Taking care of business, everyday.
Taking care of business, every way.
Taking care of business is exactly what the New York Jets did as they shutdown the Cincinnati Bengals 37-0 in the swirling winds of the Meadowlands Sunday evening,á as the curtain came down one last time onáthis 34-year old facility.
TheáJets closed Giants Stadium in a way the New YorkáGiants could not. They continued their December hot streak by providing constant pressure on Carson Palmeráwhile Darrelle Revis shutdown Chad Ochocincoáin an impressiveá destruction of the AFC North champions!
The victory clinched the final playoff berth on the final day of the last game of the 2009 NFL season. This is fifth time the New York Jets would clinch a playoff berth on the last day of the regular season in this decade.
The scenario was simple.
Win and advance to the AFC playoffs and Wildcard weekend.
They did exactly that.
It was so easy, it was scary.
For the New York Jets, it’s been a season of ups and downs. The Jets begin the year with a 3-0 start but then fall under .500, onlyátoároar back in December with a 3-1 record and finish 9-7 for the second consecutive season.But unlike last year, the Jets in finished with their fifthá playoff berth since 2001.
The New York Jets dominated the first quarter while keeping the Bengals offense off the field by refusing to give up a first down while Carson Palmer started the game 0 for 6.
The Jet faithful were pumped and loud as they got behind this defense that has progressed throughout the year.
Trash-talking wideout Brad Ochocincoáwas irrelevant all evening as the wind was just as much a factor as anything else swirling about the Meadowlands!
For the Jets, it was a historic night for a nomadic franchise that’s never had a true home of its own.
A team originally known as the New YorkáTitans that played in the old Polo Grounds until they built Shea Stadium. Even at Shea, the newly namedáJets were essentially tenants of the New York Mets. The baseball club prevented the Jets from playing home games until after baseball season was over. This situation andáa new building across the Hudsonáknown as Giants Stadium lured Gang Green to New Jersey to a facility built exclusivelyáfor football.
But with the exception ofáa few seasons, the Jets were second fiddle to the New York Giants, who won two Super Bowls and three NFC conference championships.á During that period, the Jets were only able to muster a third appearance in an AFC championship gameáunder the guidance of a former Giant coach named Bill Parcells with a 12-4 record in 1998.
But tonight, the Jets owned the Meadowlands.
The dominant Monsters of the Meadowlands defense, led by Darrelle Revis and Bart Scott, kept Palmer and the Bengals under check in this unusual circumstance of having to face each other next week based on tonight’s victory.
With aá commitment to the run and the emergence of Brad Smith as the gadget player they miss with the loss of Leon Washington, the Jet offense has successfully lessened the burden on a rookie quarterback for the most part who played mistake free football since the 10-7 embarrassment to the Atlanta Falcons two weeks ago.
The Jets all but sealed the fate of the Bengals when Brad Smith ran the Wildcat to perfection with a 32-yard scamper to the end zone which extended the lead to 17-0. The touchdown brought a high-five from Head Coach Rex Ryan to embattled Offensive Coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, who many believe leaned way too hard on MarkáSanchez to keep the offense moving when not necessary.
Since the questionable play calling of the Atlanta loss, the Jets have stayed true to their strength as the offense has been anchored by the running of Thomas Jones and the quick strike capability of Brad Smith as both an offensive and special teams weapon. There is no doubt that Smith’s contributions to the Jet surge are a reason this team has extended the season to a 17th game and an opportunity to play in the AFC tournament.
The Jets played with a pride and sense of urgency that simply stampeded the Bengals into oblivion. The loss has to shake the Bengals’ confidence regardless of the fact they’ll have Rex Ryan’s Express at home in Cincinnati.
With a 24-0 lead, the Jets forced a Carson Palmer interception that lead to yet another Jet score that had the game out-of-control at 27-0 as Jay Feely nailed a 39-yard field goal at the 14:58 mark of the second quarter.
The Jets rolled up 250 yards in the first half wrecking of the Bengals who managed just 7 total yards while the Jets controlled the football for over 24 minutes! If the New York Jets are hitting their stride, they picked the perfect time as they prepare for what looks like a legitimate playoff run!
Things got no better in the second half as the Jetáfaithful could begin to leave for the heat of an outside fire in the parking lot or the warm confines of a heater as the Jets extended the lead to 30-0 with another Feely field goal.
The game got so out-of-hand that Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth did an interview with Texan quarterback Matt Schaub, whoásecured their first 9-7 season with a win earlier in the day with the hope that a Bengal win tonight would give the franchise its first playoff berth.
It was not to be.
With Palmer pulled from the game late in the third quarter, the only question was whether the Jets would shutout the Bengals. The only bright spot offensively Bengal fans could root for was a great one-handed grab by ex-Jet Laveranues Coles, who left the team after two stints to play with Cincinnati.
For the Jets, the team amassed over 2,700 yards on the ground this seasonáwhich eclipsed the old record held by the 1979 squad.
So as incredible as it may be, the 2009 version of the New York Jets finish 9-7áare the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs.
A cocky rookie headácoach and a talented rookie prone to the interception have turned this season around in about as dramatic fashion as possible.
The Jets win four of the last five and go 3-1 in December and 1-0 in January.
In a season where the talk was about undefeated squads, the Jets have had their ticket punched for a trip to the Queen City on the river and we’ll see just how far they can go with a defense that seems ready for a serious postseason run.
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