never get. The rule that you cannot push a teammate forward is never called, but it was called on the 56 yard Nick Folk field goal attempt. It gave the Jets a first down, new life, and they closed in and gave Nick the Folk Hero a manageable field goal attempt, and the Jets took the game. It was an excellent effort all around.

Oct 20, 2013; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith (7) throws a pass during the first half of their game against the New England Patriots at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

Let’s talk about the resiliency of our young quarterback, Mr. Geno Smith. Face it, he threw a terrible pass that resulted in the pick six. It was as bad of a decision as he has made all season. I know I had some words for my television screen that I cannot print here, as I am sure all of you did.

That’s going to happen with a rookie quarterback, as he grows. The exciting part is how resilient he is. To be a great NFL quarterback, you must have a short memory. You have to be resilient enough to forget about the bad play from earlier, and start it over the next time you get on the field. That is exactly what Geno did. He made plays down the field, and he made plays with his legs. Two touchdowns, one of them being a rushing td, and most of his overall numbers being earned after the pick six.

How great was it to see Chris Ivory get rolling, huh? It seemed like we all needed to be nervous when Bilal Powell didn’t get going, as he has been the only guy to get going all season. But yesterday, Chris Ivory rushed for a lot of yards, with that hard rushing style that everyone loved to watch in New Orleans. He ran like he was mad at the turf, to the tune of 104 yards, by far his biggest showing of the year.

Congratulations to our buddy Damon Harrison for recording his first sack in the NFL!

Finally, what is left to say about Nick Folk that hasn’t been already said. He is money when the game is on the line. He has ice in his veins, and I am sure glad that he is the kicker wearing green, not some other color.

Great win yesterday.