By Tyson Rauch
The New York Jets are flying high into week three after impressive wins over the Houston Texans and the New England Patriots. The Jets defense has not given up a touchdown in eight quarters while rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez has a rating of 91.3. The team is playing with a tremendous amount of confidence and has a swagger not often seen from Jets players. Even certain members of the media are picking up on Gang Green’s instant success and are beginning to mention the team as a playoff contender. So all is great in Jets nation right?
Enter the 0-2 Tennessee Titans. The Titans are a very talented, physical team that is basically playing for their season when they come to the Meadowlands on Sunday. If the Titans fall to 0-3, they will have a tough time making the playoffs in the very competitive AFC. Tennessee, lead by one of the best coaches in the NFL (Jeff Fisher), will pull out all of the stops to come away with a victory against the Jets. The one major advantage the Titans will have is game tape. The Jets two prior opponents had limited film on Rex Ryan’s Jets defense as well as on rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez. Tennessee will be able to review 120 minutes of game tape to identify any potential tendencies in the Jets play calling.
Another concern for Gang Green is the potential of a letdown after a huge win against the rival Patriots. The Jets put their heart and soul into beating New England and could suffer from an emotional letdown playing a team without a win. It is very easy for the Jets to get a false sense of security with their hot start as they begin to believe what everyone is saying around them. Rex Ryan needs to do a good job at keeping his team grounded in order to keep them progressing in the right direction.
So while the Jets start has been a very positive and better than most expected, there is still a tough road ahead for them. The team needs to learn how to deal with success and continue to play with their aggressive, physical style. Nothing is a given in the NFL, just ask the 2008 Jets after their 8-3 start.
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