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The Jets are the final team to make it into the 2010 NFL Playoffs (sorry, Houston), thanks to their 37-0 shutout of the Bengals Sunday night. Their reward: a five-seed ... and a rematch with Cincinnati to kick off Wild Card Weekend.
With their 37-0 drubbing of the Bengals Sunday night, the New York Jets clinched the fifth-seed in the AFC and a shot at beating the Bengals again next week in Cincinnati. Gang Green Nation doesn’t want to hear excuses about the Jets and how they made the playoffs, just recognize that they did it.
I dare anybody to call this win tainted or suggest the Jets didn’t earn it. They dominated the A-Team of a division champion. Yeah, a few guys were out injured. Cincy sent out most of its top players. Those guys got benched because they had been so badly outplayed they stood no shot. What say you, Mike Francesa? Are you ready to give the Jets even a little credit?
Let’s just put into perspective what this team has accomplished. The Jets have a rookie quarterback who has gone through major growing pains. They have a rookie head coach. They played over half the season without their best offensive player and one of their top two defensive players. They fought back after a midseason swoon and a series of crushing losses. No matter what happens from this point, this team showed great heart and that it will be a force for years to come.
A lot of heroes in this one for the Jets but GGN has a special note for CB Darelle Revis, who “shut down” Chad Ochocinco, I mean, Johnson.
Could I start with anybody other than the man who has appeared in this section more than any other player this year? Chad Ochocinco said on the NBC pregame show he would change his name back to Chad Johnson if Revis shut him down. We’ll take you at your word, Chad. 0 catches, 0 yards. I don’t want to hear you were hurt. You were running fine. From this point on, the writers on Gang Green Nation will refer to this receiver as Chad Johnson. Readers, I ask the same of you.
East Rutherford, NJ (Sports Network) – Brad Smith ran for 92 yards and a score on only four carries, and the New York Jets crushed the Cincinnati Bengals, 37-0, in the final regular season game at Giants Stadium to clinch the final playoff spot.
Thomas Jones and Jerricho Cotchery each added two and one rushing scores, respectively, for the Jets (9-7), who won five of their last six games to earn the AFC’s fifth seed and a trip to Cincinnati to take on these same Bengals at 4:30 p.m. (et) on Saturday in the wild card round.
Mark Sanchez threw for only 63 yards on 8-of-16 passing, but it was the New York defense that sent the Giants Stadium faithful out with a win, holding the Bengals to just 72 total yards — seven in the first half.
Giants Stadium, which has housed the New York Giants since 1976 and the Jets since 1984, will be demolished to make room for Meadowlands Stadium, which will open next season as the new home for both teams. Unless the Jets face the sixth-seeded Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship, Sunday’s win was the final professional football game at the venue.
Cincinnati (10-6) couldn’t get much going with most of its starters in the first half, then the reserves didn’t do much better in the second. J.T. O’Sullivan passed for just 31 yards on 3-of-8 passing after relieving Carson Palmer, who completed just 1-of-11 passes for zero yards and an interception.
With Cedric Benson inactive, former Chief Larry Johnson led the team in rushing with 38 yards on nine carries. The Bengals could have claimed the third seed with a win, but the loss simply drops them to the fourth seed as the AFC North champs.
The Jets completely dominated the first half, holding the Bengals to seven total yards while putting 27 points on the board.
New York took its opening drive 72 yards in seven plays, and Jones burst through the line and into the end zone from one yard out to put the home team ahead early.
Following the first of many three-and-outs for Cincy in the first half, the Jets went on a 21-play, 74-yard drive that ended with a Jay Feely 20-yard field goal early in the second quarter for a 10-0 edge. The march took over 11 minutes off the clock.
The Bengals got their only first down of the half via a defensive illegal contact penalty but still had to punt, and Smith subbed in at quarterback and went 32 yards on a designed rush for another touchdown and 17-0 lead with 6 1/2 minutes left.
Cotchery ran for a six-yard score on the Jets’ next series, and Feely hit a 39-yard field goal as time expired in the first half for a dominating 27-0 advantage.
The third quarter was low-scoring, as Cincinnati’s reserves entered the game. New York added the only points of the period — a 40-yard field goal from Feely — to take a 30-point lead into the fourth.
Jones capped the scoring with a two-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, as the teams ran mostly running plays to wind down the clock.
Cincinnati wide receiver Chad Ochocinco slipped and appeared to injure himself during pre-game warmups, but he played briefly and isn’t expected to miss next week’s game…Jones finished with 78 yards rushing and set a single-season franchise record with 14 rushing touchdowns for the Jets. He finished the 2009 campaign with a career-high 1,402 yards…Shonn Greene ran for 62 yards on 13 carries for New York…Cincinnati finished the season with a 4-4 road record, while the Jets finished 4-4 at home.
Plenty more on Sunday night's playoff-like game at our Bengals blog, Cincy Jungle, and our Jets blog, Gang Green Nation.
(Sports Network) - The New York Jets have been down this road before.
Just last week, coach Rex Ryan and Co. entered a game with fleeting playoff hopes against an opponent - in this case, the Indianapolis Colts - whose trip to the postseason was signed, sealed and delivered.
One controversial 29-15 win and lots of AFC help later, and the Jets are in control of their mid-January fate heading into the season's last weekend - again against a foe whose ticket is punched.
They'll host the Cincinnati Bengals, who've already clinched the AFC North Division and will either have a chance at a No. 3 seed or be locked into the No. 4 slot based on early Sunday results.
The Jets-Bengals contest was shifted from 1 p.m. to 8:20 p.m. for broadcast on NBC's marquee "Sunday Night Football" telecast.
It's also the final regular-season game at Giants Stadium, which will be replaced by a new facility to house both the Jets and New York Giants next season.
"We have a great opportunity in front of us," said Jets running back Thomas Jones, whose 1,324 yards this season are best on the NFL's top rushing team (166.6 yards per game). "It's so funny how things can change in a week in this league."
New York's hopes appeared dead and buried after falling to 7-7 with a 10-7 home defeat against Atlanta on Dec. 20, before the win over the previously unbeaten Colts - coupled with losses by Denver, Jacksonville and Miami - provided the inside track at the first of the conference's two wild card berths.
In fact, a Jets win would likely trigger a rematch between the two teams in the opening week of the AFC tournament - a 4 vs. 5 game that would be hosted by the Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati.
A Bengals win Sunday would give them the No. 3 seed, should Houston defeat New England in a 1 p.m. game. New York, meanwhile, cannot reach the playoffs without a victory.
The Jets were in a similar situation in 2001, when they defeated the Oakland Raiders, 24-22, in the final game of the season to earn a playoff berth and another date with the Raiders a week later.
New York lost the rematch that year, 38-24.
"I think we're built to be a team that can win in December and January," Ryan said. "I think we would be a very dangerous team if we make the playoffs."
Cincinnati heads toward the postseason for the first time since 2005, when it captured the AFC North with an 11-5 mark and was beaten in the playoffs by the eventual champion Pittsburgh Steelers.
Prior to 2005, the team hadn't reached the playoffs since 1990.
The Bengals stumbled to 8-8, 7-9 and 4-11-1 records in the last three seasons, but rebounded to 10-5 so far in 2009 in spite of a flurry of tragedy that recently included the death of wide receiver Chris Henry in a domestic dispute in North Carolina.
Also, as the Jets saw against the Colts last week, Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis admitted he may rest many of his players in Sunday's game, pending the New England result and other factors.
"They've got more on their shoulders than we do," Lewis said. "I think they have the pressure of having to win the football game to get into the playoffs, and so forth. I think our guys will be fine with it, I told them since the time we went to Minnesota it's like it's going to be the rest of the season and it's played out like that."
SERIES HISTORY
The Jets lead the all-time regular season series with the Bengals, 13-7, including a 26-14 win when they hosted Cincinnati in Week 6 of last season. The Bengals won the previous meeting, a 38-31 home triumph in Week 7 of the 2007 season.
The Bengals have never won at Giants Stadium, combining for an 0-10 record against the Giants and Jets in the facility. Cincinnati lost at the Meadowlands to both New York-area teams last season.
New York won the only postseason contest between the two, a 44-17 road victory in a 1982 AFC First-Round Playoff.
Lewis is 1-2 in his career against the Jets, while New York's Ryan will be meeting both Lewis and Cincinnati for the first time as a head man. Lewis and Ryan were both members of the Baltimore Ravens staff from 1999 through 2001, winning a Super Bowl together during the 2000 season.
WHEN THE BENGALS HAVE THE BALL
Once a more air-centric team, the Bengals have gone to the ground game more in 2009, courtesy of the resurgence of Cedric Benson. The former first-round pick and subsequent washout with the Chicago Bears was signed last year and played well late, before bursting this season for a career-high 1,251 yards. He's gone for 100 or more six times this season - a Bengals record - and is 49 yards from becoming just the third Cincinnati runner to reach 1,300 in a season. Recent pick-up Larry Johnson hasn't played much since his arrival, but he did go for 110 yards on nine carries in his only meeting with the Jets, in 2005 with Kansas City. On the passer-receiver side, QB Carson Palmer has a 102.3 passer rating in two career starts against the Jets. Wideout Chad Ochocinco is aiming for a fifth straight game with a TD. And Laveranues Coles meets his old team for the first time after seven seasons as a Jet.
Though only cornerback Darrelle Revis was recognized with Pro Bowl status among the defensive players, the Jets nonetheless enter the season's final week carrying a trio of gaudy numbers. New York is first in the league in yards per game allowed (264.3), passing yards per game allowed (163.9) and points per game allowed (15.7). Situationally, however, the team has given up decisive scores in late-stage losses to the Falcons, Dolphins, Bills and Jaguars. In fact, only two of the team's seven losses have come by more than five points. Defensive Player of the Year candidate Revis and his six INTs in 2009 are tied for second in the conference. Linebacker Calvin Pace ranks first with seven of the team's 29 sacks, a half-sack ahead of veteran end Shaun Ellis. Meanwhile, linebacker David Harris is No. 1 with 126 tackles, including 80 solos.
WHEN THE JETS HAVE THE BALL
Though widely panned because of pulled starters, the Jets' stat line against the Colts was a model of what they hope to expect in January - including 202 rushing yards and zero turnovers. Incidentally, over the past six seasons, teams reaching 200 yards on the ground with no turnovers are 66-2. New York is 148 rush yards away from eclipsing a franchise mark of 2,646 that's stood since 1979. Individually, Jones is two ground TDs away from snapping a career-high of 13 last year, and is 12 yards shy of passing his personal-best of 1,335 from 2005. He registered three TDs - one receiving, two rushing - in his last game against the Bengals. Elsewhere, quarterback Mark Sanchez has cut down on the mistakes and leads NFL rookies with 2,381 passing yards. Among his targets, former Cleveland Brown Braylon Edwards has five TDs in his last five games against Cincinnati.
While they don't come in with the top-end statistics the Jets can boast, the Bengals have been effectively stingy toward opponents for the bulk of 2009 as well. Their 300.1 yards allowed per game is third-best in the AFC, while the ball-hawking of cornerbacks Leon Hall and Johnathan Joseph has resulted in 12 interceptions between them - six apiece - making them the only AFC teammates with at least six. The totals account for the team lead and place the duo in a tie for second, with Revis, in the conference. As a unit, the defense has picked off 19 passes, which makes them a difficult challenge for Sanchez, who has thrown 20. Elsewhere, end Antwan Odom maintains the team lead with eight sacks even after he was lost for the season with an Achilles injury during the season's first half. Promising rookie linebacker Rey Maualuga will also miss the remainder of the season after fracturing an ankle last week against Kansas City.
FANTASY FOCUS
In a matchup of ground-pounding teams, the starting runners - Jones and Benson - are high-end properties. Outside of that, it gets dicey. Ochocinco will be limited by Revis, while Sanchez's habit for error is dangerous against a play- making secondary. If any other play must be made, make it the Bengals or Jets defense.
OVERALL ANALYSIS
After a year of bombastic extremes from Ryan and performance extremes from his players, the Jets are in the same old position of having to win to get in. And though history has frowned overall, their success rate in the decade - berths in 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2006 - isn't all that bad. Mix in a resting foe and the emotion of the final game in the swamp-side Valhalla called "The Meadowlands" and it seems an ideal scenario for the Jerseyites to reach the promised land. At least until next week.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Jets 20, Bengals 14
Cincy Jungle: Bengals Fans Pessimistically-Optimistic About Jets-Bengals Rematch
You can’t blame Bengals blog Cincy Jungle if they’re a little confused over what they say Sunday night in Cincinnati’s 37-0 blowout loss to the Jets. It’s already hard enough to be a Bengals fan as-is, let alone with the knowledge that your team laid down a week before a playoff game against the opponent.
Jan 04 12:30a by Sean Keeley - 0 comments