That was a hell of a football game. There were so many ups and downs, so many momentum swings. The Jets went up 24-6 early, with a picture perfect offensive display, then when it came down to the 2 minute segment of the first half, the Jets let the Patriots off the ropes with conservative play.

The Patriots couldn’t stop them for the entire first half, the Jets get the ball back and run once, then throw a short pass, then get a delay a game and finally run a draw then punt. After that the Patriots proceeded to take the ball and take all momentum, attacking Dwight Lowery and the rest of the bewildered Jets defense en route to a touchdown, which gave them life and sucked the wind out of the Jets.

Other thoughts on the game:

-I don’t think the Jets will win anything with Eric Mangini on the sideline. There is no reason why the Jets should have been forced to win this game multiple times and that is exactly what happened. After dominating early, the Jets instead of burying the Patriots let the foot off the gas. Therefore the Patriots were in this game for far too long. Between the extremely frustrating rush 3 and 4 on defense, and the head scratching playcalling on offense, the Jets looked like a completely different football team. That is a sign of bad coaching.

-Dwight Lowery should not be a starting CB on a team with championship aspirations, period. I think he has promise, and he is doing alright for a 4th round rookie thrust into a starting role of a complicated scheme, but he isn’t accustomed to the game speed in the NFL yet, and it shows every week. As much as I know Darrelle Revis is a stud, there is a reason no one throws at him. Why throw at him when you have Lowery on the other side?

– Jerricho Cotchery continues to be a Patriot killer. It seems like every time these two teams get together, Cotchery makes a big play to change the game. His fumble hurt, but with the amount of good he did, it went largely unnoticed. It’s amazing that Herman Edwards really had this guy on the bench in favor of Captain Concussion, Wayne Chrebet. That one-handed catch he made on the duck thrown by Favre was absolutely splendid.

– Dustin Keller showed exactly why the Jets took him in the first round. He has playmaking ability, good speed, and has good hands. He played a great game tonight and caused problems for New England over the middle of the field, which came into play later on, when a NE linebacker jumped a route to Keller, leaving Coles open behind him on the catch that put the Jets in FG range during the OT session. The threat of Keller opened up space for Coles. It was a beautiful sight, and hopefully one that will be seen a few more times throughout the remainder of the season.

-Matt Cassel looked very good tonight. He made a lot of plays with his feet, and he has a strong arm as seen with the velocity he had on his passes. I think he has a future in the league, and think this Patriots offense could be potent with him, if he ever learns how to throw deep passes. He had Randy Moss open deep twice, and overthrew him by a mile each time. Other than that, his game is fine. Maybe it’s the system masking his deficiencies? Who knows, but if the offensive line gives him time to pass the team will be fine.

-This is the type of game the Jets acquired Brett Favre to win, and win he did. Favre was magnificent tonight and this was his best game as a Jet to date. He was precise with his throws, he had his trademark fastball tonight. He made good decisions and got everyone involved in the game. He led the team to 27 points in hostile territory with a defensive wizard on the other sideline (one that has owned him for the last decade to boot), and led this team from the dead twice. After New England kicked the FG to tie the game at 24, Favre led the team down on a long touchdown drive. After New England tied the game at the end of the fourth in logic defying fashion, Favre drove the team down in overtime to win it. This is the type of game the Jets got Favre to win, and this is why I’m glad Favre is on this team instead of Chad Pennington. Thank god. Brett showed why he’s a Hall of Famer, tonight. He took the team on his back and carried it to a win

– I love Leon Washington. The guy is exciting, and is a return demon. I wish they would give him the ball more but with Jones going the way he is, that case is starting to dwindle.

All in all, I am very proud of this Jets team. They went up 24-6, by dominating the Patriots, the Patriots came back, and they withstood the barrage on two different occasions. This is the type of game the Jets historically do not win, and never have. It feels like the culture is changing with the New York Jets, and we’ll see how it goes even though I feel with each game I watch, the Jets slash a year off of my life. Congrats to the Jets, they deserve this. Now keep the train going, don’t stop. Ride it all the way to an AFC East crown.

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