Game Recap
New York Jets at New England Patriots
Thursday, November 13, 2008
*Feely kicks Jets past pesky Patriots, into first place in AFC East*
FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts (Ticker) -- The New York Jets finally broke through in a big game against the New England Patriots.
Jay Feely drilled a 34-yard field goal with 7:10 left in overtime as the Jets outlasted the Patriots, 34-31, in a key AFC East matchup on Thursday.
The Jets blew an 18-point lead, but recovered in time to avenge a loss to New England in Week Two, and grab sole possession of first place at 7-3.
"I'm doing great," a relieved Jets coach Eric Mangini said. "Obviously, coming into this environment we knew it was going to be tough. We didn't know how the game was going to unfold, but we talked about that all week, the fact that we were going to have to play a complete game and a complimentary game, all three phases."
The Patriots tasted defeat for the second time in six home games.
"I would say it was a tough loss," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "I thought our players fought hard. We made a lot of plays, the Jets made a lot of plays. In the end they made a couple more than we did. Give them credit. We're close, just not quite good enough tonight."
Matt Cassel found Randy Moss on a 16-yard touchdown with one second remaining in regulation for a game-tying touchdown, sending the game into sudden death.
"To show that kind of fight and tenacity, I thought that was great for the team," Cassel said. "I hope I've earned the confidence of these guys on the team throughout the course of the year."
Cassel had a career game with his arm and his legs, throwing for a career-best 400 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for a team-high 62 yards on eight carries.
Thomas Jones plunged in for the go-ahead touchdown with just over three minutes left in regulation and Leon Washington returned a kickoff 92 yards for a TD and caught a scoring pass from Brett Favre for New York.
Favre completed 26-of-33 passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns for the Jets, who won their fourth straight game, moving a game ahead of the 6-4 Patriots.
"They had all the momentum," Favre said. "They had every reason to win it. We could have easily folded so there's a lot of things in this game that happened. And based on the history, I'm sure most people would have been betting against us but we found a way to win the game."
After Feely's 34-yard field goal split the uprights in overtime, Favre called it one of the best moments of his career.
"It ranks right up there near the top," Favre said. "Being in the moment, it's easy to say it may be at the top."
Favre was at his best on a third down early in overtime. With the Jets needing 15 yards for the first down, Favre found rookie tight end Dustin Keller for 16. Keller bowled over Patriots safety Brandon Meriweather for the final two yards to keep the drive alive.
"It's a great feeling for us, and everybody understands this game was extremely important and it is important because it allows us to make the next game that much more important," Mangini said.
Filling in for the injured Mike Nugent, Feely had two field goals, improving to 18-of-22.
Feely's kick meant that Cassel never got his hands on the ball in overtime, as the Jets won the coin toss.
"It's the flip of the coin," Cassel said. "It's very frustrating because you want to be out there and you want to have the ball in your hands and you want to have the opportunity to win the game. Unfortunately, we didn't have that opportunity."
New York established its dominance on the first drive of the game when it marched 62 yards in 10 plays, capped off by a 7-yard screen pass in the right flat to Washington, who eluded three tacklers to get into the end zone.
The Patriots scored on their first two drives but could only muster field goals of 42 and 31 yards from Steven Gostkowski.
Following the second field goal, Washington took the ensuing kickoff at his 8-yard line and ran up the right side before cutting across to the left sideline. He eluded Gostkowski on his way to a 92-yard kickoff return for a score, giving the Jets a 17-6 lead.
The Jets expanded their advantage to 24-6 when Favre connected with Jerricho Cotchery for a 15-yard touchdown with just under five minutes remaining before halftime.
"We dug ourselves a hole and we made some plays to get back in there," Belichick said. "We missed some good opportunities in the third quarter to really close the gap. But that is the way it goes."
The Patriots responded when Jabar Gaffney caught a 19-yard TD pass from Cassel with 15 seconds to play in the second quarter, pulling New England within 24-13.
Two miscues killed New England's momentum in the third quarter, including a fumble by Ben Watson at the Jets' 22 as it appeared to be going in for a score.
But the Patriots continued to close the gap when Cassel found Watson for a TD from 10 yards at the end of the third quarter. The ensuing two-point conversion attempt was successful as Cassel hit Gaffney.
"It ebbed and flowed and it went back and forth," Mangini said. "We were up and they came back. We pushed back through and at different points in the game it was ebbing and flowing. That is something we anticipated."
New England tied the score at 24-24 when Gostkowski converted his third field goal the game from 47 yards out with 10:22 remaining in the fourth.
"I think anytime you can come back from a 24-6 deficit, it's a building block and something every team should be proud of," Cassel said. "Obviously, we never want to lose, but it's definitely something we can take away and hopefully not have to use down the road, but we might have to use down the road."
Outside of the late touchdown in regulation, Moss was held in check by the Jets, managing just three catches for 26 yards.
