Week 3 Preview: Jets vs. Titans

by Mike Trovato

Week 3- September 27th, 2009
Tennessee Titans @ New York Jets
Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ







Chris Johnson is explosive. Just ask the Houston Texans.

With his performance last week, the second year back out of East Carolina set personal single-game bests in numerous categories: Rushing yards (197); Yards from scrimmage (284); Receptions (9); Longest run from scrimmage (91 yards); Longest reception (69 yards); and Yards per carry (12.3). Needless to say, shutting Johnson down will be the biggest challenge for the Jets defense this Sunday.
http://www.newyorkjets.com/fan_zone/photos
Gang Green possesses the league's top ranked defense in both yards per game (241.0) and points allowed. They have yet to allow a touchdown to an opponent's offense, and held Tom Brady and the Patriots to just three field goals in last week's 16-9 victory. Further, the Jets rushing defense is 6th best in the league against the run (60.5 YPG).

As good as the Jets are against the run, however, the Titans stack up even better, allowing a stout 1.9 yards per carry through the first two weeks of the season. Granted, they have faced Pittsburgh's declining rushing attack, followed by Houston's potent passing game, but the numbers are no fluke. In 2008, the Titans' run D finished 6th in the league, 16 less yards on the ground than the next best team- the New York Jets.

With such comparable numbers against the run, the contrast lies in the passing defense, a category in which the Titans are ranked dead last, already yielding 678 yards through the air this season. The Jets, on the other hand have allowed just 361 yards to opposing QB's, 4 yards more than Houston racked up against Tennessee last weekend.

At 0-2, Tennessee can ill afford to go 0-for-September, especially being in the same division as the already 2-0 Indianapolis Colts. That being said, there has to be an added sense of determination bordering desperation for Jeff Fisher's Titans to post a W this week on the road. Unfortunately for them, they will have to go through a hot New York Jets squad that is flying high off of last week's win at the expense of Bill Belichick's Pats.

Key Matchup: Jets receivers vs. Titans Secondary
The Titans secondary has been picked apart by Ben Roethlisberger and Santonio Holmes in Week 1, Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson in Week 2. The Jets don't have a big time receiver like the Pro Bowler Johnson or Super Bowl MVP Holmes, but what they do have are three reliable targets in Jerricho Cotchery, Dustin Keller and Leon Washington.
For the first time in his brief NFL career, Mark Sanchez will be relied on to be the playmaker and find his targets right out of the gate and get these guys the ball. The Jets O-line will need to protect the rook, against an Albert Haynesworth-less Tennessee defense that has recorded just four sacks. The versatility of Cotchery, Keller and Washington could cause trouble for Tennessee's defense, and given the protection, Sanchez has the tools and talent to put up big numbers.

http://www.titansonline.com/media-center/photo-gallery/Texans-34-Titans-31/

Key Matchup: Chris Johnson vs. Jets Linebackers
If we already know about Chris Johnson and how dangerous he is (and we do), Rex Ryan certainly is aware of this as well. This is one matchup in which New York's aggressiveness could potentially hurt them, should they over-pursue the speedy Johnson. Ryan's run defenses have ranked top 3 in each of the past 3 seasons, and since 2003 have not ranked worse than 9th. Yes, that was with different personnel, but I have to trust that trend- the guy knows how to run a defense. I doubt we'll see anything close to last week's debacle, and Johnson will come back down to earth.

Over/Under: 1.5 sacks- Jets Defense Kerry Collins received the best pass protection in the league last season behind an offensive line that allowed a mere 12 sacks. Collins had 7 starts in which he did not throw a single touchdown pass last year, but avoided being sacked in 8 starts as the team relied heavily on the run. If the Jets, who are 24th with only 2 sacks, can get to Collins at least twice, it will mean that they've neutralized the Titans running game, a huge factor in this game. 2+ sacks could very well equal a Jet win #3.

Titans Wildcard: LenDale White
With Chris Johnson being one of the worst kept secrets in the NFL, LenDale White may be an unexpected twist to the game plan. Despite being a downhill, bruising back, but hasn't seen double digit touches since Week 16 of last season. White took offense to comments by Bart Scott last season, regarding LenDale's weight. It will be interesting to see if he gets more touches as a compliment to Johnson.

Jets Wildcard: David Clowney/Thomas Jones
To have success on the ground, the Jets must have success through the air. If they try to run early and fail, the passing game may suffer, which would spell trouble for Gang Green. My suggestion is this: The Titans can't stack the box if the Jets have three or four receivers on the field. I mean they could, but Sanchez is no slouch, and if you allow him to get off the quick pass under pressure, he likely will. Maybe we'll see some David Clowney in some 3-wide sets this week in an effort to open things up for Washington and Thomas Jones. If they put in Clowney and split Leon out as well, who knows, Thomas Jones may be in for an unexpected big day.

Prediction:
Field position won't be the same factor it was for the Jets last week, because frankly, it doesn't much matter when Chris Johnson can score from anywhere on the field. However, so can Leon Washington. I'd be very surprised if the Jets don't find creative ways to get Washington the ball. Ultimately, it is unlikely that we will be seeing an 100-yard rushing performance by any back in this game, and it will come down to the QB's.
Before the season started, I picked the Jets to bounce back from a loss to New England with in this contest, but a win against the Patriots never hurts. I'm still a few games away from predicting a breakout game from Sanchez, but if the Titans play him to pass, the Jets will run, so this may be his first solid opportunity to put up some bigger numbers.
Jets 20, Titans 10

New York, New York

by Mike Trovato

It's a great time to be a football fan in New York right now.

Two weeks have gone by in this new football season, and nine NFL teams have kicked off the 2009 campaign by starting 2-0. Two of those nine teams hail from New York.

Yes, the Jets and Giants both had their share of critics heading into the new season. Both franchises were in a bit of a transitional period, Gang Green ushering in a new head coach and quarterback, Big Blue auditioning a cast of unproven wide receivers to replace veterans Amani Toomer and Plaxico Burress.

So far, so good.


GANG GREEN

Tom Brady went into Sunday's contest having never lost a game to the New York Jets in the Meadowlands in his illustrious career. For a while, it seemed that the Patriots would yet again find a way to pull out a victory; the Jets offense managed just one yard in the first quarter, and just 50 during a first half in which Mark Sanchez was a mere 3 for 5 for 23 yards.

Boy, did the rookie rebound. The former Trojan needed just 3 plays to orchestrate a touchdown drive to start the second half. Backed by the swarming Jets defense, which has not allowed a touchdown this season, Sanchez would lead the offense on two more scoring drives in back-to-back possessions to give New York a 16-9 lead they would not relinquish.
http://www.newyorkjets.com/fan_zone/photos
As impressive as Sanchez was in the second half, the performance of the defense, holding the mighty Patriots scoreless after the break, was the headliner. Tom Brady, usually Tom Terrific, was held below 50% completion percentage, connecting on just 23 of his 47 passing attempts. His 0 touchdowns and 53.1 QB rating were his lowest output in a full game since 2007, a 20-10 victory in Week 15 over guess who- the New York Jets.

All in all, the game was tight from start to finish, the largest lead ended up being the game's final score. But when all was said and done, Gang Green prevailed, and for a second straight season, the New England Patriots perch atop the AFC East was almost as abrupt as a Bill Belichick post game handshake.

I may not have been right about the outcome of last week's game, however, field position- as I suspected it would- did turn out to be a major factor in the game. Each of the first two Jets scoring drives of the second half began within 6 yards of midfield, at the New York 44 and 45 yard line, respectively. More importantly, the dangerous Pats offense- albeit minus Wes Welker- started just three drives at or in front of their own 40. A New England drive that began in the Red Zone (NYJ 17), started by the only Jet turnover of the day, was halted by two 10-yard penalties, resulting in only a Stephen Gostkowski field goal.

Down the stretch, the Patriots never even sniffed Jet territory; the closest they came was their own 40 yard line. After a 79 yard field goal drive near the end of the second quarter, Brady's bunch amassed 67 offensive yards on 27 plays throughout the remainder of the game. The Jets ran 37 plays for 190 yards in the second half.

http://www.newyorkjets.com/fan_zone/photos

The final score may not reflect embarrassment. But when the proud Pats fail to score a touchdown, especially against Gang Green, when Darrelle Revis (right) shuts down Randy Moss to the tune 4 receptions for 24 yards, when Tom Brady completes more passes to the ground than to his teammates, frankly there's nothing for New Englanders to be proud of. Numbers aside, the bottom line is, a win is a win. And when the New York Jets beat the New England Patriots, not much else matters.

The Jets schedule does not get any easier, as they will host the 0-2 Tennessee Titans this weekend before heading to New Orleans to square off against Drew Brees and the lethal Saints offense. The Titans, who were outscored by the same Texans offense the Jets shut down handily the week before, are desperate for a win, especially after the division rival Colts defeated Miami Monday to improve to 2-0. Tennessee's running game is by far their biggest threat, as Chris Johnson exploded for 197 rushing yards (284 total) against Houston. Should Rex Ryan's D contain Johnson, the Jets could very well be heading to the Bayou undefeated.


BIG BLUE

Sticking on the topic of embarrassment mentioned earlier: What do you call a team that opens up a brand new $1.2 billion stadium, runs for 251 yards, and still loses the home opener?

You call them the Dallas Cowboys (If you said the New York Yankees, you were close; their stadium actually cost $1.5 billion, and they didn't stack up any rushing yards because well, they play baseball... I digress).

The new Cowboys Stadium is quite the majestic venue, spanning roughly 1/4 mile, boasting two gigantic arches that would make Ronald McDonald angry, as well as the largest Hi-Def screen in the world. Imagine if the Cowboys hadn't released Terrell Owens, seeing his mug sprawled across 11.5 thousand square feet of technology.

Joking aside, the Cowboys home opening loss was no laughing matter... Who am I kidding? Of course it was, unless of course, you endorse your checks as "Jerry Jones," or are a fan of America's team. That being said, the New York Giants have plenty to be smiling about after Sunday night's win in Big D. Granted, allowing two bucks fifty on the ground is not one of those things, but holding Tony Romo to 13 completions and 3 interceptions was an enjoyable way to break the seal- and Jerry Jones' spirits- at Cowboys Stadium.
http://www.giants.com/multimedia/Photos.html#
For a team whose wide receivers entered 2009 with 151 receptions and 5 touchdowns combined, they sure didn't look inexperienced. Mario Manningham and Steve Smith (left) accounted for 80% of the team's receptions, recording career highs with 10 receptions apiece, both notching triple-digit yardage for the first time in their respective careers.

The man passing them the ball wasn't too shabby either, showing that he's worth every penny of that $97.5 million extension the Giants rewarded him with this preseason. With 3:34 remaining in the 4th quarter, the Cowboys having just taken a 31-30 lead, Eli led Big Blue on what turned out to be the game-winning drive. Manning was 7 for 9 and 64 passing yards on an 11 play possession that was officially 56 yards (the Giants had committed a 10-yard penalty before running a play, pushing them back to their own 15).

http://www.giants.com/multimedia/Photos.html#

Plaxico who? Eli connected with Smith 3 times for 29 of those game-winning 66 yards, with Manningham (right) contributing a crucial 8 yard reception on third down with 39 seconds remaining, pulling the G-men to the Cowboys 33, into field goal range. Smith's 12 yard catch that followed brought Big Blue to the Dallas 21, and Manning's 2 yard run set up the Lawrence Tynes 37 yard field goal, sealing the Giants come from behind victory, 33-31.

Tom Coughlin's Giants have a relatively easy schedule over the next few weeks, which should allow them time to lick some wounds, including injuries to DT Justin Tuck, CB Aaron Ross, S Kenny Phillips, WR Domenick Hixon and Hakeem Nicks, and RB Danny Ware. Their next three opponents include the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders, three franchises in the rebuilding stage.

Of course, this is not to say that the G-men will take these games lightly, nor should they. However, with so much depth on defense, the Manning-to-Manningham connection rolling just as easily on the field as it does off the tongue, and Steve Smith putting up numbers like the Panthers' Steve Smith, the Giants should be able to keep winning games.