Fier Thy Words: Sports Edition
  • 10:45 PM ET  10.26
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10/26/08

The expression "it doesn't matter how you win" falls on deaf ears following the Jets' 28-24 win this afternoon, as the team will head to Buffalo with as many question marks surrounding themselves, if not more, as they had heading into their game with the lowly Kansas City Chiefs.

Former head coach Herman Edwards certainly did his best in playing to win the game, and nearly stunned the Jets in front of an anxious Meadowlands crowd after Brett Favre was intercepted three times, including one which went 91 yards the other way for a Kansas City touchdown.

After scoring early on a Leon Washington catch and run, the Jets' offense was inconsistent and unable to put points on the board until the final minutes of the first half, when once again it was Washington who bailed out Favre with a long touchdown run that put his team up 14-7.

The defense didn't look good, rarely getting pressure on Chiefs third-string quarterback Tyler Thigpen, who looked like he was the soon-to-be Hall of Famer, outplaying Favre by throwing for 280 yards and going 25-for-37 with a pair of touchdown passes.

In addition to playing a quarterback making his second career start, the Chiefs were without Larry Johnson, yet were winning until Favre hit Laveranues Coles with a minute left for a 15-yard score, putting the Jets ahead for good.

While the Jets escaped with a win, there is plenty of concern as they go to Buffalo next week for a game that easily could have been a battle for first place had the Jets taken care of the Raiders last week.

We can start with Favre, who should have been picked off four times, yet had three passes intercepted and reminded everybody how bad his decision making can be at times, twice throwing deep balls which had no hope of being completed, both of which fell into the hands of defenders.

Favre, once again, took a number of big hits, as his offensive line was mediocre at best.  Favre's numbers (28-for-40, 290 yards, two TDs, three INTs) don't tell the whole story. He was able to make a few big throws down the stretch, including the game winner to Coles. 

The bottom line, though, is that the play calling, still a problem within itself, allowed Favre the chance to stretch out the field, yet saw Favre make some of the same questionable decisions that have plagued him throughout his career.

A loss today likely would have fallen squarely on the shoulders of Favre, yet the defense rarely came up with a big stop, allowing a number of third down conversions and two touchdown drives to an offense playing without its best player (Johnson) and without either of its top two quarterbacks.

The play calling wasn't as big a problem as it was last week, although on the defensive side of the football there was a noticeable lack of pressure on Thigpen, allowing him to pick apart the Jets' secondary.

The game ball goes to Washington, who scored twice and set up the game-winning score with a 37-yard punt return that gave the Jets the ball inside Chiefs territory.

At 4-3, the Jets are lucky to be where they are: Just a game out of first place despite the fact the team hasn't looked good for 60 minutes yet this season.

Even in wins against Miami, Arizona, Cincinnati, and Kansas City, the team has looked vulnerable on both sides of the football, and as they approach the halfway point of the season, they'll have to put together a much better effort in Buffalo for an opportunity to end the first half of the season above .500 and, amazingly, tied for first place.

Yes, the Jets were able to do just enough to earn a victory; however, playing down to the level of their opponent for a second consecutive week nearly cost them another victory. 

With Buffalo's loss to Miami, the door is open for the Jets to remain in the thick of a divisional title hunt.

However, if they continue to play like they have so far this season, when it comes to playoff hopes, they can for-Brett about it.

 

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