45-3...ouch. The Jets for all practical purposes looked awful on Monday night. The Patriots thoroughly lambasted them in every aspect of the game. The game was over at halftime...Devin McCourty officially put the nail in the coffin on the first drive of the second-half; intercepting Sanchez on the 2.
However forgive me if I'm not ready to proclaim the New England Patriots Super Bowl Champs or the Jets a fraud. I do belive New England are the best team in the AFC right now, their record alone shows that. But what has gotten lost in the media since last nght's game is the fact that the Jets dominated the Patriots at home in week 2. Don't get me wrong, I think New England are definitely the better team and I don't believe the Jets can win in Foxboro. However, to take last night as a referendum on both the Jets and Patriots season is ridiculous. One need not look farther that the 2007 season to see that. The 07' Giants allowed 30+ points 4 times and lost by 20+ twice; yet they still managed to beat undefeated New England in the Super Bowl.
The Jets are not the 2007 Giants; they are very different teams in terms of style. But the Jets are certainly still an elite team. It is true that they are 1-3 against teams with a winning record. But in 2 of those games (Baltimore and Green Bay), the Jets were in the game the entire way. This is the only game in which the Jets have been dominated all season, and I don't expect it to happen again. Last night's game may not have been an aberration in-so-far that the Patriots are better than the Jets; but they are not 42 points better. The next 4 games will tell how good the Jets really are.
The Jets still play both Chicago and Pittsburgh on the road. If they lose both of those games, I will agree with the media and say they are not a legitimate championship contender. However, if the Jets close out the season 4-0, can anyone really say that they are not? Pittsburgh is certainly an elite team and the Bears are looking better and better every week. I think that playoff seeding will play the most important role in how far the Jets can go.
If the Jets have to go into New England again in the post-season, I don't think they can win. However, just because New England is sitting at 10-2 today doesn't guarantee that they will finish 14-2. Whats more is that if the Pats somehow--although this scenario is unlikely--slip up against Miami or Buffalo, the Jets will control their own destiny in the division again. The Jets are more than capable of beating New England in the swirling winds of the meadowlands; week 2 told us that. It is also possible that the Jets will not have to play New England again at all. Who is to say that Baltimore won't be the 6 seed and upset New England in the second round? That is a very possible scenario and, just to remind everyone, the Ravens made New England look more like school girls than an NFL power in last year's playoff meeting.
The Jets bandwagon definitely lost some of its passengers last night; not without merit either. However, this team has 2 more tough contests in which they can prove their ability. People scoff at their win in Cleveland as "escaping from a bad team" yet Cleveland pounded the Pats and Saints in the two weeks prior. The NFL is a fickle and unpredictable game, no one will praise a 45-3 win if the Pats slip up against the Dolphins or Bils. No one will call the Jets illegitimate if they beat the Bears and Steelers on the road. In fact, this game may end up being one of the most important games they play all year.
The Jets have talked the talk--much to my delight--and walked the walk all year; until last night. It is more than possible a beating at the hands of their rivals will get them more focused. Some of the Jets larger issues had been covered up till last night (inability to get to the quarterback), those issues are much more obvious and easier to address today. No one wants to listen about what they did wrong while their 9-2, after a 45-3 loss players better be listening...Of course if the Jets lay an egg at home against Miami this week I'll eat my hat and call them dead. The Jets aren't the first team to be humbled after about of overconfidence.
"Plax only thinks we're gonna score 17 points??" I'm sure Giants fans remember that quite well. For anyone who doesn't, thats Tom Brady before playing the Giants in the 07' Super Bowl; we all know how that turned out. If anyone had been told going into that post-season the Giants were going to run the table, they would have laughed. But sure enough they did and the unbeatable Pats folded. I think the Jets will bounce back from this loss.
In a league of parody, a team doesn't get to 9-2 without being elite. If the Jets had lost 24-21 in a close game would anyone be calling them frauds today? The Jets had a ton of problems last night--most of them self-inflicted--aside from getting run over by Tom Brady. Steve Weatherford punted the ball 13 yards down 10-0, Rex Ryan made an awful challenge call and an even worse decision decided to kick a 53 yard field goal with the much-maligned Nick Folk. Braylon Edwards ended two first half drives with dropped passes. Eric Smith comitted an assinine pass interference on a ball that Rob Gronkowski had absolutely no chance to catch. All of this happened in the first half and resulted with the Jets going into the locker room trailing 24-3. Putting your second-year quarterback in that kind of hole, on the road, in Foxboro, is a recipe for a blowout. If you take out the Jets miscues, this is probably a much closer game.
Anyway enough ranting...here are my predictions for the way the playoffs will shape up:
AFC
1. New England (13-3)
2. Pittsburgh (12-4)
3. Indiannapolis (10-6)
4. Kansas City (10-6)
5. Baltimore (12-4)
6. New York (12-4)
NFC
1. Atlanta (13-3)
2. New York (11-5)
3. Green Bay (11-5)
4. St. Louis (9-7)
5. New Orleans (12-4)
6. Philadelphia (11-5)
MVP: Tom Brady
Offensive Player of the Year: Arian Foster
Defensive Player of the Year: Clay Matthews
Coach of the Year: Bill Belichick
