Week 2-Don't Fuck With The Revis

The New York Jets began their 2011 campaign with a heart-stopping 27-24 victory over the Dallas Cowboys Sunday night at MetLife Stadium. The game featured a 14-point fourth quarter comeback, which was the first time in the 50+ years of Cowboys franchise history that Dallas had surrendered a lead that large in the last 15 minutes.

The game will be remembered for its stirring tribute to the victims of 9/11 and the palpable emotion that accompanies such a life altering event, and not perhaps for the two costly mistakes by Dallas QB Tony Romo that eventually cost Dallas the game. What was most impressive about the victory from a fan's perspective is how the entire team kept fighting through stretches of the game when they were not playing well. The hallmark of a good team is being able to play your own inevitable mistakes and win when you're playing less that your best football. And the Jets certainly did that.

Kudos to several Jets who were difference makers on Sunday night...

LaDainian Tomlinson-LT's career is so decorated and he clearly is no longer the same back he once was, however, he has also found a niche as a third down back, and his seven receptions Sunday proved his worth to the Jets. Hopefully, Joe McKnight (or another shifty runner with good hands) may eventually be able to fulfill this role, but, for now, it's nice to have a future Hall of Fame player on the roster as a check down option. Sanchez found Tomlinson very useful against Dallas.

Joe McKnight-He has been most famous (or infamous) for throwing up in his first mini-camp when he reported out of shape, but McKnight has become a tremendous special teams player and earned his place on the squad with his efforts towards the end of the season last year and through training camp in 2011. McKnight's blocked punt was such an outstanding individual effort and highlighted what has become a calling card for Rex Ryan team; everyone has value, so be prepared to contribute.

Darrelle Revis-It's rare that a defensive back is so great that he can go almost a whole season slowly dying of boredom because other teams refuse to engage him, but Revis had that experience for most of the 2010 season. Rex Ryan and Mike Pettine started with Revis on Miles Austin and Antonio Cromartie on Dez Bryant, but after Bryant beat Cromartie for a TD on the Cowboys opening drive, the defensive brain trust decided to switch Revis to Bryant. Bryant caught a beautiful back shoulder pass over Revis for about 30 yards, then ran his mouth to Revis shortly after the catch.

Bad idea.

Revis spent the next 3 quarters inside of Bryant's jersey, not giving him an inch of space, and eventually picking Romo to setup Nick Folk's 50-yard game winning FG. Bryant is going to be an all-world player for the next decade provided he can stay out of trouble and remain healthy, but he learned a valuable lesson about letting sleeping dogs lie on Sunday, which is a lesson that, judging by their comments during the week, Jacksonville may need to learn as well...don't fuck with the Revis. He's still the best there is.

There were several other notables from Sunday night. Nick Folk was 2 of 2 on FG, and I'm sure it was particularly sweet to beat his old team with a 50-yard FG. Dustin Keller, Santonio Holmes, and Plaxico Burress were able to find holes in the Dallas secondary helping Mark Sanchez to throw for 335 yards and 2 TD. Sanchez was a little uneven, throwing a crucial pick and losing a fumble as the Dallas pressure affected his play, but he completed 59% of his passes and made several big throws in the win. Perhaps the biggest change in Sanchez was how active he was in changing plays at the line. He is clearly maturing and has such a better understanding that he seems much more comfortable directing the offense. Even when he checked into the wrong play, like he did on the Jets last possession, he didn't seem unsure of himself. Sanchez must have confidence in what he's doing at the line of scrimmage for the offense to succeed. He also took a beating in the pocket, meaning the pass protection must get better for the Jets in the coming weeks. Wayne Turner was a turnstile for large sections of the game, and Sanchez had to run for his life on several occasions. He took several huge shots, but hung in and delivered when he knew he was going to get popped.

This Sunday, the Jets face the Jacksonville Jaguars, fresh off of a win over Tennessee. Jacksonville is a team in transition, having drafted a QB at the top of the first round in April who is clearly not ready in Blaine Gabbert. Luke McCown directed Sunday's win and should be able to hold the starter's job for the next few months, especially considering how lost Gabbert looked in the preseason. The Jaguars still have the amazing Maurice Jones-Drew, so they will still be a threat on Sunday.

Rex Ryan was delivered a perfect scenario in Week 1. The Jets made plenty of errors, so there are a lot of teachable moments on game film, but the team didn't lose, so there was no price paid for the failures. The Jets were fortunate to get a victory in Week 1; they must play better in the weeks to come. They clearly don't want to cede ground to New England in the early season. If they get a better performance Sunday, they should be in good position to pick up a second victory.

Kickoff against Jacksonville from MetLife Stadium is at 1 pm Sunday.