The whistle blew. And MetLife Stadium went so quiet, so quickly, it was as if someone had hit a massive mute button.
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Against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, the New York Jets cornerback was burned by A.J. Fitzpatrick followed that play with a decent run but fell inches short of the end zone. The lead changed hands several times but thanks to a Mike Nugent 47 yard field goal with 58 seconds left the Bengals took the lead for the final time. A loss to the Bengals won’t help them get that monkey off their back, but they were certainly capable of winning the game.
Ryan Tannehill finished the game 16-for-29 for 186 yards for the Dolphins, as well as picking up 17 yards on five carries with the team’s only touchdown.
But a collection of errors and miscues undid their good work, adding up to a loss.
Andy Dalton threw for 366 yards against the Jets, and A.J. Green caught 12 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown – mostly with Revis covering him.
In prime time, “Revis Island” will have to prove he can contain Bills speedster Sammy Watkins. Buffalo was held to just 160 yards of total offense, averaging 3.3 yards per play. But they faltered in the red zone – where they scored on only two of five opportunities. Green and every other Cincinnati Bengals receiver who came into his territory – something we’re not used to seeing from the seven-time Pro Bowler. “Poor execution. It’s something we pride ourselves on”.
Those shortcomings were particularly costly in the fourth quarter, when the Jets and the ball inside the 10-yard-line twice – and as close as the 1-yard-line – and couldn’t come away with a touchdown.
“I can take a punch on the chin”, Revis said. “That can’t be us. There’s a quick turnaround and we play Thursday, so we’ve got to move on”.
3 or 4 man front?With Sheldon Richardson out last week against the Bengals, the Jets defense switched back and forth between a three and four-man front. Folk missed a PAT – his first miss after opening his career with 312 straight conversions – following New York’s second touchdown while another drive ended with Folk’s 22-yard field goal attempt being blocked. The Jets would miss the extra point, giving them a 13-10 lead.
The Jets are in danger of falling to 0-2 to start the season, a position the team wants to try to avoid at all costs.
Lewis, not prone to hyperbole especially after one game, was pleased with the win on Sunday. I feel like I let the team down. “But I think guys around here do have a bad taste”. They got pressure from everywhere on the line and rarely needed help from the linebackers or secondary.
Buffalo beat NY twice last season, including in the season finale – which kept the Jets out of the playoffs.
Buffalo Bills coach Rex Ryan, who coached Revis from 2009 to 2012, laughed when asked if Revis has slipped.
“We lost the game”, Jets coach Todd Bowles said. We have to regroup. Steven McLendon (formerly of the Pittsburgh Steelers) was a force out there at defensive tackle, posting 2 sacks to go along with Wilkerson’s 1.5 and Leonard Williams’ – get this – 2.5.
Safety Marcus Gilchrist, who appeared to have been frozen by Dalton’s play-action fake as well as a fake end around on the play, pointed to “miscommunication”.
So between the need to win a game, any game, and the obvious revenge angle – you may recall that the Bills are coached by ex-Jets head coach Rex Ryan, who made little attempt to hide his glee after both victories over the Jets past year – the Jets should have no shortage of motivation come Thursday night.
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Sunday’s loss to Cincinnati was a blueprint for how to begin a season 0-1. The cornerback should perform better in Week 2, but it should no longer come as a surprise if the opposing team’s No.1 receiver gets the better of him. “But we’re not going to sit here and lick our wounds”.
