- The Jets pass rush did not get any sacks of Peyton Manning but it is worth noting that their pressure did throw him off with his receivers. Manning misfired on a deep ball to Reggie Wayne who had beaten Darrelle Revis. He also threw a ball just beyond Dallas Clark’s reach on a key third down play in Jets’ territory.
Manning finished 14-21 for 192 yards but had no touchdowns and few big plays. Give the Jets’ D and Rex Ryan credit for mixing it up just enough to keep Manning off balance.
They maintained a nice mix of pressure and coverage. They also responded well to the Colts’ no huddle, which limited their substitutions. The Jets looked prepared to handle the faster tempo.
- The Jets’ biggest Jekyll and Hyde player is Bart Scott, hands down. No player runs as hot and cold as the Jets’ fiery middle linebacker.
He had an unbelievable club move on RT Ryan Diem that was reminiscent of Kris Jenkins. Diem outweighs Scott by more than 70 lbs yet the Scott threw him to the side like a rag doll and made a nice tackle for a loss.
Unfortunately Scott was called for a tripping penalty earlier in the game on a third and one play. The Jets seemed to be in good position to stop the play with Shaun Ellis getting good penetration but I do not believe the Jets would have held without the trip.
Scott has hurt the team with some penalties and his overaggressive play some times takes him out of out position but I have no problem with either. You get the good and the bad with this guy and his aggressive nature rubs off on his teammates.
Scott can be infuriating. He will level an opposing QB on one play then get whistled for a late hit on another but this is the type of player he is and overall he makes the rest of the unit better.
- What was up with D’Brickashaw Ferguson? Dwight Freeney saw few snaps yesterday but on two obvious passing downs, he ran right past Ferguson.
The Jets had an empty backfield on both plays so the Colts smartly blitzed up the middle. It looked as though Ferguson was more focused on the inside pressure than on Freeney.
By blocking down on the tackle, it appeared as though he thought he had help in the backfield. It is either that or he never saw Freeney who was lined up wide.
Either way, it was a concentration lapse by Ferguson who almost got his quarterback killed. These were unfortunate sequences for Ferguson who handled Freeney on their other match ups.
Other Random Thoughts
The Jets committed another 12-men on the field penalty. That is the fifth time this season they have been flagged for too many men…The Jets converted two 2-point conversions and it was the first time all season they were successful on a two-point try…There was a Vernon Gholston siting in this game. He made a nice tackle on back-up TE Gijon Robinson and held him to a 2-yard gain. He did not bite on a play action fake, stayed with his guy and made an aggressive tackle…Kudos to CBS’ producers for painting an accurate picture of the Jets’ season through statistics. They brought up a chart that showed the Jets were #1 in total defense, rushing offense and points allowed but contrasted that with their weaknesses: 3 fourth quarter leads blown (30th in the league), 21 interceptions (29th) and a 47.6% success rate in the red zone (26th). The first highlights the defense’s inability to finish and the last two highlight the struggles of a rookie quarterback.