In 2010, Santonio Holmes was suspended for the first 4 games of the season. He sure made up for that:
@Detroit Lions- Overtime, Sanchez fires a slant to Holmes and he runs through the defense which sets up the game winning field goal.
@Cleveland Browns- Around 30 seconds left in overtime a slant pass to Holmes who makes an unbelievable move after the catch, beats the defense and runs in for the dramatic game ending touchdown.
VS. Houston Texans- After the Jets dramatically get down the field in the last 1 minute and 30 seconds of the game, Sanchez lobs the ball into the corner of the end zone and it's Santonio Holmes who reels it in.
@ New England Patriots- A playoff game, 3rd down inside the Patriots 20 in the 4th quarter...Sanchez fades it over the corner back and Santonio makes an amazing catch managing to get his feet inbounds for the game clinching touchdown.
And now, Santonio Holmes watching his quarterback Mark Sanchez scramble out to the right comes through once again with a nice move and runs towards the sideline where Sanchez darts it in- Holmes grabs it and drags his feet in to complete what can end up being the season saving touchdown.
Now, that wouldn't be possible if it wasn't for Plaxico Burress. on 3rd and 11 Sanchez steps into a hit and throws it over Drayton Florence but it was a little off. That didn't matter as Burress extended his arm as far as it could go reeled the ball in with that one hand and kept his feet in bounds for about a 17 yard gain. This set up the dramatic game winning touchdown, a play that if the Jets make the playoffs will be looked back on as the drive that led the Jets to the playoffs.
Shout out to Sanchez- Boy, this kid has guts. I'll tell ya, he does start a lot of games on the bad side but he legitimately has the clutch factor. Time after time last season, Sanchez led stellar game winning 4th quarter drives. In the playoffs the last 2 seasons he has played great football, making big plays. Going into this game, he was taking a lot of slack for his mistakes. By the end of the first half, the crowd was restless. But, once again when he needed to step up he did. In the second half he had a 123 quarterback rating, and that final drive was just greatly managed. He was smart with his passes, and it led to him proving that this is our franchise quarterback. Not even 3 full seasons in, and he has countless numbers of come back wins. As he gets older, as he plays more the consistency will come, that needs to be waited for. I will take any quarterback that performs his best in the 4th quarter and in the playoffs. If that is his strong suit which it is for Sanchez then every other inconsistency will begin to work itself out. Not even 3 years in, and he knows how to win games even when the odds are against him.
Is this the type of win that catapults the Jets on a winning streak? Do they have at least 4 more wins in them and maybe even 5 to finish the season 6-0? It will be difficult to make the playoffs as the competition is tough to get in but 4 more wins gives us a solid chance. 5 wins almost guarantees it, but this almost loss vs Buffalo would've killed any hope.
My last article was about how this is a second half team, a team that plays it's best when it needs to. A team that when there on the ropes they bounce right off. Yesterday was more support for my argument because that drive took every ounce of heart out of that offense. That defensive stop to solidify the win also took heart maybe even more heart. This team stepped up- the season was on the line, it was hanging in the balance, and how they responded is why today Jets fans still have hope.
Of all the games I have been to that may have been the most suspenseful last 5 minutes just because I was in shock. A couple of bonehead turnovers kept that Buffalo team in the game and eventually let them have the lead in the end. I sat there in utter disbelief that the season could be over any minute. But, it was when Plaxico made that catch where I lost it with excitement dripping off of me. That catch was just incredible, I knew that catch meant something, I knew it was going to lead to a win. Then seeing my favorite player Santonio Holmes catch the eventual winning touchdown made me jump up and down for minutes. The defense after this though had so much support. I will say that Met Life stadium was as loud as it ever has been when the Bills had the ball for one last shot. I proudly can say I was apart of that, but more importantly I proudly can say that my team has all the heart in the world and that the playoffs are still there for the taking.
Once again, I just have to ask one question:
Why not us?
cewl!
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