Glenn
10-19-2006, 09:03 AM
Another chance for the Lions to worsen their draft position.
Jets favored by 3.5 pts.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/preview;_ylt=At3J27x6PJZ49l3Xxbz6sjJDubYF?gid=2006 1022020
Detroit (1-5) at NY Jets (3-3)
Game Info: 1:00 pm EDT Sun Oct 22, 2006
TV: FOX
By DAN BURCH, STATS Writer
The New York Jets haven't been the most consistent team this season, but another victory would match their total from last year.
New York tries to move above .500 and win consecutive home games for the first time in nearly two seasons when it meets the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
The Jets have split their first six games this season, with every contest but one decided by eight points or less -- a 41-0 loss at Jacksonville two weeks ago.
New York went 4-12 in 2005, a season marked by injuries to quarterback Chad Pennington and running back Curtis Martin.
Martin is still out at least two more weeks with a knee injury, but Pennington is back and the Jets are playing well under new coach Eric Mangini. New York, though, is 1-2 at home this season and hasn't won consecutive games at the Meadowlands since December 2004.
And if New York can't improve its performance in the fourth quarter, it may not win too many more games this year.
The Jets have led by at least 10 points entering the final period in their three victories, only to have their opponent rally to make the game close.
Last week, the Jets led Miami 20-3 before the Dolphins came roaring back. Only a 51-yard missed field-goal attempt at the end of regulation by Miami kicker Olindo Mare saved the Jets in a 20-17 win.
"Bottom line is we won, so we take that," linebacker Jonathan Vilma said. "We take the victory and do the corrections after that. We watch the film, we have to make the corrections and make sure it doesn't happen again."
New York led Tennessee 16-0 before winning 23-16 in the season opener, and was up 21-10 on Buffalo in Week 3 before escaping with a 28-20 victory.
"We do good things and we do some bad things," safety Kerry Rhodes said. "We're just trying to shore up those bad things that we do and adjust the little minor breakdowns that we have. If we do that, we'll be fine."
New York owns the NFL's 30th-ranked defense, allowing 370.0 yards per game, and will be facing a Detroit team that is 15th in the league with 317.3 yards of offense a contest -- with 245.2 coming in the air.
The Lions (1-5), though, got their running game going last week. Kevin Jones posted his first 100-yard rushing game of the season as Detroit beat Buffalo 20-17 last Sunday for its first victory of the season.
Besides a 10-carry, 8-yard game against Minnesota two weeks ago, Jones has rushed for at least 80 yards in each game over the last month. He's also caught 31 passes out of the backfield, second among NFL running backs.
Receiver Roy Williams had career highs of 10 catches for 161 yards against the Bills and has had 100-yard receiving games in three of his last four contests.
Despite Detroit's poor start to the season, Williams -- whose guaranteed victory against Chicago fell flat after a 40-7 defeat in Week 2 -- believes his team can accomplish big things.
"We could string together 10 more wins and make the playoffs," he said. "With Mike Martz's offense, Jon Kitna's smarts and Kevin Jones running the football, no one can stop us. We can only stop ourselves."
The Lions face only one team with a winning record -- Atlanta on Nov. 5 -- in their next five games, but first must focus on winning a contest on the road. Detroit has lost all three games away from home this year and is 5-38 on the road since the start of the 2001 season.
Detroit's defense took a hit Wednesday when Pro Bowl tackle Shaun Rogers was suspended four games by the NFL for violating its substance abuse policy. Regarded as one of the premier tackles in the league, Rogers made the Pro Bowl the past two seasons.
"We've had injuries (like) this and how we've handled those things is we just move on, put this behind us," said first-year Detroit coach Rod Marinelli. "What it's done is created an opportunity for another player. We coach them all the same."
Perhaps the Jets can take advantage of the 6-foot-4, 345-pound lineman's absence.
Without Martin, the fourth-leading rusher in NFL history, the Jets have had moderate success while splitting the running back duties.
With Leon Washington and Kevan Barlow getting most of the carries, New York is 27th in the NFL, averaging 3.3 yards per rush.
Detroit has won five of the last seven meetings with New York, but the Jets beat the Lions 31-14 on Nov. 17, 2002, in the teams' most recent matchup.
Jets favored by 3.5 pts.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/preview;_ylt=At3J27x6PJZ49l3Xxbz6sjJDubYF?gid=2006 1022020
Detroit (1-5) at NY Jets (3-3)
Game Info: 1:00 pm EDT Sun Oct 22, 2006
TV: FOX
By DAN BURCH, STATS Writer
The New York Jets haven't been the most consistent team this season, but another victory would match their total from last year.
New York tries to move above .500 and win consecutive home games for the first time in nearly two seasons when it meets the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
The Jets have split their first six games this season, with every contest but one decided by eight points or less -- a 41-0 loss at Jacksonville two weeks ago.
New York went 4-12 in 2005, a season marked by injuries to quarterback Chad Pennington and running back Curtis Martin.
Martin is still out at least two more weeks with a knee injury, but Pennington is back and the Jets are playing well under new coach Eric Mangini. New York, though, is 1-2 at home this season and hasn't won consecutive games at the Meadowlands since December 2004.
And if New York can't improve its performance in the fourth quarter, it may not win too many more games this year.
The Jets have led by at least 10 points entering the final period in their three victories, only to have their opponent rally to make the game close.
Last week, the Jets led Miami 20-3 before the Dolphins came roaring back. Only a 51-yard missed field-goal attempt at the end of regulation by Miami kicker Olindo Mare saved the Jets in a 20-17 win.
"Bottom line is we won, so we take that," linebacker Jonathan Vilma said. "We take the victory and do the corrections after that. We watch the film, we have to make the corrections and make sure it doesn't happen again."
New York led Tennessee 16-0 before winning 23-16 in the season opener, and was up 21-10 on Buffalo in Week 3 before escaping with a 28-20 victory.
"We do good things and we do some bad things," safety Kerry Rhodes said. "We're just trying to shore up those bad things that we do and adjust the little minor breakdowns that we have. If we do that, we'll be fine."
New York owns the NFL's 30th-ranked defense, allowing 370.0 yards per game, and will be facing a Detroit team that is 15th in the league with 317.3 yards of offense a contest -- with 245.2 coming in the air.
The Lions (1-5), though, got their running game going last week. Kevin Jones posted his first 100-yard rushing game of the season as Detroit beat Buffalo 20-17 last Sunday for its first victory of the season.
Besides a 10-carry, 8-yard game against Minnesota two weeks ago, Jones has rushed for at least 80 yards in each game over the last month. He's also caught 31 passes out of the backfield, second among NFL running backs.
Receiver Roy Williams had career highs of 10 catches for 161 yards against the Bills and has had 100-yard receiving games in three of his last four contests.
Despite Detroit's poor start to the season, Williams -- whose guaranteed victory against Chicago fell flat after a 40-7 defeat in Week 2 -- believes his team can accomplish big things.
"We could string together 10 more wins and make the playoffs," he said. "With Mike Martz's offense, Jon Kitna's smarts and Kevin Jones running the football, no one can stop us. We can only stop ourselves."
The Lions face only one team with a winning record -- Atlanta on Nov. 5 -- in their next five games, but first must focus on winning a contest on the road. Detroit has lost all three games away from home this year and is 5-38 on the road since the start of the 2001 season.
Detroit's defense took a hit Wednesday when Pro Bowl tackle Shaun Rogers was suspended four games by the NFL for violating its substance abuse policy. Regarded as one of the premier tackles in the league, Rogers made the Pro Bowl the past two seasons.
"We've had injuries (like) this and how we've handled those things is we just move on, put this behind us," said first-year Detroit coach Rod Marinelli. "What it's done is created an opportunity for another player. We coach them all the same."
Perhaps the Jets can take advantage of the 6-foot-4, 345-pound lineman's absence.
Without Martin, the fourth-leading rusher in NFL history, the Jets have had moderate success while splitting the running back duties.
With Leon Washington and Kevan Barlow getting most of the carries, New York is 27th in the NFL, averaging 3.3 yards per rush.
Detroit has won five of the last seven meetings with New York, but the Jets beat the Lions 31-14 on Nov. 17, 2002, in the teams' most recent matchup.