After Sloppy Game, Jets Find a Way in Detroit

JETS 23
LIONS 20

If the Jets are going to make the playoffs, they have a lot to clean up. From penalties, lack of discipline, bad play calling, and bad player judgment, the Jets did everything in their power to lose their game against the Detroit Lions, in Detroit, Sunday.

Trailing 20-10 in the fourth quarter, the Jets had been flagged 11 times, some of which were of the unsportsmanlike conduct variety, they ran the ball only 22 times, the same number of times they ran the ball in a 9-0 loss to Green Bay a week ago. Mark Sanchez had been awful, and the Jets defense did nothing to stop Matthew Stafford.

After a five yard penalty on the Jets offense with 4:26 to go, suddenly the Jets fortunes changed. Sanchez shrugged off the bad karma, and delivered an 18 yard strike to Jerricho Cotchery, then hit Dustin Keller and LaDainian Tomlinson for six yard each. Sanchez finally hit Keller again on a 25 yard completion down the middle to spot the ball at the Detroit six yard line.

Two plays later, Sanchez scored on the quarterback keeper to cut the Lions lead to 20-17.

After Detroit went three and out, the Jets got one more shot to try to tie or win the game. Sanchez hit Tomlinson for a 10 yard gain, then Keller for 11 more. He went back to Tomlinson again for a 15 yard gain, which was followed by a 15 yard personal foul on Detroit for pushing Tomlinson out of bounds to put the ball at Detroit 20.

The Jets ran the clock down to four seconds, before Nick Folk put through the game tying field goal to draw the Jets even at 20.

The Jets won the coin toss in overtime, and typical with the horrid overtime rule, the team that gets the ball first usually wins.

Sanchez hit a wide open Santonio Holmes for a 52 yard gain to get the Jets deep into Detroit territory. After a couple short runs by Tomlinson, Folk kicked the game winner, an easy 30 yarder to give the Jets the comeback victory.

Sanchez threw for a career high 352 yards, and was 10 - of - 13 in the final three scoring drives for the Jets, including the rushing touchdown. He was clutch when he needed to be.

The Jets needed this win.

The Patriots were defeated by the Cleveland Browns 34-14, meaning a Jets victory over the Lions would catipulte the Jets back into first in the AFC East. Now the Jets are back in first, and will get ready for those same Browns next weekend, and their old coach, Eric Mangini.