In what was one of the most egregious snubs of this NFL season, Thomas Jones was omitted from the Pro Bowl when the teams were announced last week.
Jones, however, entered last night’s game against the Bengals with a chance to achieve a significant personal goal. He needed 12 yards to set a career high for rushing yards — and he got it with 78 yards on 27 carries in the Jets’ 37-0 romp.
Jones, who entered last night ranked fourth in the NFL and second in the AFC with 1,324 yards, finished the regular season with 1,413 yards, surpassing his previous high of 1,335 he gained in 2005 when he played for the Bears.
“It would mean a lot,” Jones said before last night’s game. “Obviously, being 31 and a lot of people say, ‘Hey, you’re on the decline the older you get,’ to me, I feel like I’m getting better and better each week and better and better each year.”