NY is a one-half game up in the AFC wild-card standings over Kansas City and Pittsburgh, which are both 8-5 and play Sunday.
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Dallas Cowboys’ Anthony Hitchens (59) and quarterback Kellen Moore (17) walk off the field after their NFL football game against the New York Jets on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2015, in Arlington, Texas.
Fitzpatrick’s 43-yard pass to Kenbrell Thompkins put the Jets (9-5) in position for their first four-game winning streak since 2010. “I’m not going to change over night, so we’ll see what happens”. And just when it seemed Todd Bowles’ team would fold under the pressure, his players did just enough to squeak out a win in Jerry’s World.
Given the state of Dallas’ quarterback mess in 2015, it was not exactly a foregone conclusion that Moore would play his first ever regular-season snaps before the Cowboys were eliminated from NFC East contention. Moore finished the game going 15 of 25 passing, for 158 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions according to ESPN statistics.
But he came back to direct a 70-yard drive which led to Eric Decker catching a scoring pass which set a franchise record with Brandon Marshall with 21 combined receiving touchdowns this season.
Ryan Fitzpatrick emerged from the New York Jets’ fourth straight victory with a bloody gash on the bridge of his nose.
In the third quarter, Moore forced a throw into the end zone looking for Dez Bryant. Take out the second interception and he likely leads the Cowboys to a win.
The Jets and their league-leading defense against the run had allowed a total of 110 rushing yards in their previous three games. “It’s a good time to start playing good football”. Kellen Moore replaced Cassel and offered up a trio of turnovers, including one on Dallas’ final offensive play of the evening.
NY survived a late comeback from the Cowboys, who nailed a 50-yard field goal through Dan Bailey to level the scores at 16 with 1:55 left.
Thompkins, a backup receiver who had just 11 catches for the Jets heading into the game, noticed that he could get open down the sideline against cover-two coverage and alerted Fitzpatrick. Moore hooked up with Bryant four times for 50 yards and threw him seven passes on the night. Fitzpatrick never has played this well for this long, so you wonder: Is this simply a charmed run or is he a late-blooming quarterback who finally has found his happy place? But this isn’t the kind of year in which miracles happen.
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Wins are wins, no matter how ugly, and luckily for the Jets, the Cowboys (4-10) are their own worst enemy. Cowboys RB Darren McFadden had 100 yards on 16 carries his fifth 100-yard game of the season…. Dallas cornerback Terrance Mitchell, signed from the practice squad Friday, had his first career interception two plays later. But the Dallas offense, without Tony Romo for the season, again went three and out, and after the defense just missed a safety, the Jets offense started with excellent field possession. The first was an interception when he stumbled and threw blindly to a spot where Darrelle Revis was all alone.
