Notes from Jets 26-20 overtime win over the Browns

On Sunday the New York Jets beat the Cleveland Browns 26-20 in overtime to push their record to 7-2 on the season.  This is the Jets second consecutive overtime road victory and their 8th consecutive regular season road victory as well.

Here are some notes from the game.

1) Sanchez shines- Mark Sanchez had a solid game on Sunday as he passed for 299 yards with 2 touchdowns, along with a rushing td.  Sanchez made several good reads and displayed very good mobility in the pocket buying time to make plays down the field.  With the game on the line Mark made two big throws to seal the victory.

2) Another slow start for the defense- Gang Green’s defense got off to another slow start as the Browns gained 196 yards in the first half of the game.  I am not sure if the slow start is due to a lack of preparation, the players coming out flat, or a combination of both.  Whatever the reason it has to be addressed as teams are continuing to take it to the Jets defense early on.

3) Offensive play calling remains inconsistent- Even though the Jets put up 456 yards of offense the play calling remains very inconsistent.  There were several short yardage situations where the Jets opted to pass, including at the goal line, which just did not make sense for a team with a powerful running game.  It appears that offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer sometimes gets enamored with the passing game and ignores the strength of his ground attack.

4) What the Folk? Jets kicker Nick Folk had an awful day missing 3 field goals, including a 24-yard chip shot.  Everyone has a bad day but the misses are starting to add up for Folk.  I would not be opposed to the Jets bringing in a leg to put a sense of urgency back into Folk.  At this point Nick is lucky his misses did not cost the Jets at least two games.

5) Lucky or resilient? The Jets 7 wins are the most in the NFL but several are starting to question whether Gang Green is an elite team or just very lucky.  Gang Green seems to get some fortunate breaks each week, like Browns wide receiver Chansi Stuckey fumbling in overtime on Sunday.  At the same time the Jets create their own luck with their aggressive approach and never say die attitude.   The Jets have to get credit for being very resilient and finding ways to win games in the end.  Are they a dominate team? No. Can they be? Definitely.  The season is a marathon, not a sprint, and if the Jets can keep racking up wins without playing their best football, that can only be a positive thing.

Game ball: A game ball goes to wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery who made an amazing catch in overtime after hurting his leg while running his route.  Cotchery fully extended for the ball, secured it, and the play resulted in a first down.  Early reports indicate that J-Co could be out a few weeks from the injury.

Tyson Rauch

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