Now it's win and in

I woke up at 2 am. and my first thought was not excitement about the Jets' daunting task of beat the undefeated Colts in Indianapolis. After landing in Chicago around 8 am and attending Wheaton Bible Church, and unpacking I headed over to Rookie's. From 12:45 on, I watched intently as every 12:00 game went the Jets way. New England hammered Jacksonville, the Texans held on to beat Miami, and Pittsburgh edged Baltimore. So at this point, destiny had fallen right into the anxious arms of Gang Green. I knew the Jets would make the playoffs if they won both of their remaining two games. But if they lost one, they were done; either Miami or Pittsburgh will pass them since they play each other next week.

As I sat surrounded by Packers and Broncos fans, I had no reason to feel confident. The Jets had lost a horrible game the previous week. The offense was sputtering, though the Indy defense was vulnerable. But most of all, I felt as long as the game was close, the Colts starters would remain in the game. On their second possession, the Colts drove 54 yards in four minutes. They converted a 4th and 1, thanks to a tripping penalty on Bart Scott. Two plays later, Addai busts up the middle for 21 yards, touchdown Colts. But on the PAT, Bryan Thomas blocks the kick and it's only a 6-0 deficit. That proved to be a big play. Despite the TD, the Jets were still playing hard.

The Jets then get first downs and have the ball on the Indy 45. They then do a reverse to David Clowney that loses 14 yards! The Jets punt and Indy gets the ball to the Jets 4. But the defense holds them and Adam Vinatieri kicks a short field goal.

Now the Jets offense had done nothing to this point. But the one good thing is they were not turning the ball over. As the second quarter went on, the Jets began to run the ball better. And that came once Shone Greene entered the game. A 21-yard run by the Iowa rookie led to a 35-yard Jay Feely field goal late in the first half. Unfortunately the drive was limited when Dwight Freeney sacked Mark Sanchez for a 10-yard loss. And no one was blocking the great defensive end. Amazingly, it was not the last time Freeney would rush Sanchez without a blocker to impede him.

I guarantee no Jets fan could have imagined what would happen on the opening kickoff of the second half. Brad Smith, can run, but he is no speed demon. He takes the ball and streaks down the right sideline and the Jets are leading 10-9!. The Colts take the ball and thanks to some shoddy tackling, Donald Brown extends the lead to 15-10, as they missed the two-point conversion. They would not have needed those two points if they made the earlier PAT.

After the Jets punt, Indy takes the ball on their own 10. And out goes Peyton Manning, the best QB I have ever seen. In comes rookie Curtis Painter. Out go Dallas Clark and Reggie Wayne.
And I cannot thank Colts coach Jim Caldwell enough. The D forces a 3 and out. Greene picks up 16 yards on two carries and the drive stalls, Jets punt.

And then comes the play of the game. Painter drops back to pass from his own 20. Calvin Pace, rushing against a backup tight end, whacks Painter's right arm and the ball pops loose. Mike Devito knocks it forward and Marques Douglas falls on the ball in the end zone. I had been very quiet most of the game. But by now, I am pumping my fists Jets score and following the two-point reception by Dustin Keller, they lead 18-15!

The D forces yet another 3 and out and the offense gets the ball with excellent field position at the Indy 45. They get one first down, but have to settle for another field goal. The scoring is good, but I'm getting aggravated that this offense still cannot score a TD. The D gets another 3 and out (the 4th straight possession Indy has not picked up a first down) as the Indy fans are booing mercilessly. And their boos are directed right at their coach for yanking the starters.

The Jets then run a six-minute drive highlighted by a 29-yard run by TJ that takes the pigskin to the 1. TJ runs it in on third down, Braylon catches the two-pointer, 29-15. After Painter completed two passes, Dwight Lowery picks him off with four minutes left and that was essentially the end.

Now it comes down to one game. One task. One mission. The Jets have to beat the AFC North champion Bengals at home next week. A win clinches a playoff berth and first round game against either New England or Cincinnati. Coach Rex Ryan, I salute you.