Flying Through the Big Apple - RoundingThird's New York Jets (M17)

[RoundingThird]

Re: Flying Through the Big Apple - RoundingThird's New York Jets (M17)

Week 16 Scoreboard:

Thursday Night Football:
Cowboys 22, Chiefs 32

Sunday, 1 PM:
Raiders 28, Dolphins 29
Browns 23, Lions 20
Ravens 27, Bengals 23
Broncos 20, Patriots 13
Panthers 34, Vikings 31
Bears 27, Falcons 10
Chargers 31, Bills 34
Buccaneers 24, Packers 31
Seahawks 30, Eagles 24 (OT)
Redskins 10, Giants 13

Sunday, 4:25 PM:
Colts 28, Rams 24
Jaguars 21, Cardinals 24
Titans 14, 49ers 28

Sunday Night Football:
Jets 8, Saints 34

Monday Night Football:
Steelers 38, Texans 28

The Lead:
Chiefs clinch AFC West, #1 seed in AFC playoffs after disposing Cowboys
Seahawks need overtime to get past Philly, but clinch NFC's #1 seed in the process
Steelers knock off Texans, Ravens take down Bengals to create 4 way logjam in AFC North
NFC South doesn't get any clearer after Bucs loss brings top three teams to 10-5
Colts take over last playoff spot in AFC after Patriots lose again at home

Week 17 Schedule:

Sunday, December 31:
Green Bay (10-5) @ Minnesota (5-9-1), 1:00 PM (FOX)
Detroit (4-11) @ Chicago (8-7), 1:00 PM (FOX)
Jacksonville (7-8) @ New England (7-8), 1:00 PM (CBS)
Indianapolis (8-7) @ Tennessee (5-10), 1:00 PM (CBS)
Houston (9-6) @ Buffalo (6-9), 1:00 PM (CBS)
Miami (5-10) @ Cleveland (6-8-1), 1:00 PM (CBS)
Philadelphia (6-9) @ Washington (5-10), 1:00 PM (FOX)
Oakland (5-10) @ Denver (6-9), 4:25 PM (CBS)
Seattle (12-3) @ LA Rams (4-11), 4:25 PM (FOX)
Arizona (8-7) @ San Francisco (7-8), 4:25 PM (FOX)
Kansas City (13-2) @ LA Chargers (11-4), 4:25 PM (CBS)
Tampa Bay (10-5) @ Atlanta (8-7), 4:25 PM (FOX)
Carolina (10-5) @ New Orleans (10-5), 4:25 PM (FOX)
Cincinnati (7-8) @ Pittsburgh (7-8), 4:25 PM (CBS)
NY Jets (10-5) @ Baltimore (7-8), 4:25 PM (CBS)
Dallas (7-8) @ NY Giants (6-9), 8:30 PM (NBC)

[RoundingThird]

Re: Flying Through the Big Apple - RoundingThird's New York Jets (M17)

Gronkowski placed on IR, Jets sign rookie tight end


Rob Gronkowski will have plenty of time to spend with his amazingly athletic family, because for the second straight season, he has suffered a season ending injury right before the playoffs.

December 25, 2017 -- Jets Nation woke up on Christmas morning hoping, praying that Rob Gronkowski would be okay, and not have to miss significant time, a.k.a. playoff games. Coming off the humiliating loss to New Orleans last night, this was all the Jets had to hope for, but the news is terrible. The Jets star tight end, a vital part of their offense, is out 5 weeks with the dislocated elbow that he suffered in the first quarter of last night's game. Now, that might not seem very long, but next week is the final week of the regular season, so Gronk would be out until the Super Bowl. Of course, the Jets are unlikely to even get that far, but if they were, then Jace Amaro would have to have been playing out of his mind, so at the end of the day, it would be better just to sideline Gronk, because he wouldn't even be 100% for his return; he would have to be cleared early by doctors. We're dealing with a whole bunch of hypothetical here. The point is, it's not worth keeping hope alive to have him come back. So, he was placed on IR by Sam Freday, opening up a roster spot. We've already mentioned how Jace Amaro will have to fill in for Gronk once again, like he has for parts of the last two seasons, but Amaro will be a free agent at season's end, and he's already rejected the initial offers from Jets' management. The Jets will do whatever it takes to re-sign Amaro, but they're also preparing for life without him. We know Gronk is injury prone. A man that big is bound to take some big shots, which we've seen countless times in his career. So, when he's missing time, the Jets need to have a capable tight end to fill in. Amaro is exactly that, but what if he leaves? That's why, with the roster spot made available by moving Gronk to IR, the Jets signed rookie TE Adam Shaheen off the Falcons' practice squad.

The rookie Shaheen was undrafted, but found his way onto the Falcons practice squad, where he had been since week 5.

Most people don't know much about Adam Shaheen, but coming to the Big Apple, that will change very soon. Shaheen was a stand out at the small, private Ashland University, a D-II football member in rural Ohio. Many on campus consider him one of the best players to ever play for Ashland, a school with a rich football program that also churned out Broncos DT Jamie Meder a few years back. He is not too oversized, but he has a great set of hands, and uses his strength rather than his size to elude defenders, a trait consistent with the Jets' tight ends, both Gronkowski and Amaro. Signed to a 1 year deal, Shaheen will wear #49 for the Jets, and depending on his performance on the field, the Jets may try to retain him, especially if Jace Amaro leaves in free agency. In fact, he may even get the start at tight end for the Jets in the season finale at Baltimore as the Jets will look to rest Amaro, saving him for the important role that is to come in the Postseason. Additionally, the Jets may try to rest some other notable offensive players, like Marcus Mariota and Vincent Jackson, but that is uncertain at this time. We do know that Amaro will get the week off. The Jets have basically locked up a first round bye in the AFC playoffs. They hold the #2 seed, one game ahead of the Texans, but they aren't overly concerned with their seeding. They'll gladly take the #3 seed, as long as the Patriots don't get lucky and retake the #6 seed from the Colts. Stay tuned for a look at all of the playoff clinching scenarios, as well as the Jets' plans for their offensive starters in this week's game against the Ravens.

[RoundingThird]

Re: Flying Through the Big Apple - RoundingThird's New York Jets (M17)

Week 17 Clinching Scenarios:



AFC:

1. KC
2. NYJ/HOU
3. HOU/NYJ/IND
4. PIT/BAL/CIN
5. LAC
6. IND/NE/JAX

AFC East:
New York Jets (10-5):
Clinched AFC East

Clinch #2 seed, first round bye with win @ Baltimore OR Texans loss @ Buffalo

New England Patriots (7-8):
Clinch playoff berth with win vs Jacksonville AND Colts loss @ Tennessee

AFC North:
Pittsburgh Steelers (7-8):
Clinch AFC North, #4 seed, with win vs Cincinnati

Baltimore Ravens (7-8):
Clinch AFC North, #4 seed, with win vs NY Jets AND Steelers loss vs Cincinnati

Cincinnati Bengals (7-8):
Clinch AFC North, #4 seed, with win @ Pittsburgh AND Ravens loss vs NY Jets

AFC South:
Houston Texans (9-6):
Clinch AFC South with win @ Buffalo OR Colts loss @ Tennessee

Clinch AFC South, first round bye, with win @ Buffalo AND Jets loss @ Baltimore

Indianapolis Colts (8-7):
Clinch playoff berth with win @ Tennessee

Clinch AFC South with win @ Tennessee AND Texans loss @ Buffalo

Jacksonville Jaguars (7-8):
Clinch playoff berth with win @ New England AND Colts loss @ Tennessee

AFC West:
Kansas City Chiefs (13-2):
Clinched AFC West, #1 seed, home field advantage throughout AFC playoffs

Los Angeles Chargers (11-4):
Clinched playoff berth, #5 seed

NFC:

1. SEA
2. GB/TB/CAR/NO
3. TB/GB/CAR/NO
4. DAL/NYG
5. CAR/NO/TB
6. NO/CAR

NFC East:
Dallas Cowboys (7-8):
Clinch NFC East, #4 seed with win @ NY Giants

New York Giants (6-9):
Clinch NFC East, #4 seed with win vs Dallas

NFC North:
Green Bay Packers (10-5):
Clinched NFC North

Clinch #2 seed, first round bye, with win @ Minnesota

NFC South:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-5):
Clinched playoff berth

Clinch NFC South with win @ Atlanta

Clinch #2 seed, first round bye with win @ Atlanta AND Packers loss @ Minnesota

Carolina Panthers (10-5):
Clinched playoff berth

Clinch NFC South with win @ New Orleans AND Buccaneers loss @ Atlanta

Clinch #2 seed, first round bye with win @ New Orleans AND Buccaneers loss @ Atlanta AND Packers loss @ Minnesota

New Orleans Saints (10-5):
Clinched playoff berth

Clinch NFC South with win vs Carolina AND Buccaneers loss @ Atlanta

Clinch #2 seed, first round bye with win vs Carolina AND Buccaneers loss @ Atlanta AND Packers loss @ Minnesota

NFC West:
Seattle Seahawks (12-3):
Clinched NFC West, #1 seed, home field advantage throughout NFC playoffs

[RoundingThird]

Re: Flying Through the Big Apple - RoundingThird's New York Jets (M17)

Jets Gameday Preview: Week 17


The Ravens are the pride of Baltimore, and given that it's week 17 and they have to win to get into the playoffs, this crowd at M&T Bank Stadium is sure to be rowdy.

Forget what I said earlier. We can't afford to rest our offensive starters, at least not after last week's performance in the Bayou. We need to prove that we can finish drives after moving the ball down the field, instead of just turning the ball over as soon as we get into field goal range. But, there is a bigger picture. Marcus Mariota has a chance at the passing title, Todd Gurley can still win the rushing title, despite missing a quarter of the season, and most importantly, a win and the Jets are guaranteed to have next week off, earning a first round bye as the #2 seed in the AFC. Plus, wouldn't it be nice to sink the hopes of the injury-riddled Ravens? They sit at 7-8, and they're lucky to play in the AFC North, where all four teams have been beating up on each other all season long. There's a three-way tie at the top between Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Cincinnati, leaving the Browns out of luck. Only a half game back, the Browns are out of the playoff picture once again since it is not possible for all 3 teams ahead of them to lose, given that the Steelers and Bengals are playing each other in week 17. With that being said, the Ravens are desperate. Their come from behind win against Cincy last week gives them the tiebreak over the Bengals, so a win for the Ravens and the Bengals, over the Steelers, gives the Ravens the AFC North title, since they do not hold the tiebreaker over Pittsburgh.

We mentioned the injuries for the Ravens. It starts with Joe Flacco, who's battled a couple of injuries this season, but finds himself sidelined with a dislocated hip in the present. That leads us to today's starting quarterback: Mike Glennon. Yes, the man who's not quite a veteran, but keeps finding his way onto an NFL roster, after being benched in Tampa in favor of Jameis Winston. Now, he leads a struggling offense, struggling primarily because of his very presence. Throwing the ball deep isn't Glennon's strength, but he has one of the league's best receiving fullbacks in Kyle Juszczyk, and a solid, young tight end in C.J. Fiedorowicz. His receivers aren't anything to write home about, but Mike Wallace, Brian Hartline, and Hakeem Nicks provide a strong veteran presence, helping younger guys like Corey Fuller and track starMarquise Goodwin to make a name for themselves. Thus, it makes sense that the Ravens have leaned on the running game, despite only a mediocre rank as a whole. Jeremy Hill has had a solid season coming over from that team in Cincinnati, beating out Justin Forsett for the starting job, and never looking back.

Looking at this defense, long the strength of both this team and this division, he tough, nitty-gritty AFC North, the most notable absence in Elvis Dumervil, who along with 1st year Raven Robert Alford, are done for the season with injury. But, the commander of this ship is still Terrell Suggs, and he is still as big of an intimidation factor as he ever has been, striking fear to opposing ball carriers for more than a decade. But up front, you'll still see Timmy Jerningan, Ra'Shede Hageman, and the big boys, Brandon Williams, and Grady Jarrett. In the absence of Dumervil, Kamalei Correa has gotten some exposure, much like last year, when he was thrust into action due to injury. Joining Suggs as a commonplace in the meat of the Ravens defense is tackling machine C.J. Mosley. He brings the quantity, while Suggs brings the quality (i.e. big hits). In the secondary, we mentioned the absence of Alford, but with that absence, the Ravens are left with a very familiar and long standing group. Jimmy Smith and Lardarius Webb are some of the longest tenured Ravens, but if that's not enough for you, the safety position is looking really, really strong. On one side, there's the perennial Pro Bowler Eric Weddle, who along with his many other roles, has been harvesting the ability of the other safety, hard hitting rookie Justin Evans, from Texas A&M. Injuries might have plagued this team, but the defense still has all the big names ready to get their team into the playoffs.

Matchup Preview *|* December 31, 2017
	@
New York Jets (10-5, 4-3 Away)		Baltimore Ravens (7-8, 3-4 Home)
Offensive Stats Comparison 6,218 (#2) Total Offensive Yards 5,109 (#27) 4,149 (#8) Passing Yards 3,400 (#28) 2,069 (#4) Rushing Yards 1,709 (#13) 29.3 (#7) Points Per Game 19.9 (#30) Defensive Stats Comparison 4,703 (#2) Total Yards Allowed 5,672 (#23) 3,428 (#3) Passing Yards Allowed 3,929 (#20) 1,275 (#2) Rushing Yards Allowed 1,743 (#21) 351 (#7) Points Allowed 418 (#26) Injury Report TE Rob Gronkowski (Elbow) 5 weeks (IR) OLB Elvis Dumervil (Back) 6 weeks (IR) OLB Trevor Reilly (Leg) 29 weeks (IR) QB Joe Flacco (Hip) 2 weeks CB Robert Alford (Groin) 15 weeks (IR) OLB Tourek Williams (Leg) 42 weeks (IR) Game Notes Time: 4:25 PM EST TV: CBS (Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts, Evan Washburn) Streaks: Jets: L1 Ravens: W1 Last Meeting: Ravens 20, Jets 14 - East Rutherford, New Jersey (10/23/2016) Last Week: Saints 34, Jets 8 Ravens 27, Bengals 23

[RoundingThird]

Re: Flying Through the Big Apple - RoundingThird's New York Jets (M17)

Gameday Recap: Jets 24, Ravens 6
Jets clinch first round bye, show that they're ready for postseason


Todd Gurley gets a nice block from Brian Winters on this screen pass, clearing the way for the Jets HB to take it the distance in the final seconds of the first half. The last second score put the Jets up 21-3 going into the break.

Nobody in green could have asked for a more perfect start to this game. The Ravens took the ball first, and they didn’t even get to go three and out before the Jets forced a turnover. Mike Glennon found Shane Vereen on a screen pass, and as he spun out of a tackle, Rontez Miles came flying out of nowhere to punch the ball right out. Darqueze Dennard fell on it at Baltimore 49, and the Jets were in business. Marcus Mariota only needed one play to make it 7-0, finding Jace Amaro on a corner route. After the big tight end beat Lardarius Webb, it was only a footrace, against the two Baltimore safeties, Eric Weddle and Justin Evans, which Amaro won, of course, scoring a touchdown. Barely 90 seconds in, the Ravens got the ball for a second time, and this time got their feet wet. Jeremy Hill started to run the ball pretty well. Coach Bowles couldn’t figure out why the Jets had a hard time tackling him; he’s not overly fast or elusive. Anyway, on a third and medium, the Jets brought the heat and forced the usually shaky Glennon to throw the ball away, brining Sam Koch out for a punt. It was a booming, end-over-end kick, but Mike Williams had a play on it at the 8 yard line, as Koch had outkicked his coverage. But, somehow, the ball hit right off Williams’ noggin, caroming right into the end zone. Keeping in mind that Williams is still a rookie, he tracked it down and fell on it, in the end zone, with Ravens’ gunners approaching. It only took every single member of the Jets sideline screaming at him to bring it out for him to come to his senses, and find a way to get to the 5 yard line, avoiding a Baltimore safety. The Jets’ offense somehow managed to turn water into wine, because Marcus Mariota was on fire in this cold, steady rain that was falling at M&T Bank Stadium. He completed his first 10 passes to begin the game, and as the first quarter wound down, the Jets found themselves with a third and goal at the 6 yard line. Mariota found Amaro, who stretched and stretched, but couldn’t quite get over the line. So, thinking aggressively, wanting to assert their will, Bowles called for a handoff to the fullback Dakota Ball, trying to power his way to a 14-0 lead for the visitors. But, the play was snuffed out by the strong defensive line of the Ravens, and it was Timmy Jernigan bringing him down right where he began. Hill broke a couple of long runs, Glennon started to make some throws, but the Jets prevented the famous 99 yard drive with a goal line stand, holding Justin Tucker to a short field goal to make it 7-3 midway through the second.


As Shane Vereen writhes away from Rontez Miles, the ball squirts away. Darqueze Dennard is out of the picture to the left, but he would close on it in a hurry.


On the very next play, Jace Amaro beats Justin Evans (14), Kamalei Correa (51), and Eric Weddle (32) in a foot race to the end zone, putting the Jets on the board first.

Mariota led his troops back out, encouraging everybody to shake off the red zone failure of the last drive. The Jets’ offense needed to do something now, since the Ravens had just shown that they could move the ball on this defense, which despite two straight horrible games, is still one of the league’s best. The result was a 5 minute, methodical drive of their own, this one capped off by Mariota himself, scrambling out to the left on 3rd and goal from the 2 before seeing a window and sneaking into the corner of the end zone. He might have had a chance to throw it to Gurley, but Eric Weddle was lurking, and this was a new Mariota out there today; he wasn’t throwing those if he didn’t have to. Either way, his touchdown scramble made it 14-3 New York with 90 seconds to play before halftime. The Ravens thought that they could get a quick score to make it close, but that really didn’t work at all. Their drive quickly fizzled out, but Sam Koch did pin the Jets at their own 8 with 30 seconds to play, so at least they had prevented the Jets from scoring again. Or so they thought. Mariota began with a play action fake, waiting patiently for the new guy, Adam Shaheen, to outrun his man, before firing a strike to him. Shaheen had all day to run, getting out across midfield before Jimmy Smith finally caught up to him. Being the rookie he is, Shaheen did not remember to go out of bounds, instead trying for extra yardage, but the Jets had three timeouts, so they just burned one. After a pass to Devin Smith that was dropped, Mariota wanted to at least get into field goal range before the break, so he called a screen pass for Gurley. Immediately, four or five Ravens were in the backfield, and as scary as that might seem, it also meant that there were four or five Ravens that Gurley had to outrun. Mariota waited for the last possible second before getting walloped, then dumped it off to his reliable halfback, who had a line of blockers in front of him. AND. HE. WAS. GONE! In 20 seconds, the Jets went 92 yards to push their lead to 21-3.


Mariota's gaze locks into Eric Weddle as he decides to take into the end zone himself late in the second quarter, much to the dismay of those fans in the front row.

After a good old-fashioned Harbaugh scream fest, the Ravens’ defense came out looking for blood. They adjusted their scheme, and forced the Jets to punt in their first two possessions of the third quarter. The problem was, the Jets defense was just as stingy as they had been the entire game, and that was with Jeremy Hill running for over 100 yards. They worked the ball into the red zone on one drive, but had to settle for a field goal, and as the third quarter turned into the 4th, the Jets had that first round bye in sight, while the Ravens were kissing the playoff hopes goodbye.

That feeling sank in even more when on a 3rd and 1 from midfield, the Jets decided to throw rather than run, which they almost never do in that situation. Mariota found Williams at full speed over the middle, and he took care of the rest, bringing the ball to the 25 yard line or somewhere close by. Trying the same play, but on the opposite side, with Vincent Jackson running over the middle, Mariota threw it a split second too early, before Jackson could run past the last of the linebackers, allowing Kamalei Correa to undercut it, the only Jets turnover of the day. Energy was seemingly pumped back into the crowd, while on the Jets sideline, everybody was convinced that it was going to be a pick six. But, Mariota regrouped, and ran him down before he could make it a one score game. The Ravens got a first down or two, approaching what they thought was field goal range for Justin Tucker, but in this rain, with a headwind, even one of the league’s best kickers can’t make a 57 yarder. It was short and right, and all the Jets had to do was salt this one away. They let Nick Folk come out and show the Ravens how it was done, nailing a 25 yarder to make it a three score game with just a little less than two minutes to play. In desperation mode, Glennon threw it deep. We talked before the game about how that wasn’t his strength, but he got carried away because he literally had all day to throw. I don’t even know who we was trying to throw to, because the ball was at least 10 yards short of any of his receivers, instead finding its way into the waiting hands of Marcus Gilchrist, who had closed on it like a centerfielder. And, just like that, the Jets get a week off.


Mariota was playing a darn near perfect game before this pass, where he just got a little bit antsy. It didn't hurt the Jets though, as their defense stepped up and forced Justin Tucker to miss a long field goal attempt.

I hope you see how important it was to play all of our starters in this one. If we hadn’t, and we had lost, we would have lost three of four going into the playoffs, and would have to play next week against either the Colts, Jags, or Patriots, the latter of which is the most terrifying. This way, we have regained momentum, and get a week to rest on our laurels before somebody dares to take us on again. I like this strategy better.

New York Jets at Baltimore Ravens
Dec 31, 2017	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
New York Jets (11-5)	7	14	0	3	24
Baltimore Ravens (7-9)	0	3	3	0	6

Team Stats Comparison
	NYJ	BAL
Total Offense	466	256
Rushing Yards	116	114
Passing Yards	350	142
First Downs	17	11
Punt Return Yards	25	5
Kick Return Yards	47	46
Total Yards	538	307
Turnovers	1	2
3rd Down Conversion	8-12 (67%)	4-12 (33%)
4th Down Conversion	0-1	1-1
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	4-1-1 (50%)	2-0-2 (100%)
Penalties	3-25	2-20
Posession Time	24:36	23:24

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		NYJ	BAL
10:28	(NYJ) J. Amaro 49 yard pass from M. Mariota (N. Folk kick)	7	0
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		NYJ	BAL
6:40	(BAL) J. Tucker 23 yard FG	7	3
1:29	(NYJ) M. Mariota 2 yard run (N. Folk kick)	14	3
0:15	(NYJ) T. Gurley II 48 yard pass from M. Mariota (N. Folk kick)	21	3
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		NYJ	BAL
3:52	(BAL) J. Tucker 25 yard FG	21	6
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		NYJ	BAL
1:47	(NYJ) N. Folk 26 yard FG	24	6

New York Jets PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Marcus Mariota 20/29 359 2 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Todd Gurley II 23 97 4.2 0 Marcus Mariota 2 14 7.0 1 Matt Forte 1 5 5.0 0 Dakota Ball 1 0 0.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Jace Amaro 5 105 21.0 1 Adam Shaheen 2 65 32.5 0 Devin Smith 4 63 15.7 0 Todd Gurley II 3 58 19.3 1 Mike Williams 4 54 13.5 0 Vincent Jackson 2 14 7.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT FUM Muhammad Wilkerson 9 1.0 0 0 Darqueze Dennard 8 0.0 0 1 David Harris 7 0.0 0 0 Leonard Williams 7 1.0 0 0 Buster Skrine 5 0.0 0 0 Rontez Miles 4 0.0 0 0 Erin Henderson 4 0.0 0 0 Marcus Gilchrist 4 0.0 1 0 Steve McLendon 2 0.0 0 0 Marcus Williams 2 0.0 0 0 Dee Milliner 2 0.0 0 0 Marcus Mariota 1 0.0 0 0 Jordan Jenkins 1 0.0 0 0 Darron Lee 1 0.0 0 0 Elijah Lee 1 0.0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Nick Folk 1/1 3/3 6 26 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Lachlan Edwards 2 96 48.0 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Bilal Powell 1 25 25.0 0 Mike Williams 1 22 22.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Mike Williams 2 25 12.5 0

Baltimore Ravens PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Mike Glennon 21/27 156 0 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Jeremy Hill 20 114 5.7 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Brian Hartline 6 58 9.6 0 Mike Wallace 5 35 7.0 0 Shane Vereen 2 33 16.5 0 C.J. Fiedorowicz 3 20 6.6 0 Corey Fuller 1 6 6.0 0 Jeremy Hill 4 4 1.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Justin Evans 15 0.0 0 0 C.J. Mosley 9 1.0 0 0 Eric Weddle 8 0.0 0 0 Timmy Jernigan 6 1.0 0 0 Lardarius Webb 5 0.0 0 0 Ra'Shede Hageman 5 0.0 0 0 Brandon Williams 4 1.0 0 0 Brock Coyle 4 0.0 0 0 Shareece Wright 4 0.0 0 0 Terrell Suggs 3 0.0 0 0 Channing Stribling 3 0.0 0 0 Kamalei Correa 3 0.0 1 0 Terrence Brooks 2 0.0 0 0 Matt Judon 1 0.0 0 0 Hassan Ridgeway 1 0.0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Justin Tucker 2/3 0/0 6 25 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Sam Koch 3 159 53.0 2 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Marquise Goodwin 2 46 23.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Marquise Goodwin 2 5 2.5 0

New York Jets 2017 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Sep 10	vs Atlanta Falcons	Lost, 30-20
Sep 17	at Miami Dolphins	Lost, 27-20
Sep 25	vs Tennessee Titans (MNF)	Won, 45-10
Oct 8	vs New England Patriots	Won, 37-12
Oct 15	vs Oakland Raiders (SNF)	Won, 39-29
Oct 22	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Won, 38-27
Oct 29	vs Miami Dolphins	Won, 37-13
Nov 5	at Buffalo Bills	Lost, 31-17
Nov 12	at Denver Broncos	Won, 40-9
Nov 19	at Los Angeles Chargers	Won, 27-24 (OT)
Nov 26	vs Carolina Panthers	Won, 29-21
Dec 4	at New England Patriots (MNF)	Won, 27-24 (OT)
Dec 10	vs Kansas City Chiefs	Lost, 20-13
Dec 17	vs Buffalo Bills	Won, 43-40
Dec 24	at New Orleans Saints (SNF)	Lost, 34-8
Dec 31	at Baltimore Ravens	Won, 24-6

[RoundingThird]

Re: Flying Through the Big Apple - RoundingThird's New York Jets (M17)

Week 17 Scoreboard:

Sunday, 1 PM:
Packers 38, Vikings 16
Lions 6, Bears 24
Jaguars 31, Patriots 16
Colts 17, Titans 21
Texans 28, Bills 21
Dolphins 21, Browns 24 (OT)
Eagles 28, Redskins 19

Sunday, 4:25 PM:
Raiders 24, Broncos 21
Seahawks 31, Rams 28 (OT)
Cardinals 39, 49ers 12
Chiefs 38, Chargers 28
Buccaneers 31, Falcons 24
Saints 35, Panthers 32
Bengals 7, Steelers 27
Jets 24, Ravens 6

Sunday Night Football:
Cowboys 24, Giants 27 (OT)

The Lead:
Giants top incredible December with comeback win to beat Cowboys, win NFC East at 7-9
Colts lose, Jags win, yet Colts still take final wild card via points scored tiebreaker
1st year without Brady in New England ends in the 1st sub .500 season in Belichick's tenure
Bucs win to lock up NFC South, settle for #3 seed after Packers take care of business
Saints knock off Panthers to take #5 seed in NFC, sending Carolina to #6

Wild Card Schedule:

Saturday, January 6:
LA Chargers (11-5) @ Pittsburgh (8-8), 4:30 PM (ESPN)
New Orleans (11-5) @ NY Giants (7-9), 8:00 PM (NBC)

Sunday, January 7:
Indianapolis (8-8) @ Houston (10-6), 1:00 PM (CBS)
Carolina (10-6) @ Tampa Bay (11-5), 4:30 PM (FOX)

[NewscasterNews4]

Re: Flying Through the Big Apple - RoundingThird's New York Jets (M17)

An 8-8 team getting the 6 seed? Man the AFC looks weak this year. Other than the Chiefs and Chargers, the Jets should have an easy road to the Super Bowl it looks like.

Also, I'm genuinely curious to see Marcus Mariota's final season stats. I have a feeling he may have broke an NFL record, and not a good one lol.

[RoundingThird]

Re: Flying Through the Big Apple - RoundingThird's New York Jets (M17)

An 8-8 team getting the 6 seed? Man the AFC looks weak this year. Other than the Chiefs and Chargers, the Jets should have an easy road to the Super Bowl it looks like.

Also, I'm genuinely curious to see Marcus Mariota's final season stats. I have a feeling he may have broke an NFL record, and not a good one lol.

Yeah, I'll get to that.

He was second in passing yards and passing touchdowns, but he certainly broke the record you're talking about. And to do it on an 11-5 team? Amazing.

[RoundingThird]

Re: Flying Through the Big Apple - RoundingThird's New York Jets (M17)

The League Recap: End of Regular Season




Playoff Injury Report:

Buccaneers CB Darrelle Revis - Upper Arm Fracture - 2 weeks
Buccaneers RG Ali Marpet - Fractured Foot - 2 weeks
Chiefs QB Alex Smith - Torn Bicep - 2 weeks
Chiefs WR Kamar Aiken - Broken Collarbone - 6 weeks (IR)
Colts MLB Sean Weatherspoon - Broken Ribs - 3 weeks
Giants DE Jason Pierre-Paul - Partial Torn MCL - 6 weeks (IR)
Giants HB Matt Jones - Torn MCL - 40 weeks (IR)
Giants RT Lamar Holmes - Torn Knee Cartilage - 4 weeks (IR)
Giants WR Jalin Marshall - Torn Pectoral - 13 weeks (IR)
Jets TE Rob Gronkowski - Dislocated Elbow - 4 weeks (IR)
Jets CB Buster Skrine - Dislocated Elbow - 5 weeks (IR)
Jets OLB Trevor Reilly - Broken Femur - 28 weeks (IR)
Packers WR Jordy Nelson - Partial Torn MCL - 1 week
Packers C Corey Linsley - Dislocated Elbow - 2 weeks[/B]
Packers LT David Bakhtiari - Fractured Foot - 6 weeks (IR)
Panthers SS Tre Boston - Dislocated Hip - 1 week
Panthers LT Nate Chandler - Fractured Shoulder Blade - 2 weeks (IR)
Saints OLB Josh Bynes - Torn Shoulder - 2 weeks
Seahawks MLB Steve Longa - Torn Knee Cartilage - 3 weeks
Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett - Torn Rotator Cuff - 11 weeks (IR)
Steelers MLB Ryan Shazier - Dislocated Ankle - 5 weeks (IR)

Transactions:

Signed:
Giants: DE Carl Lawson
Titans: OLB Calvin Munson
Raiders: SS Jayron Kearse
Patriots: LG Joe Dahl
49ers: CB Sojourn Shelton, OLB Lerentee McCray
Jets: TE Adam Shaheen, CB Brice McCain

Released:
Browns: HB Damien Williams

Fired:
Vikings: HC Mike Zimmer
Redskins: HC Jay Gruden
Ravens: HC John Harbaugh
Rams: HC Tomas Pita
Raiders: HC Jack Del Rio
Lions: HC Chuck Pagano
Broncos: HC Gary Kubiak

New York Jets Final Regular Season Stats Stats - 2017
Passing	C/ATT	YDS	AVG	YDS/G	LONG	TD	INT	RAT
Marcus Mariota	396/617	4,918	12.4	289.3	75	33	36	82.2
Geno Smith	20/28	283	14.2	283.0	74	2	2	97.7
Rushing	ATT	YDS	AVG	LONG	20+	TD	YDS/G	FUM
Todd Gurley II	255	1367	5.4	85	13	14	113.9	3
Marcus Mariota	65	532	8.2	33	1	5	31.3	13
Matt Forte	84	317	3.8	26	2	1	19.8	3
Geno Smith	4	22	5.5	9	0	0	22.0	3
Bilal Powell	1	8	8.0	8	0	0	1.3	0
Dakota Ball	5	8	1.6	5	0	0	0.5	0
Zac Stacy	4	1	0.3	4	0	0	0.5	0
Receiving	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	20+	YDS/G	YAC
Rob Gronkowski	73	1,052	14.4	4	72	16	87.7	328
Mike Williams	56	691	12.3	2	70	9	49.4	318
Devin Smith	51	760	14.9	4	74	3	47.5	220
Vincent Jackson	51	563	11.0	5	75	6	35.2	155
Jace Amaro	47	770	16.4	9	69	11	48.1	264
Todd Gurley	35	226	6.5	2	48	5	18.8	283
Matt Forte	27	250	9.3	1	45	3	15.6	243
Dakota Ball	9	64	7.1	3	17	0	4.3	20
Kenbrell Thompkins	8	71	8.9	1	19	0	4.7	17
Kellen Davis	8	121	15.1	0	20	1	7.6	27
Quincy Enunwa	2	71	35.5	1	59	1	5.9	44
Adam Shaheen	2	65	32.5	0	44	2	65.0	30
	Tackles			Sacks		Interceptions
Defense	SOLO	AST	TOT	SACK	TLOSS	PD	INT	TD
David Harris	44	59	103	1.0	19	4	3	1
Rontez Miles	45	55	100	1.0	11	3	1	0
Darron Lee	49	51	100	3.0	14	0	2	0
Marcus Gilchrist	43	53	96	1.0	7	3	2	0
Darqueze Dennard	48	42	90	0.5	6	3	0	0
Leonard Williams	41	43	84	14.0	21	0	0	0
Muhammad Wilkerson	39	38	77	14.5	25	0	0	0
Marcus Williams	36	33	69	0.0	2	4	4	0
Erin Henderson	12	34	46	1.0	9	1	0	1
Dee Milliner	19	19	38	1.0	1	2	3	1
Buster Skrine	23	11	34	1.0	0	1	0	0
Jordan Jenkins	9	23	32	4.0	11	0	0	0
Steve McLendon	15	14	29	0.0	8	0	0	0
Dion Bailey	9	17	26	1.0	3	0	0	0
Ronald Martin	4	11	15	0.0	0	0	0	0
Deon Simon	3	10	13	0.5	2	0	0	0
Elijah Lee	5	3	8	1.0	0	0	0	0
Darryl Morris	3	3	6	0.0	0	1	1	0
Lorenzo Mauldin IV	2	3	5	0.0	0	0	0	0
Tarow Barney	0	1	1	0.0	0	0	0	0
	Kickoffs					Punts
Returning	ATT	YDS	AVG	LONG	TD	RET	AVG	TD
Mike Williams	37	916	24.8	34	0	24	14.0	0
Todd Gurley II	18	426	23.7	38	0	5	14.0	0
Bilal Powell	11	249	22.6	32	0
Kenbrell Thompkins	2	4	2.0	3	0
	Field Goals				Extra Points
Kicking	FGM	FGA	PCT	LONG	XPM	XPA	PCT	PTS
Nick Folk	20	22	90	51	48	50	96	108
Punting	PUNTS	YDS	LONG	AVG	NET	BP	IN20	TB
Lachlan Edwards	26	1,365	90	52.5	1,188	0	11	4

[RoundingThird]

Re: Flying Through the Big Apple - RoundingThird's New York Jets (M17)

Wild Card Scoreboard:

AFC:
Colts 33, Texans 10
Chargers 14, Steelers 45

NFC:
Panthers 34, Buccaneers 17
Saints 38, Giants 28

The Lead:
After sneaking into the playoffs at 8-8, Big Ben puts on a show to sink Chargers
Giants hit a thud after strong second half of season, Saints move onto Divisional Weekend
Carolina's running game brings an end to the Bucs' dream season
Colts get by Texans with all Luck, and only Luck

Divisional Schedule:

Saturday, January 13:
#4 Pittsburgh (9-8) @ #2 NY Jets (11-5), 4:30 PM (CBS)
#5 New Orleans (12-5) @ #2 Green Bay (11-5), 8:00 PM (FOX)

Sunday, January 14:
#6 Indianapolis (9-8) @ #1 Kansas City (14-2), 1:00 PM (NBC)
#6 Carolina (11-6) @ #1 Seattle (13-3), 4:30 PM (FOX)

[RoundingThird]

Re: Flying Through the Big Apple - RoundingThird's New York Jets (M17)

The League Recap: Wild Card Weekend




Playoff Injury Report:

Chiefs QB Alex Smith - Torn Bicep - 1 week
Chiefs WR Kamar Aiken - Broken Collarbone - 5 weeks (IR)
Colts MLB Sean Weatherspoon - Broken Ribs - 2 weeks
Colts HB Charles Sims III - Dislocated Kne - 5 weeks (IR)
Jets TE Rob Gronkowski - Dislocated Elbow - 3 weeks (IR)
Jets CB Buster Skrine - Dislocated Elbow - 4 weeks (IR)
Jets OLB Trevor Reilly - Broken Femur - 27 weeks (IR)
Packers C Corey Linsley - Dislocated Elbow - 1 week[/B]
Packers LT David Bakhtiari - Fractured Foot - 5 weeks (IR)
Panthers LT Nate Chandler - Fractured Shoulder Blade - 1 week (IR)
Saints OLB Josh Bynes - Torn Shoulder - 1 week
Seahawks MLB Steve Longa - Torn Knee Cartilage - 2 weeks
Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett - Torn Rotator Cuff - 10 weeks (IR)
Steelers MLB Ryan Shazier - Dislocated Ankle - 4 weeks (IR)
Steelers RT Marcus Gilbert - Torn Pectoral - 35 weeks (IR)
Steelers HB Denard Robinson - Dislocated Knee - 4 weeks (IR)

Transactions:

Signed:
Chiefs: WR Adam Humphries
Colts: HB Bishop Sankey

Coaching Carousel:
N/A

[RoundingThird]

Re: Flying Through the Big Apple - RoundingThird's New York Jets (M17)

Jets Gameday Preview: AFC Divisional


It's playoff time, Jets Nation! And, for the first time since 2002, y'all get to witness playoff football at home. Let's do this!

The hype is real. Not only is this the first Jets home playoff game since a 41-0 romping of Peyton Manning's Colts 15 years ago, this is the first time in 20 seasons that the Jets earned a first round bye. So, if this MetLife Stadium crowd is anything less than crazy on this frigid Saturday afternoon, they don't deserve to come back here for another 20 years. The team itself has rolled to an 11-5 record with the league's best offense AND defense, despite having the NFL's worst ever turnover margin for a season. And, with a week off, they're rested, well prepared, and ready to go. Good luck Pittsburgh.

So, Big Ben Roethlisberger is the best thing to ever come out of Miami University, except for current Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and the 23rd President of the United States, Benjamin Harrison. Miami also happens to be the school that RoundingThird would have chosen to go to if he did not end up at UConn, but he did, so that's a moot point. The ol' Pittsburgh gunslinger had one of the best years of his long career, ending up 4th in the NFL in passing, but still two places behind his Jets counterpart in that category. He leads an offense that is as lethal as ever. For the first time in a long time (if not ever), Le'Veon Bell has played in all 17 games that the Steelers have played this season, including last week's Wild Card blowout over the Chargers. That's right: No injuries, no drug suspensions. As it turns out, a fully healthy Bell is even more dangerous than the Bell we've gotten used to seeing. In this pass first offense, he's as dangerous as a receiver as a he is a runner, with his signature running style, pausing for a split second to let holes open up in front of him. But, we mentioned that passing attack. In addition to his running back, Roethlisberger has the NFL's best receiver, Antonio Brown, and quite possibly, the NFL's fastest receiver, rookie John Ross. There's also Martavis Bryant, and tight end Ladarius Green. After a solid performance against the Ravens, their first in about a month, the Jets secondary is going to get tested once again today, and unless they make a dedicated effort, chances are they'll get sliced up. But, can their offense save the day. Quite possibly.

With an offense this good, you wonder why the Steelers finished the regular season 8-8, having to win in week 17 to clinch the AFC North. The answer to that question is the defense, or lack thereof. Gone are any remnants of the reincarnated Steel Curtain that we saw a couple years ago. No more Troy Polamalu. No more James Harrison. Instead, the Steelers have a lot of youth, and while they have the potential to return to an elite level in a couple of years, this has turned out to be a rebuilding year for the Pittsburgh defense. They rank second worst in the NFL in total defense, and when you look at the names that make up their starting eleven, you'll understand why. The captain of this defense, and one of the few veteran presences, is Cameron Heyward, and on the defensive line, he is across from Stephon Tuitt, still a rather formidable pass rush. But in between them is where the names become unfamiliar. The leading defensive tackle for this Steelers team is Roy Miller III, getting the majority of the playing time over Javon Hargrave and Tyson Jackson. One of the better Steelers' linebackers, Ryan Shazier, is done for the year, leaving Pittsburgh with Bud Dupree to fill his place, opposite the tackling machine Arthur Moats. But the middle linebackers? Well, there's still Lawrence Timmons, but that's it. Rookie Marquel Lee from Wake Forest, has been sleepwalking through his inaugural season. If you're looking for more youth, you'll find it in the secondary, where the #1 corner is former Michigan Wolverine Jourdan Lewis, getting the nod over veterans William Gay and Ross Cockerell, who still figure to have a significant impact on this game. At safety, sophomore Sean Davis has replaced Shamarko Thomas on one side, while Mike Mitchell mans down the other side. The opportunity for the Jets to get yards will be widespread. The only question is, how often will they turn the ball over?

Matchup Preview *|* January 13, 2018
	@
Pittsburgh Steelers (9-8, 3-5 Away)		New York Jets (11-5, 6-2 Home)
Offensive Stats Comparison 6,419 (#6) Total Offensive Yards 6,684 (#1) 4,764 (#2) Passing Yards 4,499 (#7) 1,655 (#16) Rushing Yards 2,185 (#3) 30.3 (#4) Points Per Game 29.0 (#8) Defensive Stats Comparison 6,292 (#31) Total Yards Allowed 4,959 (#1) 4,356 (#26) Passing Yards Allowed 3,570 (#2) 1,936 (#26) Rushing Yards Allowed 1,389 (#2) 456 (#31) Points Allowed 357 (#5) Injury Report MLB Ryan Shazier (Ankle) 4 weeks (IR) TE Rob Gronkowski (Elbow) 3 weeks (IR) RT Marcus Gilchrist (Chest) 35 weeks (IR) CB Buster Skrine (Elbow) 4 weeks (IR) HB Denard Robinson (Knee) 4 weeks (IR) OLB Trevor Reilly (Leg) 27 weeks (IR) Game Notes Time: 4:30 PM EST TV: CBS (Jim Nantz, Phil Simms, Tracy Wolfson) Streaks: Steelers: W4 Jets: W1 Last Meeting: Jets 30, Steelers 6 - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (10/09/2016) Last Time Out: Steelers 45, Chargers 14 Jets 24, Ravens 6

[RoundingThird]

Re: Flying Through the Big Apple - RoundingThird's New York Jets (M17)

Gameday Recap: Jets 44, Steelers 38
Jets survive a slugfest, now sit one win away


Todd Gurley ran for 46 yards and a touchdown on this play, but it's not about him. Look how close Mike Mitchell comes to bringing him down short of the goal line. He had his arms wrapped around the legs of Gurley, and that image of being so close completely represents the theme of this wild game.

Well, we did mention in the game preview that this game could potentially be a shootout. But this? We did not see this coming. Neither starting quarterback threw an incompletion until after the two minute warning in the second quarter. By the end of the 1st quarter, both Marcus Mariota and Ben Roethlisberger were well over 200 yards passing, with at least 2 touchdown passes each. But, after the 1st quarter, the Jets defense stepped up, showing why it was the league’s best in the regular season, and forcing the high powered Steelers off the field. Meanwhile, in the second quarter, and the first part of the third, the Jets offense took off, giving them the fuel they needed to hold onto this one, despite a late charge by Pittsburgh. It wasn’t pretty, but the New York Jets are one win away from the Super Bowl. It’s been almost 10 years since we’ve been able to say that.

Antonio Brown knelt in the end zone for a touchback, and this game was underway. Out came the Steelers, led by their killer B’s: Ben, Brown, Bell, and Bryant. However, business was not boomin’ for the Steelers stand out wide receiver, at least in the early going. On the first play of the game, Roethlisberger found AB on a check down, and out of nowhere comes Erin Henderson, who bulldozed Brown, causing a fumble. The Great White Shark, Leonard Williams, scooped it up, and the Jets were the ones that had business boomin’, starting inside field goal range. But, as the Jets have done so often this season, they decided to one up the Steelers in the turnover department. Mariota dove head first for a first down, but was knocked sideways, and coughed up the ball himself, just two plays later. Ross Cockrell snatched it, while Mike Tomlin lit a fire underneath his offense on the sideline. Le’Veon Bell had a nice run on first down, but Mo Wilkerson brought down Big Ben to force third and long. With all day to throw, Roethlisberger decided to use his arm to test the Jets’ poor secondary. He looked for Martavis Bryant, in one-on-one coverage with Darqueze Dennard. Using his noticeable height advantage, Bryant had his way with Dennard, who didn’t perform very aggressively on the play. Bryant regained his balance upon hitting the ground, broke a tackle, and jogged the rest of the way in to make it 7-0 Steelers.


It was a day to forget for Darqueze Dennard, and it started with this play, in coverage against Martavis Bryant. Bryant literally walked all over him, made the catch, broke the tackle, and got the score.

But, hey, we were just getting started in our wacky 1st quarter. Marcus Mariota found Devin Smith on a post hitch option route. He chose the post, Mariota provided the ball, and he was gone. It ended up being Smith’s only catch as he continues to struggle with drops. Just moments after the Steelers got on the board, the Jets countered. Still, though, the back and forth was just beginning. It was time for Bryant-Dennard, round 2. On a very similar pass, Roethlisberger again heaved it in the direction of Bryant, again battling Dennard. On this one, though, Bryant had a couple steps on the former Cincinnati Bengal, and made it look easy. All in all, it was two yards less of a catch and run than the first score minutes earlier. Pittsburgh had only run 8 plays, but already had 14 points on the board.


There goes Smith! The Jets silenced the Terrible Towels almost immediately as the Jets biggest speed threat took off to tie the game at 7.


Dennard's (28) struggles continued, at the hands of Roethlisberger and Bryant once again. Bryant simply beats him on this play, and gets an easy touchdown. This all happened in the first half of the first quarter.

The Jets decided to slow the game down, because they knew that they couldn’t compete in a game that remained at this pace. Gurley got the running game going, while Mariota stayed deadly accurate, getting big gains on screens; one to the fullback Dakota Ball, and the other to Gurley. Before too long, the Jets were in the red zone, and Mariota capped off a 4 minute drive by finding Jace Amaro over the middle from 15 yards out. A strong crosswind threw off Nick Folk, however, as his extra point attempt clanked off the right upright in the icy winter air of this January afternoon in northern New Jersey. So, it stayed 14-13 Pittsburgh, with more than 3 minutes to play in the opening quarter. Big Ben wasn’t done putting on a show, and Darqueze Dennard wasn’t done letting Pittsburgh receivers blow by him. Roethisberger threw yet another deep ball towards the Jets’ cornerback. This time, there was no wide receiver in the area, so Dennard drifted back towards the ball, thinking he had an easy interception. But, then came the rookie John Ross, using every last ounce of the speed that gave him the best 40 yard dash time ever at the NFL Combine. Ross blew past Dennard, and before anybody in green knew what hit them, the Steelers had dropped 21 points in 13 minutes, and had an awkward 8 point lead, due to Folk’s first mental lapse all season.


Dennard's downfall still wasn't down. As John Ross comes out of nowhere to make the catch, Dennard appears noticeably fed up, as the position of his head, pointed straight up, would indicate.

I did mention how the second quarter belonged to the Jets, right? 80 seconds in, Amaro turned the corner, gathered a head of steam, and took off for 26 yards and a touchdown. Mariota, and Roethlisberger for that matter, were still both perfect. Coach Bowles took the extra point over the two point conversion, knowing that there would still be plenty of scoring in this game. What a wise man. The Jets forced another fumble, this one on Bell, with the vicious hit brought once again by Erin Henderson. Steve McLendon was the lucky man this time, and moments later, Todd Gurley broke free after channeling his inner Le’Veon Bell, stopping at the line of scrimmage, then breaking tackles, then turning the corner, eventually going 47 yards to give the Jets their first lead of the afternoon at 27-21. After Darqueze Dennard hit Antonio Brown late out of bounds, the icing on the cake of his nightmarish afternoon, the Jets settled down and forced the first punt of the day by the Steelers’ Jordan Berry. It was a beauty, out of bounds at the five. No worries, though. After a first down via the legs of Gurley, Mariota threw another bullet to Amaro, and once again, the Jets tight end, and free agent to be, took it the rest of the way for a total of 80 yards. Mariota, by the way was still perfect. At this point, he was 11/11 passing, already with 4 TDs. And, his team was up 34-21. The Jets got the ball back on another Steelers punt, but they couldn’t do anything, and the Steelers got the ball back with enough time to get a field goal, to pull within 10 at halftime.


Jace Amaro hip checks Sean Davis en route to his 26 yard catch and run earl in the second, the play that gave the Jets their first lead, at 20-14.


Jace Amaro, back for more, tops off the explosive first half by the Jets offense, turning up field at the 45 yard line (as you can see), and winning a footrace the rest of the way for a grand total of 80 yards.

After coming out of the locker room, it only took 3 plays for the Jets to add onto their lead. Mariota was looking for Amaro, but fired one into Mike Williams instead, a risky move with multiple Steelers ready to undercut the route. Sean Davis, a journeyman, but now a backup in the Pittsburgh secondary, jumped the route, but got there too late. He collided with Williams, but that only turned Williams in the direction of the end zone, with nothing but green grass ahead. 71 yards later, the Jets thought they were heading for a record setting blowout. On defense, the Jets had effectively silenced the killer offense of the Steelers. The Jets did a fantastic job shutting down Bell, and while Roethlisberger still had his way in the passing game, the Jets found a way to keep everything in front of them. Getting the ball back after another fantastic Jordan Berry punt, this one downed at the 2 yard line, the Jets were ready to put this one out of reach. But, after working it into field goal range, Mike Williams got crossed up in his route, and the Steelers finally got some pressure on Mariota. Lawrence Timmons swatted down a third down pass attempt from Mariota, and the Jets had to settle for 3, making it 44-24 New York.

Steelers fans certainly thought the game was over when their beloved black and yellows went three and out. Somehow though, they lost track of the fact that the Jets are the most turnover prone team in the history of the NFL, giving away the ball as if it was the cure to the plague. Mariota went to the Mike Will well one too many times. Ross Cockrell finally learned the ways of the Jets, stepped in front of the pass, and got his team back into the ball game, taking it back 42 yards to cut the Jets lead to 44-31.


Ross Cockrell gave the Terrible Towels a reason to wave again amidst the sea of green at MetLife Stadium. Mariota got a little too comfortable, and the Steelers DB made him pay.

It was the Jets turn to suffer an offensive lull. Early in the fourth quarter, Lachlan Edwards came out to punt for the first time all day, just outside of field goal range, going into that brutal wind we talked about earlier. The ball didn’t travel more than 20 yards in the air, but it was still enough for AB to call for a fair catch at the 15 yard line. Down 13 with 9 minutes to play in the game, Pittsburgh had to get at least some kind of offensive momentum. Big Ben launched a five and a half minute drive, chipping away ever so slowly, trying so hard not to use any of his timeouts. But, taking this long to score was also working in the Jets favor, as it drained the clock. Up two scores, that was exactly what the Jets wanted. But, after 13 plays, the Steelers finally got in when Bell took matters into his own hands, dispatching a potential Jets tackler with one hand, then riding two more with the rest of his body, all the way into the end zone, bringing the Steelers within 6, at 44-38. But, their time was done. They got one last shot, having to go 70 yards in 30 seconds with no timeouts, but after getting the ball across midfield, two Big Ben Hail Marys just couldn’t get the job done. It sure wasn’t pretty, but the Jets’ season will live to see another day. It’s off to the AFC Championship we go, our first since 2009.

Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Jets
Jan 13, 2018	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Pittsburgh Steelers (9-9)	21	3	7	7	38
New York Jets (12-5)	13	21	10	0	44

Team Stats Comparison
	PIT	NYJ
Total Offense	457	621
Rushing Yards	71	196
Passing Yards	386	425
First Downs	14	19
Punt Return Yards	0	14
Kick Return Yards	106	101
Total Yards	563	736
Turnovers	2	4
3rd Down Conversion	5-9 (55%	6-11 (54%)
4th Down Conversion	0-0	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	1-1-0 (100%)	1-1-0 (100%)
Penalties	1-5	3-30
Posession Time	20:54	27:06

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		PIT	NYJ
9:01	(PIT) M. Bryant 55 yard pass from B. Roethlisberger (R. Bullock kick)	7	0
8:12	(NYJ) D. Smith 73 yard pass from M. Mariota (N. Folk kick)	7	7
7:26	(PIT) M. Bryant 53 yard pass from B. Roethlisberger (R. Bullock kick)	14	7
3:37	(NYJ) J. Amaro 15 yard pass from M. Mariota (PAT missed)	14	13
2:13	(PIT) J. Ross 55 yard pass from B. Roethlisberger (R. Bullock kick)	21	13
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		PIT	NYJ
10:41	(NYJ) J. Amaro 26 yard pass from M. Mariota (N. Folk kick)	21	20
7:49	(NYJ) T. Gurley II 47 yard run (N. Folk kick)	21	27
4:15	(NYJ) J. Amaro 80 yard pass from M. Mariota (N. Folk kick)	21	34
0:00	(PIT) R. Bullock 45 yard FG	24	34
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		PIT	NYJ
10:16	(NYJ) M. Williams 71 yard pass from M. Mariota (N. Folk kick)	24	41
2:43	(NYJ) N. Folk 46 yard FG	24	44
0:23	(PIT) R. Cockrell 42 yard INT return (R. Bullock kick)	31	44
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		PIT	NYJ
3:39	(PIT) L. Bell 5 yard run (R. Bullock kick)	38	44

Pittsburgh Steelers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Ben Roethlisberger 22/31 393 3 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Le'Veon Bell 16 69 4.3 1 Stepfan Taylor 1 2 2.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Martavis Bryant 4 136 34.0 2 John Ross 4 99 24.7 1 Antonio Brown 6 84 14.0 0 Ladarius Green 2 34 17.0 0 Le'Veon Bell 5 32 6.4 0 Charles Johnson 1 8 8.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Sean Davis 12 0.0 0/0 0 Arthur Moats 9 0.0 0/0 0 Marquel Lee 8 0.0 1/0 0 Jourdan Lewis 7 0.0 0/0 0 Lawrence Timmons 7 1.0 1/1 0 Ross Cockrell 5 0.0 1/0 1 Cameron Heyward 4 0.0 0/0 0 Bud Dupree 3 1.0 0/0 0 Mike Mitchell 3 0.0 0/0 0 Roy Miller III 2 0.0 0/0 0 William Gay 2 0.0 0/0 0 Jarvis Jones 2 0.0 0/0 0 Stephon Tuitt 2 0.0 0/0 0 Matt Milano 2 0.0 0/0 0 Shamarko Thomas 1 0.0 0/0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Randy Bullock 1/1 5/5 8 45 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Jordan Berry 4 204 51.8 2 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD John Ross 3 106 35.3 0

New York Jets PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Marcus Mariota 21/32 434 5 3 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Todd Gurley II 26 130 5.0 1 Marcus Mariota 5 66 13.2 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Jace Amaro 6 157 26.1 3 Mike Williams 7 142 20.2 1 Devin Smith 1 73 73.0 1 Dakota Ball 2 31 15.5 0 Todd Gurley II 3 16 5.3 0 Vincent Jackson 2 15 7.5 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Rontez Miles 7 0.0 0 0 Darron Lee 6 0.0 0 0 Marcus Williams 6 0.0 0 0 Darqueze Dennard 5 0.0 0 0 Marcus Gilchrist 5 0.0 0 0 Erin Henderson 5 0.0 0 0 Jordan Jenkins 4 0.0 0 0 Muhammad Wilkerson 4 1.0 0 0 Dee Milliner 3 0.0 0 0 Steve McLendon 3 0.0 1 0 David Harris 2 0.0 0 0 Juston Burris 2 0.0 0 0 Leonard Williams 2 0.0 1 0 Deon Simon 1 0.0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Nick Folk 1/1 5/6 8 46 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Lachlan Edwards 1 24 24.0 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Bilal Powell 4 78 19.5 0 Mike Williams 1 23 23.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Mike Williams 1 14 14.0 0

New York Jets 2017 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Sep 10	vs Atlanta Falcons	Lost, 30-20
Sep 17	at Miami Dolphins	Lost, 27-20
Sep 25	vs Tennessee Titans (MNF)	Won, 45-10
Oct 8	vs New England Patriots	Won, 37-12
Oct 15	vs Oakland Raiders (SNF)	Won, 39-29
Oct 22	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Won, 38-27
Oct 29	vs Miami Dolphins	Won, 37-13
Nov 5	at Buffalo Bills	Lost, 31-17
Nov 12	at Denver Broncos	Won, 40-9
Nov 19	at Los Angeles Chargers	Won, 27-24 (OT)
Nov 26	vs Carolina Panthers	Won, 29-21
Dec 4	at New England Patriots (MNF)	Won, 27-24 (OT)
Dec 10	vs Kansas City Chiefs	Lost, 20-13
Dec 17	vs Buffalo Bills	Won, 43-40
Dec 24	at New Orleans Saints (SNF)	Lost, 34-8
Dec 31	at Baltimore Ravens	Won, 24-6
Jan 13	vs Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC Divisional)	Won, 44-38
Jan 21	AFC Championship

[RoundingThird]

Re: Flying Through the Big Apple - RoundingThird's New York Jets (M17)

Divisional Scoreboard:

AFC:
Steelers 38, Jets 44
Colts 27, Chiefs 30

NFC:
Panthers 28, Seahawks 34 (OT)
Saints 31, Packers 18

The Lead:
Seahawks advance to NFC Championship after a walk off pick six in OT
Saints become latest team to knock off Packers in playoffs on the frozen tundra
Newton, Mariota both throw 3 INTs, but Jets win anyway while Carolina goes home
Chiefs let Colts get back in it before Kizer puts them away late
Big Ben's 3 first quarter TDs not enough to get past Jets' high flying offense

Conference Championships:

AFC:
#2 NY Jets (12-5) @ #1 Kansas City (15-2), 3:00 PM (CBS)

NFC:
#5 New Orleans (13-5) @ #1 Seattle (14-3), 6:30 PM (FOX)

[RoundingThird]

Re: Flying Through the Big Apple - RoundingThird's New York Jets (M17)

Jets Gameday Preview: AFC Championship


It's the loudest stadium in the NFL, and there's a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. These KC fans are going to make it hard for the Jets to even breathe, so it's time to step up.

This is it. We've been in this spot before. The first two years of the Rex Ryan and Mark Sanchez era in '09 and '10 got off to a flying start: two AFC Championship appearances in two years. But, both games were on the road, in hostile environments, against teams that were among the best in the league. Today is no different. The Chiefs beat us over a month ago at our place, so we know how difficult they will make this game for us. We had a wonderful send off from the greatest fans in New York, but it's time to settle down and get in the zone. We deserve this; as much or even more than the Chiefs. Just, please, please, don't turn the ball over.

They gathered at MetLife Stadium at noon on Friday. Fireman Ed came out of retirement to lead the crowd in the "J-E-T-S! Jets! Jets! Jets!" chant, while a full on tailgate emerged in the parking lot, as men ditched work and kids ditched school to hang out in the chilly winter air. Then, out came Joe Namath. Out came Joe Klecko. Out came Curtis Martin. It was their turn to fire up the masses, waving the rally towels that were handed out in last week's playoff win against the Steelers. Then, the buses pulled up, ready to take the team to the airport. Namath made a speech, telling everybody how important this game was to the team, and how much they needed the support of the fans. At the end, he pointed to the door, counting down from 3. As soon as he reached one, the door opened, and out came the 2017-18 New York Jets, led by Marcus Mariota, Todd Gurley, Muhammad Wilkerson, and David Harris. At that point, all ability to hear what was going on was lost. Everybody exploded into absolutely deafening noise, and just like that, the team was off. On to Kansas City!

DeShone Kizer has managed to pull off the Dak Prescott. When the veteran quarterback, Alex Smith, went down early in the season to an injury, Kizer took the bull by the horns, putting up a performance so strong, he won the starting job on the league's best team in 2017. Now Smith is back, but relegated to the bench, just like Tony Romo was in Dallas in 2016. But, unlike Dallas, these Chiefs didn't choke in the playoffs, at least not yet. They have the firepower to win the Super Bowl. They've been competing with the Jets all season long for the lead in virtually all of the major stat categories, so this AFC Championship Game truly is a matchup of the two best teams in the AFC. May the best team win.

On offense, Kizer has relied on Jamaal Charles to take some of the pressure off from time to time. In the first meeting, Charles had a pretty good day running the football, at least compared to the other ballcarriers that have faced the Jets' run defense this season. The reason the Chiefs won was turnovers by the Jets, but that's neither here nor there. A string of injuries late in the season has left the Chiefs' receiving core a little depleted. Out are Travis Kelce, Jeremy Maclin and Kamar Aiken, leaving Kansas City with James O'Shaughnessey as the #1 tight end. Earlier in the week, the Chiefs signed undrafted rookie free agent wide receiver out of Georgia State Robert Davis to help fill the hole left by Aiken and Maclin. The Chiefs, however, do still have the very elusive De'Anthony Thomas, Chris Conley, and Adam Humphries. Maybe, just maybe, the Jets can use this depleted set of receivers to their advantage. Their terrible secondary just might catch a break today, but don't count on it.

But, the Kansas City defense is perfectly fine. No injuries to report on the starting unit, leaving behind a treacherous group of footballers. It all starts with Justin Houston, Tamba Hali, and Dontari Poe up front; the big maulers. All three are sacking machines, which poses a problem to the league's most sacked quarterback this season, Marcus Mariota. If that's not enough, at linebacker, we find four tackling machines: Junior Galette, Derrick Johnson, Sean Spence, and the rookie Zach Cunningham, who terrorized the Jets in Round 1. And finally, to round out the group, the secondary is full of ball-hawking machines. There's Marcus Peters, Phillip Gaines, Eric Berry, and Ron Parker. We might be able to get the Chiefs off the field, but they'll certainly be getting us off the field as well, especially with the best 12th man in the NFL. Suck it, Seattle!

Matchup Preview *|* January 21, 2018
	@
New York Jets (12-5, 5-3 Away)		Kansas City Chiefs (15-2, 7-2 Home)
Injury Report TE Rob Gronkowski (Elbow) 2 weeks (IR) TE Travis Kelce (Foot) 7 weeks (IR) CB Buster Skrine (Elbow) 3 weeks (IR) WR Jeremy Maclin (Hand) 4 weeks (IR) OLB Trevor Reilly (Leg) 26 weeks (IR) WR Kamar Aiken (Shoulder) 4 weeks (IR) Game Notes AFC Championship Time: 2:00 PM CST TV: CBS (Jim Nantz, Phil Simms, Tracy Wolfson, Jay Feely) Streaks: Jets: W2 Chiefs: W3 Last Meeting: Chiefs 20, Jets 13 - East Rutherford, New Jersey (12/10/2017) Last Week: Jets 44, Steelers 38 Chiefs 30, Colts 27