In exactly 10 Sundays, our New York Jets will be back in action with the 2014 season opener against Oakland at 1 p.m. from MetLife Stadium.
To celebrate this 10-week/70-day mark, here are 10 key plays from the 2013 season. We're excited to see many more like these in the 2014 campaign – beginning on Sept. 7 against the Raiders.
1. Folk Hero Comes Up Big in Opener: Nick Folk kicked off the 2013 season on the right foot with a 3-for-3 day that included a go-ahead 48-yard field goal with two ticks on the clock – his first of three game-winners on the season – for an 18-17 home victory over Tampa Bay.
2. Hill Goes Deep For 51-yard TD: The Jets offense produced big at Buffalo in Week 3 – including Geno Smith's first of three TD passes on the day, a 51-yard bomb to Stephen Hill in the second quarter. Smith threw for a career-high 331 yards while Hill notched his first career 100-yard receiving game in the 27-20 win.
3. Mo Sack-Fumbles Matt Ryan: With the Jets clinging to a three-point lead late in the third quarter of a Monday night tilt in Atlanta, Muhammad Wilkerson forced a Matt Ryan fumble and Leger Douzable pounced on the loose ball – the only turnover the Jets would force on the night.
4. Folk Clutch on Monday Night: Folk went 3-for-3 on the game with no kick longer or larger than his 43-yard game-winning boot at the horn to give the Jets a 30-28 Monday night road win over Atlanta in Week 5.
5. AA Pick-6s Tom Brady: Down 21-10 early in the second half and with the Patriots pinned back in their own territory, Antonio Allen under-cut a Tom Brady pass to Rob Gronkowski and took it back 23 yards to the house that highlighted a spirited second-half against the division rivals.
6. Geno Dives For the Pylon: Later in the third quarter, Smith put the Jets ahead with a diving 8-yard rushing touchdown to the front right pylon as the Jets scored all 17 of the game's third-quarter points and held on for a 30-27 Week 7 overtime victory over New England thanks to Folk's third game-winning field goal of the season.
7. Ivory Runs Over Former Team: In a matchup against the team that traded him away six months earlier, Chris Ivory ran for a score and a season-high 139 yards in the 26-20 Week 9 win over New Orleans, including this 52-yard romp up the right side with the offense pinned against the goal line. (Honorable mention to Quinton Coples' fourth-and-inches TFL with the Saints driving as the Jets maintained a two-score lead with under eight minutes remaining.)
8. Allen Does It All on Block-Recovery: AA makes his second appearance on this list as he ran right up the gut to block an Oakland punt deep in Raider territory before recovering the ball in the end zone to increase the NYJ lead to 20-3 heading into halftime. The Green & White would hold on for the 37-27 home victory in Week 14 that snapped a three-game losing skid.
9. Geno Cements Win With 17-yard Romp: In the home finale vs. Cleveland in Week 16 and with the Jets holding onto a four-point lead with under four minutes left, Smith iced the victory with an untouched 17-yard touchdown rush – his fifth of six rushing TDs on the season as well as his longest – in the 24-13 triumph that finished off a 7-2 home slate.
10. Dee's Picks Get Jets to 8-8: Dee Milliner finished the season with a bang with three picks in his final two games, including two second-half INTs in the season finale at Miami to help the Jets crawl back to .500 after ending the year on a two-game winning streak. Milliner's second pick came with 1:37 remaining and ended a long Miami drive as the Green & White won 20-7 and knocked the Dolphins out of playoff contention.
