Geno Smith has had a knack for letting things roll off his back and leading the Jets on to victory, especially in Games 1, 3, 5 and now 7 this season. But for No. 7, No. 7 needed a lot of help on the offense.
WR Jeremy Kerley was a very key contributor to today's 30-27 overtime triumph over the Patriots, with a career-high eight receptions for 97 yards and a touchdown reception to conclude the game's opening drive.
"I just try to go out there and be consistent time and time again," Kerley said modestly after the game, "and it just happened to work out for me today."
And how. Even more impressive than those numbers were the facts that seven of JK's eight grabs produced first downs, seven of them came on third down, and six of those seven resulted in third-down conversions.
The six third-down receiving conversions are the most by a Jet since at least 1970, and the last time a Jet had more than six total third-down conversions in a game was RB Clark Gaines, who racked up seven 3DCs and a fourth-down rushing conversion against the Patriots in 1976. And Kerley's 22-yard reception from Smith on third-and-21 was the longest third-down conversion since 2009.
"The protection was great," Smith said of his and Kerley's connection today. "The offensive line did a great job at seeing the blitz and picking it up. Jeremy just was finding ways to get open. That's something he has a knack for. He's one of those guys you can depend on."
Smith also got dependability from David Nelson, the former Bills receiver and a Jet in his third week who had four outstanding receptions for 80 yards, all for first downs and two converting third downs.
Then there was Chris Ivory, who churned his way to the fourth 100-yard game of his career, 104 yards on 34 carries in all.
"I didn't really know what to expect but I'm ready for whatever game plan they have," said Ivory, who had as many carries today as he had in his first six games as a Jet combined. "Going forward, whatever they have I'm going to be ready for it."
Head coach Rex Ryan said Ivory's extended use — it was the most carries by an individual back in Ryan's five seasons as coach and the 52 team carries were the second-most under Ryan behind the 54 at Oakland in '09 — was only partially due to Bilal Powell's injury late in last week's loss to Pittsburgh.
"Initially, maybe during the week, we had to see where Bilal was," Ryan said. "But Ivory was running extremely hard. We thought it was a good matchup for us and that's why we rode him."
Cribbs Rolls Back into Action
Almost lost in the rousing victory was the fact that Josh Cribbs, signed early in the week to help pick up the slack of losing both RB Mike Goodson and WR-KR Clyde Gates to IR, looked as comfortable as if he had been with the Jets since training camp.
"It just comes with the experience and these guys are busting their tail blocking for me all week," Cribbs said of his introduction to his new home side. "I've always admired the blocking scheme here and the coaches. I'm excited to be a part of this special teams unit because they bust their tail for me. That's why it's easy."
It's also a changeup from the first eight seasons of his NFL career.
"It was different than being in Cleveland, winning these games in tight situations," he said. "It feels good to be a Jet, it feels good to win."
Cribbs had 44 yards on three punt returns and made great decisions on the other four punts by Pats rookie Ryan Allen, added a 17-yard kickoff return and ran the ball three times for 14 yards out of the Wildcat.
Extra Points The four sacks of Brady were divided among our "haves" and "have-nots." Muhammad Wilkerson's sack was his team-leading sixth of the season and he now has 10 sacks in his last 14 games and eight sacks in his last nine home games. Calvin Pace's sack gives him 32 as a Jet, the most by anyone in green and white since 2008. Meanwhile, Quinton Coples' sack was his first of the year and Damon Harrison's drop of No. 12 was the first of his career. ... Our 27 first downs were the most in a win over New England since 1990, when we had 29 FDs in a 42-7 home win. ... We struggled with nine penalties, but they only went for 45 yards compared to the Pats' seven for 100 yards.
