The New York Jets went into the the week 17 match up against the Buffalo Bills with nothing to lose. They had secured a playoff berth the previous week. So the goal was simple, stay healthy.
Mission accomplished.
The inactive player list looked like an all-star team:
Antonio Cromartie – CB
Shonn Greene – RB
James Ihedigbo – DB
Darrelle Revis – CB
Eric Smith – FS
LaDainian Tomlinson – RB
Damien Woody – T
So what did the Jets JV team do? They stepped up in a big way. Mark Sanchez started but did not throw a pass. The backup quarterbacks filled in nicely, Brad Smith and Joe McKnight ran all over the place and the defense was terrific. Look at these numbers:
The defense had 3 sacks, numerous pressures, 4 interceptions and a touchdown by Marquice Coles (2 INT).
In addition to staying healthy and resting players they seemed to build a little momentum as well. Next up, Indianapolis in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.