If they're going to accomplish the near-impossible, it starts in St. Louis against a 3-5-1 Rams team that is playing with a lot of confidence coming off a tie with the 49ers in San Francisco.
DECIDING FACTORS:
Schotty play-calling. The Jets will be up against former offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, who was run out of town at the end of last season. Schottenheimer leads an improving Rams offense that has thrived on the run as of late. The cat-and-mouse game between Schottenheimer and Ryan's defense will be entertaining.
Running up close. Shonn Greene and the Jets' run game absolutely needs to get things going against the Rams, especially in the red zone. Only two teams have given up more rushing touchdowns than the Rams, so the Jets, namely offensive coordinator Tony Sparano, should stop trying to outsmart themselves with shotgun passes near the goal line and just pound it up the middle.
Aggressive vs. efficient. The Rams are two-faced in pass defense: they have 26 sacks and are aggressive in the secondary. However, they allow opposing quarterbacks to complete 66.3 percent of their passes. Mark Sanchez and his receivers must improve their efficiency... now.
Tackling. New York was awful against the run to start the season, but it had a few weeks of solid improvement before taking another step back last week against the Seattle Seahawks. The Jets forgot how to tackle, mainly because they were trying so hard to force turnovers to make up for their stagnant offense. Gang Green's defense must tackle well against Steven Jackson if it wants any shot in this one.
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A week in Jets posts at AFCEastDaily.com:Jets leaning on experience of '09 rally for confidence
Fisher: Jets' receivers have been 'unfairly criticized'
Around-the-Web AFC East power rankings: Week 11
Jets' Cromartie still vehemently defending Sanchez
Offense again atrocious as Jets lose to Seahawks
