FUMMMMMMMMBLE! LaRon Landry forces a fumble with a bone-rattling hit on the Rams’ Daryl Richardson yesterday during the fourth quarter of the Jets’ 27-13 victory, which may have salvaged Gang Green’s seemingly lost season. (AP)
ST. LOUIS — OK, so the Jets have a pulse. They remain relevant for another week. Now what?
Yesterday’s 27-13 win over the Rams at the Edward Jones Dome, the Jets’ first victory in more than a month, lifted them to 4-6 and allowed them a deserved exhale of relief.
“We needed a win in the worst way,’’ coach Rex Ryan said.
“We haven’t had this feeling in a while,’’ safety Yeremiah Bell said.
“I think we all saw a little bit of light today,’’ receiver Chaz Schilens said.
“We needed this going into Thursday,’’ defensive tackle Mike DeVito said.
Ah, yes, Thursday.
With their Thanksgiving night AFC East showdown against the Patriots at MetLife Stadium looming in just three days, the Jets step up in class and have a chance to truly show they have the team to make another magical playoff run and their season is not going to be reduced to December garbage time.
This is what yesterday’s win did for the Jets: It injected a massive dose of energy and hope into Thursday night’s game.
Because the Jets are forever looking up at New England in the standings and always on the chase, the Patriots are often a strong elixir for them, elevating their motivation.
“They’ve got some great players, a great system, great coaches and the teams have a good feel for each other,’’ left guard Brandon Moore said. “That’s a team that’s won our division for the last few years. Guys don’t really like each other.’’
What did we learn about the Jets in their win over the Rams that might tell us more as they move on to the Patriots, who improved to 7-3 after annihilating the Colts, 59-24, yesterday?
Let’s get the cynical view out of the way first: In the 3-6-1 Rams, the Jets finally found a team that commits more unforced errors (and foot faults) than they do.
As we saw, the Rams have more problems than the Jets, beginning with a young quarterback in Sam Bradford, who was a higher draft pick than Mark Sanchez and is not fulfilling his promise. (Does that sound familiar?)
The Rams turned the ball over three times and had a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown nullified by a holding penalty.
But the Jets, who have been beaten up and ridiculed for their own woes this season, should be duly credited for taking care of business against an inferior team.
Muhammad Wilkerson strip-sacked Bradford, his second sack and forced fumble in the last two games. Eric Smith made a terrific play on a Bradford pass deep in Rams territory and picked it off. LaRon Landry forced a fumble in the fourth quarter that led to the Jets’ final touchdown.
Sanchez played one of his most efficient games of the season, completing 15-of-20 passes with no turnovers and a 25-yard touchdown pass to Schilens. The offensive line protected Sanchez well and opened big holes for the running backs, with Bilal Powell scoring on two third-down draw plays in the final quarter to seal the game.
Outside of the things the Jets did on the field, the Jets should also be credited for their performance inside the visitors’ locker room, where they did not thump their chests and tell everyone they’re back and how good they are based on one win against a bad team.
The Jets, to a man, were humble after the game, seemingly understanding that this was a mere baby step.
“It’s a building block,’’ DeVito said. “It wasn’t a perfect game. It’s all about building on this.’’
Players who were on the 2009 Jets, Ryan’s first year with the team, have already started to remind teammates how that team was 4-6 before going on a late-season run that ended in the AFC Championship game.
You’ll hear more of that talk in the days leading up to Thursday’s game.
“We know what’s ahead of us,’’ DeVito said. “We know our goals are still front of us. We still have a plan. We still have a plan to make the playoffs. We believe this team can do it and this was the first step to do it.’’