Jets Blog: Holding Serve
By Peter Schwartz
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The Jets knew what the deal was when they took the field before Thursday night's game with the Bengals. The Patriots had begun the NFL's Thanksgiving Day tripleheader with a victory in Detroit to improve to 9-2. The Jets then went out and held serve beating Cincinnati 26-10 at the New Meadowlands Stadium to remain in a first place tie with New England in the AFC East.
The scene is now set for a first place showdown with the Patriots a week from Monday night up in Foxborough.
But first things first and that's another come from behind victory. Down 7-3 at the half, the Jets were looking for a spark and found one in the form of Brad Smith. He electrified the crowd with a 53-yard touchdown run and an 89-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
While Smith earned my game-ball honors, a lot of credit also has to go the defense that re-discovered their pass rush in the second half making life miserable for Carson Palmer.
The Jets have found a number of different ways to pull out games this season. Many of them have been far from masterpieces, but it reminds me of something that Bill Parcells always said.
"You are what you are."
And the Jets are 9-2, their best start to a season since they were 10-1 in 1986.
Say what you want about how the Jets have made their way to 9-2, but the bottom line is that they are there and there and will now take part in one of the most highly anticipated regular season games in recent history.
Many of the Jets already started talking about the showdown after the win over the Bengals but some chose to wait until the team returns to work following a few days off.
Come Monday, a week full of hype, trash-talk, compliments, and breakdowns will begin. The Jets' practice facility in Florham Park will be crawling with tons of local and national media.
Attention is certainly something that the Jets thrive on. They will probably do most of the talking over the next ten or eleven days. But football, and sports in general, is a bottom line business and the bottom line is winning.
The Patriots have certainly done a lot of that over the years. The Jets are right with them so far this season.
Let the countdown begin to the showdown in Foxborough!
JUST CALL HIM "SHOELESS BRAD"
When Brad Smith returned a fourth quarter kickoff for a touchdown, it was first announced as a 90-yard return. A few moments later, the press box announcer provided a correction saying that it was an 89-yard return. He was also instructed by the Jets to announce that Smith ran approximately the final 50 yards without one of his shoes.
Ahhh, the perks that come with sitting in the press box!
GET YOUR PLAYOFF TICKET$$$$$$$!!!!!
The Jets have contacted season ticket holders regarding invoices for playoff tickets that will arrive via mail starting early next week. There will be a dramatic increase in prices for the post-season:
*Wild Card Round: $15 to $25
*Divisional Round: $35 to $50
*AFC Championship Game: $50 to $100
Full payment is due on or before December 22nd otherwise those seats will be released for public sale. Those season ticket holders who do not purchase playoff tickets will not be eligible for any selection process to purchase Super Bowl tickets from the Jets' "Participating Team Allotment" should Gang Green win the AFC Championship.
That's it for now! The Jets return to work on Monday and that's when we'll begin our coverage of the showdown with New England.
Related articles
- Jets Big Plays Beat Bengals 26-10 (newyork.cbslocal.com)
