Chris Ivory carried the load while Geno Smith remained poised under pressure, and their efforts have not gone unnoticed.
Ivory has been nominated for the FedEx Ground Player of the Week, and Smith has been nominated for both the Pepsi NEXT NFL Rookie of the Week and the GMC Never Say Never Moment of the Week.
Taking advantage of the Patriots, playing without DT Vince Wilfork and LB Jerod Mayo, offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg decided to run it down New England's throat, unleashing Ivory for 34 carries and 104 yards.
To put that number in perspective, the 34 carries are tied for the most rushes in one game since the start of the 2011 season with none other than Adrian Peterson.
When the Jets needed him most, Ivory ran the ball nine times in their one overtime drive, hitting his holes decisively or muscling his way through to keep the chains moving and set up Nick Folk's game-winning 42-yard field goal.
Ivory did his part for the Jets, and now fans can do their part for Ivory by **clicking here to vote for the bruising back**. He's going up against Seattle RB Marshawn Lynch and San Diego RB Ryan Mathews. It's the second time a Jets player has been nominated for the award this season, as Bilal Powell was named a candidate for his Week 3 performance vs. the Bills. Ivory won this award as a Saints rookie after Week 6 of the 2010 season.
While Chris Ivory was the finisher, Geno Smith was the catalyst.
Smith helped the Jets get off to an early 7-0 lead as he connected with WR Jeremy Kerley on his first three third-down plays, the third one in the end zone for a touchdown.
Then, in a 21-10 hole at halftime with New England set to begin the third quarter with the ball, Smith and the Jets never said never. S Antonio Allen sparked the team with a pick-six for the Green & White to cut the deficit to four points before Smith took matters into his own hands. He rushed for 14 yards on third-and-14 to keep a third-quarter drive alive before finishing it off with an 8-yard dive into the end zone for a touchdown and a three-point lead.
The other Pepsi NEXT NFL Rookie of the Week candidates are San Diego tackle D.J. Fluker, Green Bay RB Eddie Lacy, Washington TE Jordan Reed and Buffalo CB Nickell Robey. Fans can **vote for the rookie of the week award by clicking here**.
As for the GMC Never Say Never award, fans can click here to vote for Smith against his fellow candidates, DE Mario Williams of the Bills and RB Roy Helu of the Redskins.
The award nominations are nothing new to the rookie QB as he's now been nominated for the Pepsi NEXT NFL Rookie of the Week three times in his seven-week career and twice for the GMC Never Say Never Moment of the Week. He won the Pepsi NEXT award after he helped the Jets beat the Falcons on the road on Monday night in Week 5. Fans have until 3 p.m. ET Friday to cast their votes for all three awards.
