They were all business this week leading up to the game and it showed on game day. Cincinnati never had a chance in this one. The Jets got on top early and never let up.
Although this team may still make some noise, getting this far is a surprising payoff. There were modest expectations considering their rookie head coach and quarterback but despite their inexperience at these two important spots, they stayed in the hunt until their last game.
The Jets are the first team in league history to have a rookie QB throw 20 interceptions and still make the playoffs.
The fact that the Jets are in the tournament, despite their young quarterback, is a testament to the caliber of this team. I have little doubt Sanchez will be a good one but he is still learning and has challenged the coaching staff to design game plans that leverage his skills but do not hamstring the team.
Ryan has done a good job making adjustments. Ever since he became more involved in the offense, even though it came somewhat late, Sanchez has made fewer mistakes and the team has won as a result.
Sanchez had 16 pass attempts, right in the 15-20 range where he should be, and the Jets’ rushing attack had a season-high 57 attempts. Jets fans could not have scripted a better story line.
The Jets’ line was fantastic. It dominated the line of scrimmage from the outset and never took its foot off the Bengals’ throat. Just check out these numbers: 257 rushing yards, 41-19 advantage in time of possession, 11-18 on 3rd down, 15 rushing first downs and 3-5 in the red zone. It does not get much better than that!
The Jets’ line also did a great job in pass protection. Sanchez was barely touched and the Bengals had no sacks nor any hits on him.
The Jets held the ball for all but 55 seconds of the first quarter. Their second drive covered 74 yards in 21 plays and ate up over 11 minutes of the clock.
If the Bengals had anything to play for at that point, it was gone after that drive. The cold weather and the scoreboard had them thinking of next week and getting out of New Jersey.
In addition to the offensive line, no game ball is more deserving than Brad Smith’s. For the second consecutive week he made huge plays to spark the team.
His 57-yard option run was the biggest play of the game. It not only set the Jets up at Cincinnati’s 1-yard line, it seemed to break their spirit and created momentum the Jets would never relinquish.
Smith picked up great blocks by Brandon Moore and Nick Mangold and was barely touched until he was 30 yards downfield. From there he stiff-armed CB Leon Hall and fended off Jonathan Joseph and picked up another 20-yards on his own.
Smith’s 32-yard TD run was a thing of beauty. He weaved through traffic and ran through a tackle by LB Rashad Jeanty who was filling in for the injured Rey Maualuga.
Smith’s runs, and those of Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene, were made possible by a tremendous effort by the whole offensive line and FB Tony Richardson.
Smith’s recent play highlights another smart coaching move by Rex Ryan. His predecessor failed to find the right role for Smith, trying to convert him to a pure wide receiver but Ryan has him playing the same position he played at Missouri.
Smith was an option QB then and thrived when he was allowed to create with his feet. Ryan used him 8 times either under center or out of a wildcat formation and it really took a lot of pressure off Sanchez.
The types of pass plays called for Sanchez have also taken pressure off him. In this game he rolled out more, threw on the run and targeted receivers outside the hash marks. These plays carry less risk than throws down the middle of the field.
Great job of coaching by Ryan who is finally using Sanchez in ways that help, rather than hurt, this team.
But Sanchez and the offense were not alone in their dominance of the Bengals. The defense played a huge part as well and had just as impressive numbers as the offense: Carson Palmer was 1-11, the Bengal’s offense had only 72 total yards, committed 3 turnovers and were 1-11 on 3rd down.
Cincinnati’s offensive line never looked comfortable with the Jets’ pass rush. In particular, it really struggled when the Jets brought pressure off the edge from their secondary.
Kerry Rhodes had an excellent game. In fact, his performance might have saved his job. After getting benched one month ago, he played inspired football.
The play that will probably be most memorable for Rex Ryan is the hit Rhodes laid on Chad Ochocinco. On the play, Revis had help over the top and was in trail position.
Ochocinco ran a slant and the ball was on target but he could not hold on after surely hearing footsteps from Rhodes who was bearing down on him. Rhodes delivered a shot with his shoulder and Ochocinco was slow to get up.
This was the only hard hit Rhodes has delivered all season but if he can keep it up, he will have earned his way out of Ryan’s doghouse.
Ryan had success using Rhodes at the line of scrimmage too. He knocked down two passes on blitzes and rushed Palmer’s throw on a third that led to an incompletion.
After some weak performances this season, Rhodes may still be part of the Jets’ future plans.
Darrelle Revis continued his exceptional play. We can now add Chad Ochocinco to the impressive list of receivers he has shut down this season.
You can’t do much better than this line: Ochocinco – 0 catches for 0 yards. Although it will probably not silence the always-talkative receiver, there should be no doubt as to who is the better player in this match-up.
And there should be no doubt for NFL voters; Darrelle Revis has been the most dominant defensive player in the league. It is rare for a corner to win the Defensive Player of the Year award but this should be a slam-dunk.
The Jets lost David Harris to an ankle injury in the second quarter but his absence did not deter a solid defensive effort. Aside from Rhodes, there was not a clear-cut game changer but the entire group played well as a unit and turned in an outstanding performance.
No player had more than four tackles but everyone got in on the show. Bryan Thomas set the edge well, fended off blocks and forced runs to the inside. He also did a nice job getting to the perimeter and shut down a screen pass that looked to be well set up.
Calvin Pace another solid game as he had two tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss and 1 hit on the QB. He made a few nice plays, crashing the backfield and beating his opponent with his quickness.
As well as the Jets’ defense has played, you can’t help but feel they will get better. After only one year in Ryan’s system, this unit can get better - a pretty scary thought.
The last week of the season is usually the time when the Jets’ organization starts contemplating a coaching change, a roster shake up or at the very least a shift in mindset to free agency but not this year. This was one of those rare seasons where the team actually exceeded expectations and it could be a sign of things to come.
Rex Ryan has this team peaking at just the right time. Winners of 5 of 6, the Jets will be a tough opponent for anyone.
They have the perfect formula for postseason success – a dominant running game and a shutdown defense. That combination makes them very dangerous, particularly in this wildcard round.
Besides the 37-0 beat down, the Jets happen to match up well against Cincinnati in the rematch. The Bengals will no doubt be playing guys who sat out yesterday, Cedric Benson being the most prominent, but the Jets still have a great chance to win.
It is never easy to win on the road, especially in the playoffs but the Bengals are a vulnerable team right now. They have lost 3 of 4 and their collective psyche may not have recovered from the tragic loss of Chris Henry.
In addition to the emotional scars, Henry was an important part of their passing game, which has struggled without him.
Jets fans should not get overconfident for this next game. Despite the Jets’ dominant performance yesterday, Jets Nation must keep this victory in perspective. Cincinnati had little to play for and rested a number of starters on defense. They will look very different next game, especially playing in front of their own crowd.
The Jets’ players were very measured in their responses to questions about the Colts’ game. They knew they were fortunate to face a back up QB for much of the second half and should show the same respect to a Bengals team that will be more fired up in the rematch.