2008 Woodie Awards
One Mistake Too Many
Rob MacKerchar
Issue date: 10/28/04 Section: Sports
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Last week, I, like so many others, said that the Patriots winning streak would end at the hand of Herman Edwards and his Jets. On paper, the Jets matched up well against the Patriots. Against a blitzing defense like the Patriots, the best offense is a run-heavy one; the Jets have one of the best running backs in the league in Curtis Martin. Chad Pennington has been showing poise beyond his years - making big throws and avoiding poor ones.
The Jets defense has been a little shaky, but they've made big plays when necessary, and most importantly, the Jets have been winning ugly games. The Pats don't win many games by large margins, so it all comes down to big plays at the end of the game to close out a victory. Most teams don't know how to close out the Patriots, but the Jets have been winning in a similar fashion, so it would appear as though they'd have a good shot at taking down the unbeatable defending champs. Yet, it just didn't happen.
The Jets-Pats game was a close one, for sure but still, some could even call it boring. There was no scoring whatsoever in the second half. Pennington didn't make any costly errors, but he also didn't make any big plays. In a no touchdown, no interference performance, Pennington went 19 for 30 for a completion percentage of 63.3 percent. Heading into this game, Pennington was averaging 230 yards per game with a TD, completing over 70 percent of his passes. This wasn't the worst game of his career, but against the Patriots and that suffocating defense, you need to play to your full potential.
Pennington wasn't the real reason for the close loss on Sunday, however. In reality, he is the last person to blame. Martin, who needed to exploit that Patriots run defense, ran 20 times for just 3.5 yards per carry, totaling 70 on the day. In the previous five wins, Martin ran for an average of 123 yards on 26 carries, which is an impressive 4.7 yards per carry. He also ran for six touchdowns in those five games. He had none on Sunday. Now any real football fan can testify to the fact that a lack of rushing offense is as much the offensive line's fault as the running back; part of the blame must go to them also.
The Jets defense has been a little shaky, but they've made big plays when necessary, and most importantly, the Jets have been winning ugly games. The Pats don't win many games by large margins, so it all comes down to big plays at the end of the game to close out a victory. Most teams don't know how to close out the Patriots, but the Jets have been winning in a similar fashion, so it would appear as though they'd have a good shot at taking down the unbeatable defending champs. Yet, it just didn't happen.
The Jets-Pats game was a close one, for sure but still, some could even call it boring. There was no scoring whatsoever in the second half. Pennington didn't make any costly errors, but he also didn't make any big plays. In a no touchdown, no interference performance, Pennington went 19 for 30 for a completion percentage of 63.3 percent. Heading into this game, Pennington was averaging 230 yards per game with a TD, completing over 70 percent of his passes. This wasn't the worst game of his career, but against the Patriots and that suffocating defense, you need to play to your full potential.
Pennington wasn't the real reason for the close loss on Sunday, however. In reality, he is the last person to blame. Martin, who needed to exploit that Patriots run defense, ran 20 times for just 3.5 yards per carry, totaling 70 on the day. In the previous five wins, Martin ran for an average of 123 yards on 26 carries, which is an impressive 4.7 yards per carry. He also ran for six touchdowns in those five games. He had none on Sunday. Now any real football fan can testify to the fact that a lack of rushing offense is as much the offensive line's fault as the running back; part of the blame must go to them also.