When the Jets hired former Ravens’ defensive coordinator Rex Ryan as their new head coach, they hoped that he would bring a swagger to the club similar to the one he had instilled in Baltimore throughout the years.
When Ryan arrived in New York, he took pot shots at other head coaches in the division (New England’s Bill Belichick) and tangled with linebackers that his team would have to face twice a year (Miami’s Channing Crowder). So when it came time for the Jets to play their season opener against the Texans in Houston, Ryan’s bunch need to back up his offseason talk.
The Jets did just that on Sunday, blasting the Texans 24-7 in an absolutely dominating performance. Rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez was excellent in his professional debut, finding a wide open Chansi Stucky for a 30-yard touchdown in the second quarter, which was Sanchez’s first career TD.
The Jets’ defense was also outstanding, limiting Houston to only 183 total yards of offense and suffocating second-year running back Steve Slaton (he had just 17 yards on nine carries). If one didn’t know better, they would have thought that the Ravens’ players dressed in green and white for Sunday’s game.
The Jets have a long way to go to become a serious contender, but this was an impressive debut for Sanchez and Ryan. Whether or not the Jets contend for the division or a playoff spot is irrelevant at this point, because they already backed up their head coach’s words.
As for Houston, this was a pitiful performance for a team that thinks it’s a playoff contender. Their offense was stagnant, their defense played slow and on a whole, they put together a pretty flat performance. The Texans allowed 190 rushing yards on Sunday, which is inexcusable facing a rookie quarterback in his pro debut. Sanchez needed the Jets to establish the run and once they did, he took full advantage of it with a confident performance.
There’s a long way to go, but this was about as bad of a start as Houston could have imagined. (And about the best the Jets could have hoped for.)
