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| ATL at NO | CIN at IND | CLE at TEN | DAL at PIT | HOU at GB | JAX at CHI | KC at DEN | MIA at BUF |
| MIN at DET | NE at SEA | NYJ at SF | OAK at SD | PHI at NYG | STL at ARI | TB at CAR | WAS at BAL |
Week 14 Game Recap: New York Jets 14, San Francisco 49ers 24
What you need to know
| New York Jets |
The Jets kept the game close in the first half but losing the time of possession battle 20:11 to 39:41 played a large part in them losing the game and making them 0-3 against California teams this year, as their offense had fewer opportunities to make plays. In addition, they were unable to capitalize on several opportunities, causing five fumbles but only recovering one. One of the fumbles they forced was recovered in the end zone for San Francisco's first touchdown. The only fumble they recovered did not materialize into any points, as the Jets had a three and out possession resulting in them punting. These missed opportunities were compounded by an illegal blocking penalty that nullified a 99 yard kickoff return early in the fourth quarter that would have given them a 21-17 lead. In large part due to the lack of possessions, New York was unable to utilize their running game much. As a result, Thomas Jones only had ten rushing attempts. He made the most of those touches, averaging 5.6 yards per carry, including a touchdown run. Four of Jones' rushing attempts yielded seven or more yards, and he showed good cutback ability on several of his rushes, but was limited by the few touches he had.
Brett Favre was also affected by the limited opportunities he had to get into an offensive rhythm. He did not attempt many deep passes, and did not connect with his receivers on any of the few deep passes he threw, and had one intercepted. Favre attempted 23 short passes and averaged 6.85 yards per completion. He did not get into a rhythm with his receivers. Jerricho Cotchery's first reception came late in the fourth quarter, and Favre did not target Dustin Keller in the second half until there were less than three minutes remaining in the game. His top target was running back Leon Washington, who was used mostly on short screen passes.
New York ran five plays in the red zone on two possessions, and took advantage of those possessions by scoring two touchdowns. They ran the ball four times, with Jones having three of those carries, including a strong inside run for a touchdown. Favre had the other red zone carry, when on a play designed for him to throw to Keller; Keller was covered by his defender, so Favre scrambled into the end zone for his first rushing touchdown since 2006. The only red zone pass thrown was a screen pass to Washington.
| San Francisco 49ers |
The 49ers dominated the time of possession with some strong running and accurate passing. Although their opening play was an onside kick that the Jets recovered, San Francisco did not let that miscue deter them from executing their game plan. Frank Gore set the tone with some tough, hard nosed inside running, constantly driving forward and fighting for extra yards. Gore left the game during the first drive of the second half, as he sprained his ankle after dragging defenders for a first down. He was helped off the field and taken by cart to be treated, and returned to the sideline without any crutches, but did not return to the game. DeShaun Foster replaced Gore, and while he was not as effective as Gore, did a good enough job of helping the 49ers maintain their advantage in the time of possession. Foster ran hard at the defense, but was unable to break tackles for big gains. Eleven of his 16 carries were for three or less yards.
Shaun Hill played well, spreading the ball around to ten different receivers during the game. Hill targeted Isaac Bruce the most, and the two were in sync most of the time, except on the pass where Hill threw his only interception. Most of the time, Hill got the ball to Bruce in stride, and Bruce showed excellent quickness and elusiveness by running very well after the catch. Four of his receptions went for first downs as a result of his running well after catching short passes. Hill showed good command of the offense, and seemed to have the confidence of his coaches, as he was able to convert a couple of short third down plays into significant gains through the air as a result of aggressive play calling. Hill also had a 28 yard touchdown pass called back as a result of a holding penalty. That drive ended with a field goal, but Hill remained focused and subsequently led his team to another score in large part due to his throwing the ball to his receivers in stride.
The 49ers ran 13 plays on four red zone possessions, and were very efficient, scoring three touchdowns and one field goal. Foster had both red zone touches, but did not gain many yards or score. Hill threw 11 red zone passes to five different receivers, with two of them intentionally thrown away. Jason Hill was targeted three times, and Bryant Johnson and Bruce received two red zone targets apiece. Johnson and Frank Gore accounted for the two passing scores in the red zone.
What you ought to know
| QB Brett Favre, Pass: 20 - 31 - 137 - 0 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 1 - 2 - 1 |
Favre could not get a rhythm going offensively, and did not attempt many deep passes. The deep passes he attempted were all incomplete, with one of them intercepted. Favre relied more on his short passing game, and did not utilize his starting wide receivers much. Jerricho Cotchery and Laveranues Coles were targeted once apiece in the first half and ended the game with one catch apiece. Favre and Chansi Stuckey were in sync during the first half as Stuckey was the recipient of four targets, all of them shorter passes that he managed to turn into additional gains with good running after the catch. Most of Favre's passes were short passes, and he never seemed to get comfortable during the game. Due to New York not having the ball much, he was under an aggressive pass rush as San Francisco realized he had to abandon the running game and rely exclusively on the pass, which contributed to his less than stellar numbers.
| RB Thomas Jones, Rush: 10 - 56 - 1, Rec: 3 - 12 - 0 (3 targets) |
Jones played well with the limited number of touches he had. He showed good burst through the line and excellent cutting ability on a few of his runs, making initial defenders miss him several times. Jones did score his 12th rushing touchdown of the season, which tied him for the franchise lead with Curtis Martin.
| RB Leon Washington, Rush: 1 - 1 - 0, Rec: 6 - 31 - 0 (6 targets) |
Washington was used as a screen pass catcher on most of the offensive plays he was in on, and showed his quickness in making his defender miss, but he was usually stopped for short gains thanks to a swarming 49ers' defense. Washington scored a touchdown on a 99 yard kickoff return, but it was nullified due to a penalty by one of his teammates.
| WR Chansi Stuckey, Rec: 4 - 43 - 0 (5 targets) |
Stuckey took advantage of his targets in the first half by catching all four of them and turning short passes into decent gains with some tough running in traffic. The only pass he did not catch was thrown too high.
| WR Brad Smith, Rec: 2 - 7 - 0 (2 targets) |
Smith caught both of his targets, but was more remembered for his second reception where he took a vicious but clean hit. He jumped up after being bent backwards, walked a few steps then fell to the ground. After being looked at by New York's medical staff, Smith was able to walk off the field after a few minutes.
| WR Laveranues Coles, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (4 targets) |
Coles was not utilized much. Of the passes thrown his way, two were uncatchable, and another one was intercepted despite his best efforts to prevent his defender from holding onto the ball.
| WR Jerricho Cotchery, Rec: 1 - 10 - 0 (3 targets) |
Cotchery was targeted deep twice by Favre, but he was unable to catch up to the passes. His only reception came with less than six minutes remaining in the game.
| TE Dustin Keller, Rec: 2 - 14 - 0 (6 targets) |
Keller was targeted on the opening drive, and not again until there were under three minutes remaining in the game. He dropped a pass on a third down play that ended the Jets' opening drive, and three of his targets were thrown out of his reach.
| TE Chris Baker, Rec: 1 - 15 - 0 (1 targets) |
Baker took a short pass and ran straight ahead for a first down on his only target.
| PK Jay Feely 0 - 0 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 2 points |
Feely was not very busy, and made both of his point after attempts. He did not attempt any field goals.
| NYJ Rush Defense |
New York's defense defended the run fairly well in terms of not allowing any big runs or touchdowns on the ground. However, the 49ers were able to chip away at them all day, to the tune of just under 3.0 yards per rush, and helped control the time of possession. The Jets' defenders were not dominated but they were not dominant themselves. They only allowed two runs over seven or more yards -- both to Gore -- but only had three tackles behind the line of scrimmage. They did cause five fumbles but only recovered one of them.
| NYJ Pass Defense |
The Jets were unable to provide an answer for Hill. Although they provided an aggressive pass rush and recorded two sacks, they did not do so consistently enough, and he was able to exploit their secondary. New York's pass defenders did intercept Hill once, which led to their offense scoring to tie the game, but overall they were unable to prevent San Francisco's receivers from running their routes and getting open. In addition, 49ers receivers turned short passes into first downs nine times by not only getting open but gaining valuable yards after the catch against the Jets' defenders.
| QB Shaun Hill, Pass: 28 - 39 - 285 - 2 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 1 - 8 - 0 |
Hill got into a rhythm early and for the most part retained it with his receivers. He threw several passes to a spot where his receivers should be, and most of the time, he and his receivers were on the same page. As a result of his accurate timing based passing, Hill's receivers were able to gain yards after the catch a lot of times. Hill showed a very good command of the offense, and usually made good decisions in terms of which of his receivers to throw to. While he did not attempt many deep passes, his accuracy on the short and intermediate passing enabled his receivers to gain yards after the catch most of the time, which helped his overall passing numbers.
| RB DeShaun Foster, Rush: 16 - 35 - 0, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (1 targets) |
Foster did not enter the game until Gore was injured. While he did not gain a lot of yards, he was instrumental in helping San Francisco retain control of the time of possession with hard running up the middle on the majority of his carries.
| RB Frank Gore, Rush: 14 - 52 - 0, Rec: 3 - 13 - 1 (3 targets) |
Gore ran well while in the game and posted solid numbers for in essence half a game's work. As he injured his ankle during San Francisco's first drive in the second half and did not return to the game although he was on the sideline after being checked out by the medical staff. Gore came close to breaking several runs, but was stopped by the last line of defense a few times. He did catch a touchdown pass in the red zone before and caught all of the short passes thrown to him.
| RB Michael Robinson, Rush: 2 - 5 - 0, Rec: 1 - 13 - 0 (2 targets) |
Robinson had minimal involvement in the offense.
| WR Isaac Bruce, Rec: 6 - 70 - 0 (11 targets) |
Bruce showed great quickness while running mostly short and intermediate routes, and got open routinely. He then utilized his quickness to great effect by gaining significant yards after securing the catch several times. Bruce turned short passes into first downs four times as a result of his running after the catch. He and Hill were on the same page throughout the game, except for the play where Hill threw an interception. Both players discussed the play immediately afterwards, and got back on track.
| WR Bryant Johnson, Rec: 6 - 49 - 1 (7 targets) |
Johnson ran a variety of routes, and was able to get open most of the time he was targeted. His only missed target came when he got open deep but Hill missed him. Johnson used his size effectively in addition to his route-running, exemplified best on his touchdown catch.
| WR Jason Hill, Rec: 4 - 39 - 0 (6 targets) |
Hill ran short routes exclusively, and did well to get open several times and fight for extra yards after catching the ball. He was going in for San Francisco's first touchdown but was stripped of the ball before he could cross the end zone. Fortunately one of his offensive linemen recovered the fumble for the touchdown.
| WR Dominique Zeigler, Rec: 2 - 44 - 0 (3 targets) |
Zeigler showed big play ability by showing good speed to gain several yards after the catch on both of his receptions. He was well covered in the end zone on the one pass he did not catch.
| TE Vernon Davis, Rec: 3 - 29 - 0 (3 targets) |
Davis caught all the passes thrown to him, including one for 20 yards where he ran a very good route and caught the ball well in traffic.
| TE Delanie Walker, Rec: 1 - 15 - 0 (3 targets) |
Walker showed good route running ability, getting open on the pass he caught, on a second pass where the ball was thrown behind him, and on a 28 yard pass play that he scored on but did not count because of a holding penalty on an offensive lineman.
| TE Billy Bajema, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (1 targets) |
Bajema's involvement in the passing game was minimal.
| PK Joe Nedney 1 - 1 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 6 points |
Nedney made both of his point after attempts and his only field goal attempt, which was from 32 yards.
| SF Rush Defense |
San Francisco's rush defense was not tested much, as Jones only had ten carries. However they gave up 5.6 yards per carry and a rushing touchdown while defending those ten carries. Jones got past the line of scrimmage on nine of his ten carries.
| SF Pass Defense |
The 49ers only allowed 137 passing yards in 31 pass attempts, and recorded an interception. They benefited by the Jets calling a high number of short pass plays, but their pass rush helped force Favre to check down to shorter passes at times. All of their three sacks came with less than five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter with two on the last two plays of the game.
