The New York Jets received exactly what they needed today as Jake Delhomme and the Carolina Panthers came to town. The NY Jets were victorious by a score of 17 to 6 and improved to 5 and 6 on the season. The loss dropped the Panthers to 4 and 7.
How did the Jets play? Well enough to win.
After a rough stretch in recent weeks, the Jets defense stepped up and completely shut down the Panthers offense. Jake Delhomme only completed 14 passes and threw 34 times for 126 yards. He constantly had a NY Jets defender in his face and threw 4 interceptions.
Kerry Rhodes responded to his benching with his biggest game of the year. Eric Smith played well at safety, leading the team with 8 solo tackles. Smith played physical and had several big hits which is what Rex Ryan wants to see. Rhodes, who played on passing downs, had two interceptions. Darrelle Revis had the other two interceptions along with a touchdown. Revis is continuing his assault on # 1 wide receivers this season. Steve Smith was thrown to 5 times and ended the day with 1 reception for 5 yards.
The Jets offense had 39 total carries for 139 yards (3.6 yard average). They played with a lead all game and Mark Sanchez was 13/17 for 154 yards. He did throw another interception, a badly thrown pass which was intended for Braylon Edwards. Overall, Sanchez did a much better job today. He did tweak his knee on a short run, so that is worth watching since the Jets have a short week. Next up is the Toronto (Buffalo) Bills on Thursday 12/03.
Turnovers are still an area of concern, today Shonne Greene and Dustin Keller both fumbled in the red zone. That is an area the Jets must improve upon. Check back for the JetNation.com Report Card and stop by our forums for all the latest Jets news.