BY NICK ST. DENIS
Geno Smith apologized to his entire team after turning the ball over four times last week, which resulted in four touchdowns and a victory for the opposition.
Smith had nothing to apologize for Monday night.
The rookie signal-caller was nearly flawless against the Atlanta Falcons, completing 16 of his 20 pass attempts for 199 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He rushed for another crucial 21 yards and didn't fumble, and the Jets won, 30-28.
Smith led Gang Green on the game-winning drive, going 4-for-4 through the air and scrambling for a first down to set up the eventual deciding kick by Nick Folk.
"Two minutes is plenty of time," Smith told ESPN Radio's Bob Wischusen after the game. "All we needed was a field goal in that situation so I was just sticking to my reads, sticking to my fundamentals."
His reads were just fine, as were his fundamentals. Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg's play-calling was just as good.
Smith dropped back to pass 24 times, and the Jets rushed the ball on 22 occasions. Smith, Bilal Powell, Chris Ivory and Mike Goodson combined for a 5.4 yard-per-carry average, and while Smith was sacked four times, the Jets went 6-for-11 on third down and gained 8.5 yards per pass.
"We’re led by a bunch of tough, wily veterans," Smith said. "The offensive line, they play great week in and week out. They’re really the unsung heroes of this game. The wide receivers were getting open.
"We just felt good in the flow of the game and continued to play ball. We didn’t let the crowd or anything affect us."
According to ESPN, Smith is just the second rookie to win a road game on Monday Night Football. According to CBS Sports, he's the first Jets quarterback in 27 years to complete 80 percent of his passes while throwing for three touchdowns and no interceptions, and he currently leads the NFL with three game-winning drives.
The Jets improved to 3-2 with the win and just one game back from the AFC East-leading New England Patriots.
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