Carolina stacked the line with a lot of eight men fronts and the Jets managed just enough on the ground to take the pressure of Mark Sanchez. Thomas Jones grinded out 75 hard-fought yards, which allowed the Jets to control the time of possession 33 minutes to 27.

But this game was about the Jets’ defense. They allowed a season-best 6 points and did an excellent job of stopping DeAngelo Williams and the Panthers’ rushing attack. Ranked third coming into this game, the Panthers were a formidable unit and the Jets rose to the occasion.

The Jets’ defensive front played aggressively and did a nice job of getting off blocks. The whole unit swarmed to the football and did a good job of gang tackling.

After earning a rare start, Eric Smith made the most of his opportunity, playing well in the box and stopping the run. He came up with 8 solo tackles (two for loss), which lead the Jets.

But the star of the game was Darrelle Revis. Although his first interception was a bit of a fluke, we have to give him credit nonetheless.

Good, hardworking players get the breaks and Revis certainly benefited from Delhomme’s miscommunication with Steve Smith.

Revis’ second interception was a thing of beauty. As he did all day, Revis blanketed Smith and out-positioned him on a deep sideline route.

Revis would add 3 passes defensed and a beautiful open-field tackle to hold Carolina one yard short on a third down play. He did it all in yet another impressive effort against one of the best receivers in the game.

Steve Smith’s line on the day? 1 catch, 5 yards and no touchdowns. Wow!

Smith joins Andre Johnson, Randy Moss, Marques Colston and Terrell Owens as receivers who have been dominated by “Master Lock”. Over six games against this group, Revis has allowed a mere 17 catches for 140 yards and 1 TD. That is an average of 2.8 catches for 23 yards. Impressive!

There is no doubt Revis will be a Pro Bowler this year. The only question that remains is, will he be dubbed the best corner in the game? Jets Nation will certainly have something to say about that.

This was an important game for another Jets’ defensive back. Kerry Rhodes had his toughest week as a pro after being benched by his head coach.

He responded with two interceptions but Jets fans should not be content with a couple of big plays. Rhodes’ second INT was a desperation pass from Delhomme with a defender bearing down on him.

It was an easy ball that was thrown right to him. In addition, I did not appreciate his post-game behavior.

Obviously defiant after his benching, Rhodes refused to answer questions from reporters and made just one statement, "The message was sent. Now, I am moving on and you're going to see Kerry Rhodes."

Sorry, but it is not that simple. He has been invisible all season and thinks everything is better after two interceptions?

The organization brought in Jim Leonhard specifically to free up Rhodes to make more plays. Leonhard held up his end of this deal by being one of the most consistent players on the field and making all the calls for the secondary.

How did Rhodes respond? By making zero big plays in 10 games. The fact that he needed to be benched before he stepped up is a bad sign.

Players actually have to earn their job if they want to stay on the field and a couple of nice plays against a struggling quarterback and an anemic passing attack does not exactly put Rhodes back on the map.

Let’s see him play well for the remainder of the season. Then we can say he is back.

Even when he does not want to talk, Rhodes says too much. This guy needs to stop talking and focus more on his game.

The Jets’ defense had it right. They let their play do the talking and made 9 plays behind the line of scrimmage.

David Harris played another solid game. He and Bart Scott set the tone with a physical presence that spread to the entire unit.

Harris collected 7 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss and 1 hit on the quarterback. Calvin Pace followed suit and finished with the exact same stat line as Harris.

Pace also did a nice job of setting the edge. He shut down a number of running plays to his side and either made the play or funneled the runner back inside for his teammates to it clean up.

The men on the interior of the Jets’ defensive line were the unsung heroes in this game. Sione Pouha, Mike DeVito and Marques Douglas all did a nice job standing up their blockers and clogging running lanes.

On offense, Mark Sanchez and company did just enough to win. They managed only 10 points and turned the ball over 3 times but that did not matter as Carolina struggled mightily against the Jets’ D.

Mark Sanchez had an efficient day going 13-17 for 154 yards but threw another interception. But with all the turnover problems Sanchez has had this season, one interception does not sound too bad.

Unfortunately the same cannot be said for Dustin Keller. His fumble at Carolina’s goal line was a brutal turn of events.

The Jets had an 11-point lead and could have extended it to 18 with a touchdown in that spot. They were about to finish off their most impressive drive of the day that started at their own 27 but Keller cost them on a play where he was clearly trying to do too much.

These are the kinds of plays that occur when a team is pressing. Each guy tries to do more than his share.

It is admirable that Keller was reaching out to try and make a play but he has to be smarter in that situation. In only his second year, Keller joined his other young teammates (Sanchez and Shonn Greene) who have had ball security issues.

If the Jets are going to be a tough, defensive-minded football team, their offense has to do a better job of protecting the football. The Jets are 27th in the league with 19 fumbles (8 of them lost) in large part because they have such young players at skill positions.

These are the guys who handle the football and the team’s exposure will only increase as their roles in the offense expand.

Thomas Jones will be around for maybe one more season and Greene will have to do a better job of securing the ball if he wants the lion’s share of reps. His 2nd quarter fumble cost the Jets points.

The Jets had first and ten at Carolina’s 29-yard line and would have surely come away with points on that drive. Keller and Greene’s mistakes cost the Jets at least 10-points.

Of course with Sanchez’ struggles, the team is also 29th in interceptions with 18. Twenty-six combined turnovers, or 2.4 per game, is way too many and has put the defense in difficult spots all season.

To be 5-6 while having the second best rushing attack and the third ranked defense is exasperating and highlights the offense’s inexperience. This unit must do a better job of holding on to the football and must improve in this area in the off-season.

Give the Jets credit. They shut down one of the best running games in the league and converted Carolina’s mistakes into points.

But let’s be realistic. The Panthers have been banged up and had lost 3 of their last five coming in. This was a team the Jets should beat, as were Buffalo, Miami (at least their second game) and Jacksonville.

It was nice that the Jets came away with the victory but it is hard to be confident about a team whose offense cannot hold on to the football and has trouble sustaining drives.

The Jets get another shot at Buffalo in the league’s first-ever regular season game in Canada. The Jets are the better football but Buffalo beat a solid Miami team this week to give interim coach Perry Fewell his first victory.

Buffalo always plays the Jets tough and this week should be no different. Gang Green will have another hard fight ahead as it tries to even its record at 6-6.