Editor: Joe Bryant. Game Recap Contributors: Mike Anderson, Michael Brown, Chris Burtt, J.D. Caldwell, David Dodds, Bobby Elder, Jim Enochs, Joel Faulhaber, Michael Flynn, Kevin Goldblum, Clayton Gray, Bob Harris, Fred Hebert, Jesse Hilsenrad, Drew Kendall, Jeff Lewis, Joey Matusek, Justin Oliver, Steve Prosapio, David Shick, Cody Smith, Scott Smith, Jeffrey Stout. NY Jets 44 at San Diego 13 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW New York Jets: Chad Pennington proved he is ready to be a starting QB in the NFL. He took what the defense gave him and played a great game against a tough Charger defense. Most importantly, he was a team leader. Curtis Martin didn't look to be 100% yet. He broke a few tackles, but was not the dominating runner we're used to seeing. LaMont Jordan had over 100 yards rushing. It was during mop up at the end of the game after the defense had given up. The Jets won the special teams battle with a kick return for a TD, a blocked extra point, and a takeaway on a Charger kick return. San Diego Chargers: Drew Brees did not have a good day. He was pressured and made several bad throws. He was forced out of the pocket many times and didn't handle the pressure well. LaDainian Tomlinson ran well but only had 12 carries. The Chargers fell behind early and never committed to the run. The return of TE Stephen Alexander was welcomed. He was the team's leading receiver and appears to be a big part of the game plan. The Charger defense had time to heal with the bye week and had the full cast except for the suspended Rodney Harrison. They did not play well and made the Jets offense look like the 2001 Rams. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW New York Jets QB: Chad Pennington completed 28 of 37 passes for 253 yards and a touchdown without throwing an interception. He also rushed for a nice TD. The line gave Pennington plenty of time to throw and he was only sacked twice. Most of his completions were short passes to his backs or tight end. He took what the defense gave him and didn't force the ball down field. He did miss high on a handful of passes that could have been intercepted (two went right through the hands of a Charger defender), but on the whole, he played a very good game. RB: Curtis Martin had 13 carries for 37 yards and a hard fought touchdown. He also made 5 catches for 34 yards. Martin ran through many tackles but still didn't look quite 100%. His cuts were not as sharp as they used to be. Don't worry about the yards gained by LaMont Jordan; he came into the game in the mop up role after the Jets were way ahead. LaMont Jordan got the bulk of the carries at the end of the game after the game was basically over. He ran all over the Chargers gaining 107 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown. It was good running, but the defense had given up. It does show that Jordan is capable of running if given the chance. Without an injury to Curtis Martin, he probably won't get that chance this year. Richie Anderson didn't get a carry, but did lead the team in receptions with 7 for 56 yards. The Charger defense left both Martin and Anderson wide open in the flat all night. Pennington checked down to Anderson on many plays. With the maturing of Pennington, Anderson could become worth owning in deeper leagues. WR: Laveranues Coles caught 5 passes for 60 yards and no scores. He is clearly the #1 downfield target for the Jets, but in this game, Pennington did not need to throw deep. Coles spent most of the night stretching the defense to open up the shorter routes for others. He also made several nice downfield blocks. Wayne Chrebet had 3 catches for 47 yards. He wasn't much of a factor in this game although he did have one nice catch when the Jets needed it. He did not appear to be in the game plan very much and is probably not worth starting except in very deep leagues. Santana Moss is lightning fast. He only caught 2 passes for 8 yards, but he helped in other ways. As a kick returner, Moss is a serious threat. He returned one punt for a touchdown and almost had a second TD, but he was stopped by the punter. His speedy deep routes were not required in this game. He does have value if your league gives credit for return yardage. TE: Anthony Becht caught 4 passes for 26 yards and a touchdown. Becht made the most of the looks he got. He becomes a top option in the red zone. Pass Defense: The Jets held the Chargers to 170 yards passing while sacking Brees twice and intercepting him twice as well. They flushed Brees out of the pocket and didn't give him time to throw the deeper routes. Defensive tackle Josh Evans had one of the sacks, forced a fumble and blocked an extra point while corner back Ray Mickens had the other sack. The two interceptions were by corner back Donnie Abraham and linebacker James Darling. Rushing Defense: The Jets held the Chargers to only 73 yards rushing. They totally disrupted the game plan of the Chargers. Linebacker Sam Cower with 4 solo tackles and 3 assists and corner back Aaron Beasley with 6 solo tackles led the charge. Part of the success could be from the fact that, surprisingly, the Chargers never committed to the run. Tomlinson only had 12 carries. Special Teams: The Jets won the special teams battle by a landslide. Santana Moss had a 52 yard punt return for a touchdown. Josh Evans blocked an extra point. The Jets kickoff team stripped the ball from return man Reche Caldwell and recovered his fumble. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/** San Diego Chargers QB: Drew Brees completed 22 of 35 passes for 192 yards, while throwing one touchdown and two interceptions. Brees threw many poor passes. He was often pressured, but he also threw bad passes when he wasn't. Turnovers killed the Chargers and the team depended on Brees to bring them back into it. He didn't have a comeback in him today. It was not the confident, poised Drew Brees we had been seeing. He panicked and didn't set his feet. Hopefully, in future games, the Chargers can establish the run early and take the heat off of Brees. RB: LaDainian Tomlinson had only 12 carries for 60 yards and scored one touchdown. Tomlinson ran well when he had the chance, but didn't get enough carries to carry the offense. The Chargers fell behind too fast and made too many turnovers. The lack of production was a result of circumstance, not a bad day by Tomlinson. Terrell Fletcher had one carry and 5 catches for 41 total yards. He is used mostly on passing downs or when Tomlinson needs a break. He doesn't have much value as long as Tomlinson stays healthy. WR: Curtis Conway is the main downfield target of Drew Brees. He caught 6 passes for 58 yards and a touchdown. Conway faced double coverage most of the day and Brees only forced it to him a couple of times when he was covered. He has the best hands on the team and isn't afraid to go over the middle. Tim Dwight fell back to earth this week. He had one catch for 8 yards and dropped two others. With Alexander back, Dwight is down to the fourth option in the passing game behind Conway, Tomlinson, and Alexander. His production the rest of the way should be very inconsistent. TE: Stephen Alexander came back healthy after the bye week and made his mark. He led the team in receptions with 7 for 84 yards. The tight end plays a big role in Marty Ball and Alexander looked good in that role. Most of the catches were short 'out' routes that he turned up field and ran over defensive backs. He could be a good second half pick up in leagues that require a tight end. Pass Defense: The Charger passing defense didn't show up. Defensive ends Raylee Johnson and Marcellus Wiley each sacked Pennington once, but the team rarely bothered Pennington at all. The defensive backs dropped back deep and covered the wide outs well, but the short routes were left open all day. Pennington was able to complete passes at will. The few passes that weren't completed were bad passes, not good defense. Actually, two passes should have been intercepted, but were dropped by the defenders. Due to turnovers, the defense was on the field too long, but it was still a very disappointing effort by the squad. Rushing Defense: The Charger rushing defense was actually better than the stats would show. About half of the 164 yards gained on the ground by the Jets came on the final drive after the game was over and the Chargers had given up. The unit did hold Curtis Martin to 37 yards on 13 carries before the end of the game breakdown. Linebacker Donnie Edwards plugged up the middle with 11 solo tackles and 1 assist while cornerbacks Ryan McNeil and Alex Molden made the outside stops combining for 17 solo tackles and 2 assists. Safety Rodney Harrison (suspended) was sorely missed as replacement safety Vernon Fox looked terrible. He missed several tackles and got knocked backwards at least 5 yards on the tackles he did make.