Post by Lithfan on Nov 3, 2015 7:20:28 GMT -5
November 3, 2002
The 2002 season already seemed to have been lost. A week earlier, the Jets blew a 21-3 lead in eventually losing to Tim Couch and the Cleveland Browns 24-21. The loss dropped them to 2-5 on the season. In week 9, they would travel to San Diego to take on one of the best teams in the AFC on their turf.
The Chargers came in at 6-1 and were led by emerging star Drew Brees and All Pro running back Ladainian Tomlinson. Even the most optimistic of Jet fans would be hard pressed to expect Chad Pennington, starting his 4th NFL game, to lead the team to victory in this tough of a spot.
Pennington and the Jets showed San Diego that they would not be a pushover early on. On their second possession, NY took over at their own 9-yard line following a punt by the Chargers’ Darren Bennett. Pennington would go 5-5 for 64 yards in leading a 12-play 91-yard drive that he finished himself with an 8 yard TD run. Less than 3 minutes later, Santana Moss returned another Bennett punt 52 yards for a score to give the Jets an early 14-0 lead.
After blowing a double digit lead the week before, the Jets seemed determined to keep their foot on the gas pedal in this one. They extended their lead to 21 points midway through the 2nd quarter when Pennington hit Anthony Becht for a 1 yard TD.
San Diego got 7 points back on a Brees TD pass to Curtis Conway, but the Jets responded quickly with a 6 play scoring drive that Curtis Martin finished with a 17 yard run. It was a quiet day for Martin who gained only 37 yards in the game, but 28 came on two runs on this critical scoring drive to restore the 21 point margin.
The lead grew to 24 in the final seconds of the half. Jet LB James Darling intercepted a Brees pass and returned it to the 10 yard line with 18 seconds left in the half. The Jets had to settle for a John Hall field goal and a 31-7 halftime lead. Lamont Jordan added a 61 yard TD run in the 4th quarter as the Jets coasted to a 44-13 victory. Pennington finished the day competing 28 of 37 passes for 253 yards and a TD with no interceptions.
“Just getting a win was good for us,” said Defensive End John Abraham. “We’re trying to build a season now. A lot of people put us in the dirt right now. We know we’re a better team than we’ve shown.”
After the game, Tomlinson admitted that maybe the Chargers took the Jets too lightly. “We didn’t come out here ready to play,” he said. “We took these guys for granted.”
The win began a 7-2 stretch run for the Jets who who won the AFC East and defeated the Colts in the playoffs before falling to Oakland in the Divisional Round. For the Chargers it was the reverse, their 2-7 record over the last 9 games saw a promising start end on the outside looking in come playoff time
Source: The Lakeland Ledger and the Free Lance Star
The 2002 season already seemed to have been lost. A week earlier, the Jets blew a 21-3 lead in eventually losing to Tim Couch and the Cleveland Browns 24-21. The loss dropped them to 2-5 on the season. In week 9, they would travel to San Diego to take on one of the best teams in the AFC on their turf.
The Chargers came in at 6-1 and were led by emerging star Drew Brees and All Pro running back Ladainian Tomlinson. Even the most optimistic of Jet fans would be hard pressed to expect Chad Pennington, starting his 4th NFL game, to lead the team to victory in this tough of a spot.
Pennington and the Jets showed San Diego that they would not be a pushover early on. On their second possession, NY took over at their own 9-yard line following a punt by the Chargers’ Darren Bennett. Pennington would go 5-5 for 64 yards in leading a 12-play 91-yard drive that he finished himself with an 8 yard TD run. Less than 3 minutes later, Santana Moss returned another Bennett punt 52 yards for a score to give the Jets an early 14-0 lead.
After blowing a double digit lead the week before, the Jets seemed determined to keep their foot on the gas pedal in this one. They extended their lead to 21 points midway through the 2nd quarter when Pennington hit Anthony Becht for a 1 yard TD.
San Diego got 7 points back on a Brees TD pass to Curtis Conway, but the Jets responded quickly with a 6 play scoring drive that Curtis Martin finished with a 17 yard run. It was a quiet day for Martin who gained only 37 yards in the game, but 28 came on two runs on this critical scoring drive to restore the 21 point margin.
The lead grew to 24 in the final seconds of the half. Jet LB James Darling intercepted a Brees pass and returned it to the 10 yard line with 18 seconds left in the half. The Jets had to settle for a John Hall field goal and a 31-7 halftime lead. Lamont Jordan added a 61 yard TD run in the 4th quarter as the Jets coasted to a 44-13 victory. Pennington finished the day competing 28 of 37 passes for 253 yards and a TD with no interceptions.
“Just getting a win was good for us,” said Defensive End John Abraham. “We’re trying to build a season now. A lot of people put us in the dirt right now. We know we’re a better team than we’ve shown.”
After the game, Tomlinson admitted that maybe the Chargers took the Jets too lightly. “We didn’t come out here ready to play,” he said. “We took these guys for granted.”
The win began a 7-2 stretch run for the Jets who who won the AFC East and defeated the Colts in the playoffs before falling to Oakland in the Divisional Round. For the Chargers it was the reverse, their 2-7 record over the last 9 games saw a promising start end on the outside looking in come playoff time
Source: The Lakeland Ledger and the Free Lance Star
