NFL

Jets report card

OFFENSE

The Jets awoke from their preseason slumber in a big way. Quarterback Mark Sanchez (19-of-27, 266 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT) carved up the Bills secondary and left no one chanting Tim Tebow’s name. The debut of the Tebow Wildcat was uneventful with Tebow running the ball five times for 11 yards. Rookie wide receiver Stephen Hill (5 catches, 89 yards, 2 TD) had a huge debut, as did new offensive coordinator Tony Sparano. A

DEFENSE

The unit had an outstanding first half, but packed it in once the score got out of hand and let the Bills roll up some late numbers. The Jets harassed Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick even if they did not get a sack. That led to three interceptions for the Jets defense, highlighted by Antonio Cromartie’s 40-yard return for a touchdown. The tackling was sloppy on a few of C.J. Spiller’s long runs. Spiller ended up with 169 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown. B

SPECIAL TEAMS

Jeremy Kerley spent much of the offseason in Rex Ryan’s doghouse. It’s safe to say he emerged from it yesterday. Kerley returned a punt 68 yards for a touchdown, the Jets’ first punt return for a score since 2002. New punter Robert Malone did not get to punt until the fourth quarter because the offense was rolling. He averaged 51.5 yards on two punts. A

COACHING

Rex Ryan had his team ready to play. All three phases contributed to the win. Sparano had about as good a debut as you can with his offense clicking. Sparano did a nice job mixing the run and the pass and the team hit some big plays. Mike Pettine had the defense dialed in early when the game was still in the balance. A