The two have played a pair of memorable games there the past 10 months as last December New England put on a Baltimore-like whipping of the Jets in a 45–3 blowout that sent New York’s season into a temporary tail-spin. After losing three of four during that stretch they eventually turned things around, culminating in a shocking 28–21 playoff win again at Foxboro that sent them to the AFC title game.
Despite getting the last leg up in their continued rivalry, Rex Ryan, a recent inductee to the Southwestern Oklahoma State University Hall of Fame, still has plenty of respect for the task in front of them. Said the Jet’s coach according to their website, “We know what it takes—it takes everything.”
Everything is something the Jets haven’t come up with lately. While their loss at Oakland was perplexing to say the least, the 34–17 shellacking that the Ravens put on them was flat-out embarrassing.
Not only could their offense not create room to run the ball (something fans are by now getting used to) they couldn’t provide protection to throw it either. Sadly their best chance at scoring was when their over-matched-offense was on the sidelines. “They really gave it to us up front,” said a considerably understated Ryan.
Fortunately for their front, All-Pro center Nick Mangold is scheduled to make his return this Sunday after missing the last two-and-a-half games with a high ankle sprain. His return on paper would seem to be the answer to what’s ailing their supposed bread-and-butter ground game but Ryan doesn’t think their offense’s success is a one-player solution, “We have one of the best left tackles [D’Brickashaw Ferguson] in football right there, a great right guard [Brandon Moore], the best right guard in the league in my opinion, a massive right tackle with athleticism [Wayne Hunter], a huge left guard [Matt Slauson]. We ought to be able to run the football more than 38 yards.”
While the running game continues to sputter, third-string running back Joe McKnight continues to impress—elsewhere on the field of course. The second-year athlete from USC may have been the lone bright spot against the Ravens with his 107-yard kickoff return as well as his brief but effective role on defense.
Whether he would carry the ball more this week though wasn’t clear according to the head coach: “When you look at him, the production he’s had—he returns a kick for a touchdown, forces a fumble on a kick, causes an interception—I think if we can ever establish the rhythm we want to establish, I think he can do some things offensively for us.”
Indeed, the Jets will certainly need to do “some” things offensively if Ryan plans on entering any other Halls of Fame.
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