Jaguars at Jets
THE STORY: Only a miraculous comeback aided by several Dallas Cowboys mistakes allowed the New York Jets to carve out an emotional win on Sept. 11. The Jets' defense, which was unfazed by the 390 yards it allowed to Dallas, will face off against Maurice Jones-Drew and the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. The Jaguars survived a late rally by the Tennessee Titans in their opener and have defeated the Jets three straight times.
TV: CBS, 1 p.m. ET. LINE: Jets -9 O/U 38.5
ABOUT THE JETS (1-0): Poster boy Mark Sanchez continues to emerge at quarterback for New York. Sanchez threw for 335 yards and two touchdowns in the opener, a wild 27-24 win over the Cowboys. The Jets were in big trouble until Dallas quarterback Tony Romo fumbled near the goal line on one possession and New York blocked a punt and scored on the recovery to fuel the comeback. The Jets pride themselves on defense - they had four sacks and an interception. Plaxico Burress made an immediate impact with the Jets by hauling in a 26-yard scoring pass.
ABOUT THE JAGUARS (1-0): Luke McCown silenced his critics a bit last weekend by completing 17 of 24 passes for 175 yards. After Jacksonville shockingly dumped starter David Garrard to save $9 million just before the season began, McCown got the call and made his first start since 2007. He didn’t throw a touchdown pass but ran the conservative offense well and leads the AFC with a 71-percent completion rate. Jones-Drew figures to be the workhorse all season long and rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown. Mike Thomas caught eight passes in the Jaguars’ 16-14 win over the Titans. There is little offensive firepower or depth on Jacksonville, which is relatively healthy thus far.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. Jacksonville has won six of eight meetings - including a 24-22 win as time expired in their last encounter (2009).
2. The Jets are 7-1 when Sanchez throws for two or more touchdowns in a game.
3. LaDainian Tomlinson needs a score to become the third player in the NFL history to amass 160 touchdowns.