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Rushing: 1 / 4 / 0
Receiving: 1 / 9 / 0 on 3 targets
Edwards' one catch night was mainly a product of Sanchez' inability to execute offensively. On the play where Edwards was running along the back line of the endzone, Sanchez should have been able to connect with him for a touchdown. Edwards' was used early on an end around for minimal gain, but his involvement was stymied by Sanchez's unwillingness to go downfield.
Receiving: 5 / 45 / 1 on 6 targets
Edwards has long been criticized and mocked for being unable to consistently catch balls thrown his way but on Sunday Edwards was nearly perfect, hauling in five of his six targets. On his touchdown he aggressively went after the ball and used his upper body to keep it away from Patriots corner Darius Butler. He showed that focus again on a reception to convert a two point conversion.
His biggest flaw in this game was when he received a taunting penalty after his first touchdown --- a penalty that should have repeated when he jawed with Butler again after the conversion. Coach Rex Ryan later said it cost him a game ball from the staff.
On the whole though, Edwards looked very sharp and if he can hold onto the ball, Sanchez likes to use his size and reach in the end zone.
Receiving: 2 / 87 / 1 on 3 targets
Edwards sat out the first quarter of the game against Miami and the Jets were so effective without him, one wondered whether they could have played the whole game without him.
Once in the game though, Edwards made his presence felt. His very first catch was a 67 yard touchdown where he showed his speed and agility to make the most of a much shorter pass. On the play, Miami cornerback Jason
Allen slipped on the turf laid over the baseball infield still present in the stadium. Edwards kept his feet, got around Allen and turned the speed on for the touchdown.
Edwards was able to take advantage of Allen several more times, including drawing a critical pass interference penalty where he used his body to force Allen backwards as the pass left quarterback Mark Sanchez's hand. Allen never turned his head, got his hands on Edwards and was flagged. Despite the interference, Edwards still almost caught the ball.
That play set the Jets up for a game-icing touchdown by LaDainian Tomlinson.
While it's clear given his post game comments that he doesn't quite get what happened last week with his DUI, he put forth a very good effort and responded well to a rough week.
Receiving: 4 / 86 / 1 on 7 targets
Edwards once again had a very good game, this time without the benefit of a benching for the first quarter. He got most of his targets in the first half along with his touchdown reception, where Bills cornerback Leodis McKelvin was baited with a great pump fake by Jets QB Mark Sanchez. Edwards already had some separation on McKelvin, and was wide open when Sanchez threw the ball. An easy trot down the field put the Jets up 17-0.
As good as plays like that are, what has been very interesting to watch this season has been how focused Edwards has been during a catch. A great example of this was in the 4th quarter when Edwards made a great catch along the sideline --- it wasn't a spectacular, highlite reel catch but the sort of tough catch that, in the past, would have been missed by Edwards. He showed good focus making the catch and balance as he ran for another seven yards along the sideline. It is catches like this which have made Edwards much more effective than he has been for the last several years.
Receiving: 5 / 70 / 0 on 11 targets
The Jets first play was a 31 yard pass to Edwards off of play action where he went down the middle of two split safeties, exposing the Viking secondary early on. Sanchez took a couple of shots early on Edwards way, but he was unable to fight off the defender and maintain control of the ball, something Edwards has struggled with his entire NFL career. Edwards has loads of ability, size and strength, but until he puts it all together, he'll continue to be on the outside of the elite group, looking in.
Receiving: 4 / 46 / 1 on 8 targets
Sanchez does a great job spreading the ball around, and rarely focuses on one receiver. Edwards had a very nice 32 yard TD from Sanchez in the 2nd quarter, but other than that was very quiet on the day. The TD was a thing of beauty, as he ran a post pattern and beat Champ Bailey on single coverage for a score, which isn't easy to do. But other than that, he w
Receiving: 1 / 32 / 0 on 5 targets
Edwards' only catch was a long 32-yard reception but he was targeted deep three other times during the game.
Receiving: 3 / 78 / 1 on 8 targets
This has been a very good season for Edwards, as he seems to have done a good job of overcoming his usual case of 'hand-yips' and make some pretty good catches. While he didn't come down with even half his targets on Sunday but he made the ones he did catch, count. On his touchdown, Edwards got a step on Detroit CB Alfonso Smith with a little shake in his route. Then he made the catch and despite being tripped up a bit by a diving Smith, kept his balance as he ran for the touchdown. Edwards still makes his share of blunders; he fumbled the ball to start the third quarter when Louis Delmas caught him from behind and the Lions capitalized on that turnover by scoring a touchdown. Overall though, this has been a solid season for him and Edwards again found a way to contribute.
Receiving: 4 / 59 / 0 on 7 targets
Edwards began his day on a bit of a rough note, as he caught his first pass (a short pass along the left sideline) and lowered his head as he ran into Browns cornerback Sheldon Brown. After the play, there was quite a bit of shoving between the Jets and Browns, with Edwards in the middle. Edwards didn't get another pass until the second quarter when he took another short pass for 21 yards on a crossing route. It did appear as if he could have gained more yards had he turned directly upfield and challenged the defense more, but instead he ran for the sideline and out of bounds. Edwards was also the intended target on QB Mark Sanchez's interception in overtime. The ball was so underthrown that Edwards had no real chance to stop the INT.
Receiving: 4 / 86 / 1 on 6 targets
Edwards is having a very good year, one of the best he's had in a very long time. What's interesting to note though, is the little things he does beyond improving his hands. Watching Edwards this season, he's shown constant and solid effort in blocking for both his fellow wide receiver and the running backs, good route running and general enthusiasm for his teammates. Maybe it's the playoff aspirations, maybe it's Rex Ryan but whatever it is, Edwards is a very different player this season then we've seen before - maybe then we've seen at all.
Of course, he does all the things he's supposed to do as well. His touchdown was a simple timing pass where he ran a quick slant to meet the ball at the goal line and fall into the end zone for a score. However, twice he was able to split the zone and find himself in open space for a long bomb. The first he streaked down the middle of the field but was overthrown by Sanchez. The second big throw was a key one during the final drive of the game. With just 24 seconds left, Edwards ran down the sideline, running past one defender and gaining good seperation on him. Sanchez threaded a perfect pass this time and Edwards caught it in stride as he was hit. Edwards tiptoed down the sideline a bit and got out of bounds at the six, setting up Holmes' game winning touchdown.
Receiving: 2 / 20 / 0 on 8 targets
Edwards just missed a TD in the endzone. It almost looked as if Edwards took a bad angle at the ball. Then he got turned around on a deep pass and when he located the ball caught it with one foot just touching the goalline. In the end, those two opportunities cost Edwards a big game, as he didn't do much else.
Receiving: 2 / 39 / 0 on 7 targets
Edwards is at his best when he is able to take a defense by surprise and go downfield for a big play. The Jets fell behind big in this game and did their best to prevent any big plays. Aswell as this, Edwards had to deal with a heavy running game in the game plan and Holmes being the clear #1 WR in this offense. Edwards dropped a couple of passes as he is known for with poor catching technique. He continues to be an underperforming athletically gifted receiver that will never be the focal point of this offense. Edwards does not have the hands to be a possession receiver and when he cannot get the big play down the field, his production will suffer.
Receiving: 1 / 17 / 0 on 2 targets
Edwards was almost nonexistent in this game, perhaps a result of his inability to catch the targets he had received the last few weeks. Oddly enough, the bad drops during this game were not Edwards' fault but to be fair, it's impossible to drop balls when nobody is throwing to you.
Receiving: 8 / 100 / 0 on 11 targets
With the addition of Holmes, Jets' opponents have a difficult decision to make. Do they cover Holmes with the #1 cornerback, cover Edwards with the #1, or leave each corner to play a side of the field? Edwards feasted on Steeler corners not named Ike Taylor in this game. He caught short balls. He caught a deep ball down the far sideline in the 2nd quarter to set up a field goal. Edwards was the best receiver on the field --- a very dynamic player who appeared to get the early Christmas present of a new set of hands. Known for his tendency to drop balls, Edwards did none of that --- even catching a very tough shoestring grab in the 4th quarter. If Sanchez can build on his effort, and Edwards can continue to play at this level, the Jets' passing game will develop enough to allow them to be more balanced throughout the playoffs --- as opposed to simply being a run-run-pass team that relies on its defense.
Receiving: 6 / 78 / 0 on 8 targets
Edwards was pretty quiet for the first half as he was only targeted twice. In the second half he was targeted on some longer plays and several of his catches were for first downs. Sanchez also looked for him on a pair of deeper throws that were incomplete.
The only really bad play was one when Brad Smith was in at quarterback. Smith made a rare throw and was a little long, but Edwards could very well have made more of an attempt to catch the ball. For a guy who has clearly been putting forth 100% each week, it was an unusual lapse in effort. It didn't seem to affect the Jets' play calling though, as Edwards saw passes in another key drive a short time later.
Receiving: 1 / 52 / 1 on 2 targets
Like Holmes, Edwards only saw a handful of snaps and on his one catch, made it count. On his 52 yard touchdown, Edwards ran a solid route, but was still well covered by CB Leodis McKelvin. However, the big wide receiver was able to get a step on McKelvin and QB Mark Brunnell threw an outstanding pass just past the Bills CB, hitting Edwards just about perfectly in stride. Edwards shrugged off a lunge by McKelvin and sauntered into the end zone for a score.
Receiving: 4 / 62 / 0 on 5 targets
Edwards made some pretty big plays against the Colts. He continues to commit heavily to blocking for the ground game which cannot be emphasized enough in run heavy offense like this. Also his overall ability to hang onto the ball has improved tremendously, though it was tested often by some errant Mark Sanchez throws.
Twice he had to go up high for a pass, including a key first down to get kicker Nick Folk within easy field goal range to win the game.
On the play, Edwards ran down the field, stopped and used his body to extend and get the catch. He also did a tremendous job getting both feet in as he fell to the ground. Earlier in the drive, Edwards had caught the ball, then dropped it and recovered it. It was a close thing but for once, Edwards' butter fingers didn't cost his team.
Receiving: 2 / 52 / 1 on 3 targets
Edwards had a terrific game, as long as you take away the long completion to Santonio Holmes that he broke up because he didn't know that Holmes was behind him. Edwards scored the Jets second TD right before the half when carried two Patriots DBs into the end zone, and he also had a terrific deep catch to set up the Jets first TD on an improvisational play directed by Sanchez. He only caught two balls, but both were huge plays.
Receiving: 3 / 50 / 0 on 7 targets
Edwards converted a key fourth-down late in the game to help the Jets pull within five points, but he never got free deep, and he had one mental error that caused a three-and-out when he couldn't get his foot down inbounds on a third-down reception. Edwards didn't play badly by any means, but he didn't have that huge individual the Jets needed to help them get over the hump.