Dewayne Robertson and the Jets have been flying high under Eric Mangini. (AP) It's the second game at Giants Stadium in two weekends for Chicago, and this one smells like a trap. It's not that the Jets are more talented than Chicago; they're not. But, brother, does Eric Mangini have them playing well. So well, in fact, that people on Long Island are starting to mention -- dare we say it? -- the playoffs. I'm serious. It's so hard to imagine when you look at their roster. But then pop in the videotape of last weekend's win at New England and you begin to understand why it's not all that preposterous. It was a masterpiece, beautifully scripted and perfectly orchestrated. Now go back to the Jets' first scoring drive and review it play by play. There were 16 of them, with the series lasting 9:12, climaxed by a Kevan Barlow touchdown run. Now, tell me: When's the last time you remember anyone going into Foxborough and shoving the ball down the home team's throat for nine straight minutes? That's what I mean about these guys. They're not intimidating, but they sure get results. Which means Chicago should be cautious. The Jets threw a scare into Indianapolis here, and only the legs ... that's right, the legs ... of Peyton Manning pulled the Colts from an upset. Rex Grossman is no Peyton Manning, and he's so erratic he has the ability to win this one for both sides. He started slowly against the Giants a week ago, then righted himself and led the Bears to a lopsided win. That's the good news. The bad is that he can go bad at any moment and stay bad. He did it against Arizona. He did it against Miami. He started to do it against the Giants, throwing an interception on the first series and fumbling on the second, before pulling himself together. The Bears have trouble running, but they might be able to find holes against a Jets defense that ranks 31st overall and 28th against the run. They better hope they do. I'd trust Thomas Jones and my defense more than I would Grossman. Nothing against the quarterback, but those 20 turnovers -- including 11 by Grossman in three of Chicago's past four games -- scare me. Something to consider: In 11 career starts in November, the Jets' Chad Pennington is 8-3, completing 66 percent of his passes for 21 touchdowns, 6 interceptions and a 103.5 passer rating.
Nice article. What i don't understand is that if the Jets are the 31st defense with 28th against the run doesnt that mean that we are worse at defending the pass? I had the impression that the run defense was by far the worst aspect of our team. Edit: WOOOO I JUST REALIZED THIS IS MY 1000TH POST. im too cool
That should be enough to beat the Bears. CP is going to have to have a good one. The one thing I did notice in the Pats game was how quick his release can be , never knew he had it in him.Impressive.
heck, why even play the game? Jets: 6-4. Bears: 8-2. There. Let's move onto next week!!!! edit: Pats 6-4
yeah, that confused me a bit too. i think there's an error in the article's numbers. but it was a good read and i'm definitely psyched for this game! cheers
If you look at the stats section at NFL.com, for Defence we are rated 21st against the Pass, 28th against the Run, and 31st Overall....Don't know how that works!!
Well, someone could be worse than the Jets in run defense but have the 3rd-ranked pass defense. Overall, the Jets would be worse.
