Kiss that, Patriots.
The Jets delivered the goods on their words of bravado today with a rousing 16-9 win over their hated-rival Patriots before a raucous Giants Stadium crowd that brought the kind of noise you’d expect at a playoff game.
The statement victory came after a week of bold talk from the Jets, who seemed determined to tweak the Patriots at every opportunity before the teams took the field yesterday.
“I don’t know how much talking was done last week, was there some?’’
Rex Ryan said, tongue firmly planted in cheek. “Sometimes we talk a little, but only because we have confidence in our football team. We’re a football team that should be respected.
“We believe it to be true that we’re an outstanding football team, and we’ve got to go out and show it each week.’’
Through two weeks — 2-0 and atop the AFC East — they have.
“The Patriots are a hell of a football team; I just thought we were the better team today, and we went out and showed it,’’ Ryan said.
Ryan was a big part of the pre-game chatter, too, having riled Jets fans up with a recorded phone call imploring them to make Giants Stadium “miserable’’ on Tom Bray and the Patriots offense.
Mission accomplished there. There wasn’t an empty seat in the house and the place rocked — particularly while the Patriots offense was on the field.
Defensive end Shaun Ellis, who said the stadium hadn’t been this loud since the Jets beat the Colts in the 2002 playoffs, said, “The crowd was the difference’’, adding, “We needed them.’’
“Our fans were huge in this victory,’’ Ryan said. “In fact, we’re giving the game ball to our fans; it’ll be up in our trophy case. We thought they were the difference. I never saw that crowd in the preseason. It was really intense out there. It was loud.
“That’s what I was talking about — make it miserable.’’
For a change, the Jets made it miserable for the Patriots, who’d won their past eight games against the Jets at Giants Stadium before this afternoon.
Sure this season is a mere two games old, but the Jets are flying as high as they have in years and feeling great about themselves.
Their defense, which hasn’t yielded a TD this season, battered, bruised and baffled Brady into a forgettable performance (23-of-47 for 216 yards and an interception).
Their offense, led by poised-beyond-his-years rookie QB Mark Sanchez, did just enough against the game Patriots’ defense in a taut defensive struggle.
It was a nine-yard Sanchez scoring pass to TE Dustin Keller in the third quarter that gave the Jets a 10-9 lead, their first of the game and one they would never relinquish en route to vanquishing the favored Patriots.
It was a taut defensive game on both sides of the ball.
With the Patriots having incredible field position early in the game — starting one drive on the Jets’ 49 and one on the Jets’ 17 — they managed one Stephen Gostkowski field goal out of it.
The Jets trailed 9-3 at the half and were anemic on offense (four first downs and 57 total yards), but Sanchez led them to the only TD of the game on the opening drive of the third quarter.
Sanchez was 3-of-5 for 15 yards in the first half and 11-of-17 for 148 yards and the TD in the second half.
After the Jets took the 16-9 lead with 9:48 remaining in the game on the third of Jay Feely’s three field goals, their defense held Brady and Co. scoreless on three possessions, the last of which began from the New England 10-yard line with 1:48 remaining.
“I know everyone was thinking, ‘OK, two minutes, Brady time. March down the field tie the game, go for two and win the game,’ ’’ Jets LB Bart Scott said. “No, I’m not used to that. I’ve never been a part of that. Maybe people expected that time would run out (on the Patriots). No, maybe we’ll stop them four times and then it’s time to warm up the (bleeping) bus.’’
What Scott was really saying was something like this: “Kiss that,’’ which has a nice ring to it.
Mark Sanchez came out throwing in the second half after a quiet first two quarters and connected with Dustin Keller on a go-ahead touchdown as the Jets held on and beat Brady for the first time at a loud Meadowlands with a 16-9 victory Sunday.
Brady had a chance to tie it for the Patriots, getting the ball at the Patriots 10 with 1:48 left, but the Jets’ defense stopped him as Dwight Lowery knocked away a pass to Joey Galloway on fourth down.
Brady was unable to engineer his 30th comeback victory as Sanchez took a knee twice to seal the first win for the Jets (2-0) over the Patriots (1-1) at home in nine games. Brady had beaten the Jets in 12 of the previous 14 games he had faced them overall.
Sanchez finished 14 of 22 for 163 yards and the touchdown to Keller, while Brady was 23 of 47 for 216 yards and an interception. He was without one of his favorite targets as Wes Welker sat out with a knee injury.
The victory came after a week in which Jets safety Kerry Rhodes said New York wanted to embarrass New England and coach Rex Ryan reiterated his comments that he didn’t come to “kiss Bill Belichick’s rings.”
Ryan also sent a voicemail to season ticket holders, urging them to be loud and give the Jets an edge. The fans clearly listened as the Patriots had a difficult time with the noise and Brady was forced into consecutive delay of game penalties in the third quarter.
Sanchez was 3 of 5 for 15 yards in the first half, but connected with Jerricho Cotchery for a 45-yard gain to the Patriots 11 on the first play of the third quarter. After a 2-yard run by Thomas Jones, Sanchez found Keller in the back of the end zone to give the Jets a 10-9 lead 1:03 into the third quarter.
The Jets nearly scored another touchdown on their next possession, when Chansi Stuckey caught a pass from Sanchez in the right corner of the end zone. Belichick challenged the call, and it was reversed, with the officials saying Stuckey was unable to get both feet down in bounds.
Sanchez went back to Stuckey on the next play, but overthrew him and the Jets settled for a 21-yard field goal by Jay Feely to make it 13-9.
Feely added a 39-yarder with 9:48 remaining to give the Jets a 16-9 lead. It capped a 14-play, 63-yard drive that lasted 8:21.
New England outgained New York 197-57, but still led just 9-3 at halftime.
The Patriots took advantage of a fumble by Leon Washington, who lost the ball when Vince Wilfork hit him and Leigh Bodden recovered at the Jets 17. Ryan challenged the call, but it was upheld.
New England couldn’t get its offense going, though, with two holding penalties setting up a second-and-30 from the Jets 37. After a 10-yard catch by Julian Edelman and an incompletion intended for Galloway, Stephen Gostkowski kicked a 45-yard field goal.
New York escaped a possible touchdown when Lito Sheppard knocked away Brady’s pass to Galloway after an illegal contact penalty on the Jets cornerback on third down kept the drive alive. Brady connected with Edelman for a 29-yard gain to the Jets 12, but the drive stalled and Gostkowski’s 25-yarder made it 6-0 early in the second quarter.
Feely cut the deficit to three at 6-3 with a 33-yard field goal.
Mark Sanchez came out throwing in the second half after a quiet first two quarters and connected with Dustin Keller on a go-ahead touchdown as the Jets held on and beat Brady for the first time at the Meadowlands with a 16-9 victory Sunday.
Brady had a chance to tie it for the Patriots, getting the ball at the Patriots 10 with 1:48 left, but the Jets’ defense stopped him as Dwight Lowery knocked away a pass to Joey Galloway on fourth down.
Sanchez took a knee twice to seal the first win for the Jets (2-0) over the Patriots (1-1) at home in nine games.