Film Review: Geno's latest game-winning drive

BY SEAN DONOVAN

Rookie quarterback Geno Smith has a lot yet to prove as the New York Jets' franchise quarterback, but he showed this week that he won't be one to shy away from a big stage.

Smith's steady hand keyed a late scoring drive that edged the Jets over the host Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football, 30-28. After the game, Smith described what was going through his head as he took over with less than two minutes to go, his defense having just relinquished the lead.

"Just to go out there, focus on my reads, stick to my fundamentals," he told ESPN's Lisa Salters.

Film Review: Jags' pressure, coverage vs. Patriots

BY SEAN DONOVAN

Tom Brady and the New England Patriots have steamrolled through another regular season, appearing near-perfect at times as the team has coasted to a fourth consecutive AFC East title.

But New England isn't without flaws, and that showed this past week, as it needed all 60 minutes to beat the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars by a 23-16 margin.

The should-be overmatched Jaguars kept it close with their defense, by playing solid coverage while getting pressure on Brady.

Film Review: Rams' game-winning drive vs. Bills

BY SEAN DONOVAN

Going into Week 14, the Buffalo Bills had won two of their past three games, largely thanks to a quickly-improving defense.

And while most of Sunday's 15-12 loss to the St. Louis Rams was a continuation of that improvement, ultimately it was the defense that surrendered a game-winning drive to the visiting Rams.

Even during that final St. Louis possession, Buffalo's effort was good and it nearly sealed the victory on a couple occasions. Instead, Rams quarterback Sam Bradford was able out-duel the Bills' defenders on critical plays and dealt a killing blow when Buffalo gave him the opportunity.

Film Review: Dolphins' stout defense vs. Patriots

BY SEAN DONOVAN

While moral victories are always reserved for losers, the Miami Dolphins still have to be pleased with their defensive performance in Sunday's 23-16 loss to the New England Patriots.

After all, the Patriots had been scoring at a record 37 points-per-game pace going into the week, yet were held to just two touchdowns.

The Dolphins did this by generating pressure on the quarterback while keeping enough players in coverage, not an easy task against an opponent as sharp as Tom Brady.

Film Review: Tannehill's game-winning drive

BY SEAN DONOVAN

In the Miami Dolphins' last-second victory over the Seattle Seahawks Sunday, Dolphins fans were treated to a stellar fourth quarter performance from rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

With his team down by seven in the final stanza, Tannehill led his offense downfield against a stout Seahawks defense and scored a touchdown to knot the score at 21. The ensuing Seattle drive penetrated Dolphins territory, but the defense held strong and forced a punt.

Tannehill then delivered a game-winning drive, an occurrence that hasn't been common in South Florida in recent years.

Film Review: Bills' air attack vs. Patriots' zone 'D'

BY SEAN DONOVAN

It was no upset when the New England Patriots defeated the Buffalo Bills 37-31 Sunday.

But, surprisingly, the Bills kept it close enough to have a chance to win at the end, which ultimately fell short after a blown route by Buffalo wideout T.J. Graham resulted in a game-ending interception.

In fact, Buffalo scored more points than any other Gillette Stadium visitor this season. It's well-known the Patriots' defense is weak, but few would expect the inconsistent Ryan Fitzpatrick-led Bills' offense to have so much success in a difficult road environment.

Through smart play design and accurate throws from the quarterback, the Bills continuously shredded the Patrtiots zone coverages. One of the best examples of this was on a late second-quarter scoring drive.

Film Review: Fins' stout defensive gameplan vs. Jets

BY SEAN DONOVAN

The Miami Dolphins' special teams was special in a convincing 30-9 victory over the rival New York Jets Sunday. So was the defense.

Defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle drew up a gameplan designed to confuse Mark Sanchez and eliminate his favorite targets. This, along with Miami's stout early-down run defense, was a riddle the Jets were unable to solve all day.

Coyle's strategy was executed to near-perfection from the get-go, and the Dolphins didn't need long to put the game out of reach because of it.

Film Review: The Sanchez-to-Kerley connection

BY SEAN DONOVAN

Last Sunday, the New York Jets stood toe-to-toe with the perennial AFC East powerhouse New England Patriots, battling to the very end and eventually falling in overtime, 29-26.

Many of the storylines after the game were centered around the normally-dominant Patriots seemingly losing their touch. But mostly lost in the discussion was a new spark in the New York offense, one that was a major factor in the Jets' near-upset -- the connection between quarterback Mark Sanchez and emerging wide receiver Jeremy Kerley.

So far this season, the Jets have seen their No. 1 wideout Santonio Holmes go down with a foot injury, their running game flounder and their quarterback play inconsistently in working with a hodgepodge cast of targets. But after career games from Sanchez and Kerley at Gillette Stadium this past week, the New York faithful have hope their offense can keep the team in playoff contention.

Sanchez completed nearly 70 percent of his passes on the day for 328 yards and recorded a 90.3 passer rating. Kerley hauled in seven passes for a career-high 120 yards.

Film Review: Patriots' hurry-up-and-run offense

BY SEAN DONOVAN

The New England Patriots, after briefly dropping below .500 on the season two weeks ago, have righted the ship to take back the AFC East lead after their 31-21 victory over the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

Tom Brady and the Patriots' passing attack is well-known to be the primary driver of the high-powered offensive machine that has dominated the league for years, but New England may be using a little different of a formula this season. In their past two games, both convincing victories, the Patriots have dedicated themselves to running the ball, but in a way that separates how they do it from other teams.

Typically, when running the ball, an offense will pace itself to provide an opportunity to determine blocking assignments and allow the quarterback to choose from a couple different areas for the running back to target. Instead, the Patriots are applying the same principles from their no-huddle offense to run the ball.

New England ran strings of consecutive running plays, but seldom allowed more than 15 seconds to elapse before executing the next handoff. Brady would rarely adjust the call to the defensive front, instead allowing the cutback styles of tailbacks Stevan Ridley and Danny Woodhead to take what the offensive line creates for them.

Film Review: Good, bad of Tannehill vs. Cards' blitz

BY SEAN DONOVAN

The Miami Dolphins had easily their most statistically productive day of the season this past Sunday in Arizona, setting a number of franchise marks in passing, receiving and sacks. But despite the outstanding play on both sides of the ball, the Dolphins committed costly turnovers and the Cardinals were able to win in overtime, 24-21.

The game was a case study in how poorly-timed mistakes can erase even the most complete game of football by one team.

Rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill set the Dolphins' rookie record with 431 passing yards, 253 of which went to wide receiver Brian Hartline, which was also a Dolphins' single-game record. All while facing a talented, blitz-happy Arizona defense.

In fact, Tannehill's most effective work came in the face of extra pressure. But it would also result in his most egregious errors.

Film Review: Sanchez vs. zone in 4th quarter, OT

BY SEAN DONOVAN

The New York Jets trailed the Miami Dolphins for much of their 23-20 overtime victory Sunday, but some changes in the Dolphins' defense allowed Mark Sanchez, who wasn't good for most of the game, throw the ball with success late in the fourth quarter and overtime.

The Jets were down 17-13 with 5:34 left in regulation needing a touchdown. The defense had just forced the Dolphins into a three-and-out, and they took over at their own 47-yard line after a punt.

Despite good field position, it would be no easy task to get into the end zone on the Miami defense. Mark Sanchez was baffled by the Dolphins' coverage most of the afternoon, completing just 13 of his 32 passes up to that point. His team had been able to convert only 3-of-12 third downs, as well.

Sanchez immediately went back to work through the air and found the Dolphins in zone coverage. This change in gameplan was possibly an attempt to mix up the looks for Sanchez, but was more likely due to the exhausted Miami defensive players. The Dolphins' offense had failed to gain a first down in each of their previous two drives, and the unit had little time to seek refuge from the humidity.

Film Review: Wallace's big TD catch vs. Cromartie

BY SEAN DONOVAN

In a game between two slug-it-out, defensive minded teams, the outcome of the New York Jets' Week 2 27-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers was very much in balance midway through the third quarter.

New York had an opportunity to stem the Steelers' momentum and take the ball back down just one score.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers were driving into Jets territory nursing a 13-10 lead, with 9:10 left in the period. Earlier on the drive, they had been aided by a LaRon Landry personal foul but now faced a third-and-16 situation after a 6-yard loss on a running play.

Stop the Steelers here, and the Jets get the ball with a chance to re-take the lead.