East Rutherford, NJ - The week started out for the New York Jets with head coach Rex Ryan making another obnoxious, demeaning remark. This time about San Diego head coach Norv Turner. Ryan could not backpedal from the statement fast enough. He might still be apologizing. Then, on Friday, Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis hangs up on a blowhard sports radio host, while trying to defend his 100-yard interception touchdown return against the Miami Dolphins Monday night. With a bye week staring them in the face, followed by two straight division games against Buffalo (on the road) and New England (at home) the Jets could not afford to lose to the Chargers. Ironically, the guy who just might have saved their season is the same guy who had been M-I-A for most of the first six games of the year.

Plaxico Burress came into the game with 14 catches for 218 yards and 2 touchdowns. Not really the offensive production the Jets were hoping for when they signed the enigmatic receiver after spending nearly two years in jail on a gun charge. By games end, Burress would haul in 3 touchdown passes in the 27-21 victory over the Chargers.

Ryan attributed a big part of the victory to the exuberance of the fans. "I want to tip my hat to the fans," he started. It had to be super hard for the Chargers to communicate. You talk about home field advantage. It was probably the difference in the game."

The fans didn't have much to cheer about in the beginning as the offense, once again, came out sluggish. Mark Sanchez (who was pretty subdued after the game) saw his first pass of the game to tight end Dustin Keller get taken away by linebacker Donald Butler as he was falling to the ground. 37 yards later, Butler gives his team a 7-0 lead. You could not help but think the Jets were mumbling to themselves, "oh no, not again." Their second possession ended a string of 4 consecutive three and out over the last 2 games when they marched down the field, resulting in a 35 yard Nick Folk field goal.

The defense continued to struggle going into the second quarter as Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers extends the lead to 14-3 after a 14 play, 76-yard drive finding tight end Antonio Gates for a 2-yard touchdown catch. Not to be outdone, Sanchez (18-33, 173 yards, 3 TD's, 1 Int.) finds Burress for the first of his 3 touchdowns bringing New York within 4 (14-10). San Diego takes an 11 point (21-10) lead on the very next possession as Mike Tolbert caps an 11 play, 87-yard drive, finishing with a 1-yard touchdown run. The Jets are cascaded with a chorus of boos from the more than 79,000 fans as the half comes to the end.

"There was no panic, there was no chewing anybody out," said Ryan of his halftime message to the defense. They must have gotten the message as they didn't give up a single point in the second half. The Jets closed the gap to 4 points (21-17) when Burress' second touchdown catch of the day was highlighted by a 15-yard run by Shonn Greene. He finished his day with 112 yards on 20 carries. His second straight 100+ yard game. "The offensive line did a great job," Greene started. "When everyone does their job, we move as a unit."
With the defense showing Rivers a different look every time he took the field, San Diego struggled the way the Jets did at the start. First, with the Chargers threatening on the Jets 25, looking to extend the lead, Rivers pass to Vince Jackson gets tipped and falls into the hands of that man, Revis. He returns it 64 yards to the San Diego 19 yard line. At one point, it looked like he would take it to the house. "What I should have did is what I did last week and cut it back," said Revis.

Five plays later, the Jets would take their first lead of the day (24-21) when Burress hauls in his third touchdown catch of the afternoon. This time, with San Diego playing him one on one, he steps inside towards the goal post for the 3-yard catch. In all of the excitement with the media suffocating him at his locker, Plax had a hard time remembering how the play developed. "I didn't think the guy (cornerback Antoine Cason was the victim on all 3 of his touchdown catches) would play me with outside leverage," he began.

"He just gave me the release and I just worked it. I didn't have time to finish the rout I beat him so bad at the line of scrimmage."

The Jets defense did not let up their second-half dominance after going up 27-21 on another Folk field goal (30 yards) after Rivers gets picked off, this time by cornerback Kyle Wilson. With 1:29 left and a chance for the Chargers to stage a come from behind win, Rivers comes up short missing his last pass to attempt to Jackson.

Like the team they share MetLife Stadium with, the New York Jets now have a chance to get healthy as they don't play again until November 6th when they visit Buffalo. Hopefully, there won't be any off the field issues like there was leading up to their game against San Diego.

"We played well," said ex-Charger LaDainian Tomlinson, who battled the flu.

He did start but came out after only gaining 14 yards on 5 attempts.

"This was our best performance of the year. We had great focus this week in practice and guys understood the magnitude of going into the bye week with a win," Tomlinson continued.

Upon Further Review: Derrelle Revis out, but Jets offense and defense awful

East Rutherford, NJ - So this is what the New York Jets defense looked like with the best cornerback in football Darrelle Revis out with a torn ACL in his left knee. The San Francisco 49ers spent the week in Ohio rather than travel back home after getting beat by the Minnesota Vikings last week.

After losing 34-0 to the 49ers at MetLife Stadium, it's not only the defense the Jets have to worry about. It's the 11 players on offense that head coach Rex Ryan should be concerned with. Ryan was clearly steamed afterward using some language he had to apologize for. Parents may want to shield their kids from the following quote.

"I apologize for my language," he began his postgame press conference. "Because I was going to say we got our butt kicked. But really, we got our ass kicked. There's no two ways ins or outs about it."

He then dissected how the ass whipping took place.

"We go in and it should be 7-3 at halftime. It's 10-0 because of the mistakes we make. Then we come out, turn the ball over four times. Here's the recipe for getting our ass kicked: 2 for 13 on third down that 15%, four turnovers, a blocked punt when they rush one guy and give up 245 rushing. How's that for a recipe."

Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals, and Atlanta Falcons Still Undefeated

Things won't get any easier for Gang Green as they host one of the three teams that remain undefeated in the Houston Texans. They stayed perfect by rolling over the Tennessee Titans 38-14...The other two teams that are without a loss, Arizona, and Atlanta, had to work hard to come away with victories.

The Cardinals needed overtime to beat the Miami Dolphins (24-21) as QB Kevin Kolb threw for 324 yards and two touchdowns. Miami wasted a great performance by their QB Ryan Tannehill as he threw for 421 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Brian Hartline entered the Dolphins record book by hauling in 12 catches for 253 yards...The Falcons needed to go 90 yards with a little over one minute left to eke out a 30-28 win over the Panthers. Matt (Matty Ice) Ryan finds Roddy White for a 59-yard pass completion and then watches Matt Bryant kick the game-winning 40-yard field goal. Ryan finished his day throwing for 369 yards as White caught eight passes for 169 yards...

Washington, Rams, Vikings, Patriots, Chargers, and Broncos Among the Winners

Redskins wonder QB RGIII passes for 323 yards in its 24-22 win over Tampa. Another nail-biter as Washington's Billy Cundiff nails a 41-yard field goal with three seconds left...Seattle was brought back to reality after its gift win Monday night against Green Bay as the Rams turned them back 19-13. Rams field goal kicker Greg Zuerlein was feeling his oats as he converted four field goals. The first, a 58-yarder that was followed up by a club record 60 yards. Expect him to be named special team player of the week...The disappointing Lions lose for the third time in four weeks after as the Vikings go on the road and come away with a 20-13 win. Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson continues to impress coming off knee surgery as he ran for 102 yards on 21 carries. Detroit's QB Matthew Stafford threw for 319 yards...For the second time this year, the Buffalo Bills gave up more than 45 points in a game. Sunday, they gave up 52 to the New England Patriots. The Bills did take a 14-7 halftime lead then saw their defense give up 45 points in the second half in the 52-28 loss. Patriots QB Tom Brady threw for 340 yards and two TDs...San Diego (37-20) and Denver (37-6) routed Kansas City and Oakland respectively. The Chargers jumped out to a 20-0 lead and Denver scored 21 third-quarter points running away with the victories...

Bengals and Ravens Tied for First in AFC North; Cleveland and New Orleans Still Winless

Don't look now but the Cincinnati Bengals are tied for first in the AFC North after its 27-10 road win over Jacksonville. The Bengals are tied with the Ravens who just got by the winless Cleveland Browns last Thursday 23-16. The Browns had a chance to send the game into overtime but Cleveland's QB Brandon Weeden pass in the end zone went out of bounds...They join the only other winless team, the New Orleans Saints who were edged by Green Bay 28-27. The Saints had a chance to take the lead but Garrett Hartley misses a 48-yard field goal with a little less than three minutes in the game...

New York Giants Lose a Heartbreaker to Philadelphia Eagles

The New York (Football) Giants fell to 2-2 and 0-2 in the division after losing Sunday night in Philadelphia 19-17 to improve their record to 3-1. Big Blue had a chance to win it after Lawrence Tynes missed his first attempt at 54 yards but Eagles head coach Andy Reid called a timeout. Tynes could not take advantage of the second opportunity as the kick came up short. Giants QB Eli Manning did throw for 309 yards and two touchdowns but the running game was non-existent. The Eagles did not turn the ball over for the first time this young season. The Giants host those lowly Browns Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

Everything is not Big in Texas As Dallas Loses to Chicago Bears at Home

Finally, the Chicago Bears (3-1) went into Dallas (2-2) and picked off Tony Romo five times (tying a career high) coming away with a 34-18 win. Bears QB Jay Cutler completed 18 of 24 passes for 275 yards and two TDs while wide receiver Brandon Marshall pulled in seven catches for 138 yards and one touchdown. Dallas now gets a much-needed bye week, as Romo and his offense, try to figure out how to straighten out their issues. When they return to the field, four of their five following games will be on the road.

Giants' Picks Appear to be More Strategic

The 2013 NFL Draft held last week at Radio City Music Hall further revealed the differences between the direction of the New York Giants and the New York Jets. For the Giants, they continue to show an organization that has been a model of consistency on and off the field (with the exception of the Plaxico Burress fiasco), while the New York Jets continue to be a dysfunctional group from the owner to the head coach and its players. The new General Manager John Idzik is trying to change the direction of the team so he can't be judged at this stage. Suffice it to say though, the moves he's made up to this point has all the making of adding to the soap opera atmosphere.

Two years ago, the New York Giants won its second Super Bowl under head coach Tom Coughlin. Last year, they failed to make the playoffs. Looking to shore up its offensive line, General Manager Jerry Reese took Justin Pugh the 6-4, 301lbs offensive lineman from Syracuse University with its first pick hoping not only to protect Eli Manning but to improve the team's running game. Reese then got defensive with his next two picks taking Ohio State defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins 6-2, 320lbs and defensive end/linebacker Damontre' Moore Texas A & M 6-5, 250lbs. Moore does come with some baggage, as he was arrested in 2011 for marijuana possession. Reese is hoping his age (21) and playing with veterans will enable him to excel in putting pressure on opposing QB's. With Manning having a relatively healthy career, Reese raised eyebrows by using its 4th pick to take QB Ryan Nassib another 'Cuse alumn. Reese compared him to Andy Dalton and says Nassib has the "it" factor. At 6-2, 227lbs Nassib led the Orangemen to an 8-5 record and defeated Geno Smith (more on him later) in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. Two of the last three draft picks were on offense with guard Eric Herman 6-4, 320lbs from Ohio and running back Michael Cox 6-1, 214 lbs from UMass. Reese is hoping he can be a sleeper as scouts like his size and are impressed with him catching the ball out of the backfield. The last defensive pick was Richmond's safety Cooper Taylor 6-4, 228lbs who comes to the team with health issues including a knee injury in 2011 and a pec tear in 2012. His size intrigued Reese as he could also be used in a linebacker role.

Said Reese, "I can envision him on special teams with that size and speed."

The New York Jets drafted Mark Sanchez four years ago and he immediately proceeded to take them to within one game of the Super Bowl in his first two years. The "Sanchize" was thought to be a Jet for the rest of his career. The last two years has turned into a recurring nightmare for him and the team. They have missed the playoffs the last two years as the roster has been turned into a virtual minor league team due to injuries and trades. Most recently the trade of the best cornerback in the league in Darrelle Revis. The Tim Tebow experiment was a total bust and his saga ended Monday when he was released by the team. That said, Idzik took 6 of 8 offensive players hoping that whoever is under center will be able to get the team in the end zone. A place they hardly saw all of last season.

The Jets began its draft night by taking CB Dee Milliner replacing Revis and hoping he can be at least half the player Revis is. That may be possible as Revis is coming off major knee surgery. Milliner, 6-0, 201lbs from Alabama will have a tremendous amount of pressure on him especially if Revis comes back strong with his new team Tampa Bay. At 6-3, 294lbs, Sheldon Richardson from Missouri was taken as their second pick. The defensive lineman has been touted as an effective run stopper. The Jets next six picks were all on the offensive side of the ball. The team had Radio City buzzing when they selected QB Geno Smith 6-3, 218lbs from West Virginia. Smith is now part of a QB roster that includes Sanchez, newly signed free agent David Garrard, Greg McElroy, and Matt Simms. Sanchez will clearly have to show signs of his first two years if he wants to be the starter when the season begins. At least Sanchez will not have the circus that was Tebow around him. Whoever is under center, they will be hoping that the final draft choices will lead to an effective passing and running game. Offensive guard Brian Winters 6-4, 320lbs from Kent State, offensive tackle Oday Aboushi 6-6, 310lbs from Virginia and offensive lineman William Campbell 6-6, 310 from Michigan rounded out the picks. How they handle the transition from the college game to the pros will remain to be seen. The Jets like Aboushi's versatility and although listed as an OL, Campbell is expected to be switched to the defensive side of the ball. Trading with New Orleans, the Jets picked up four-year veteran running back Chris Ivory. Idzik likes the fact that Ivory is a "physical runner" who has size and speed. Ivory will be looking to take over from the often injured Shonn Greene who was not retained by the team after declaring for free agency.

The 2014 Super Bowl will take place at Met Life Stadium in New Jersey the home shared by both the Giants and the Jets. No home team hosting the game has ever played in the game. By the recent actions of both organizations, one team, the New York Giants has a better chance of getting to the big game. Unfortunately for the New York Jets, they will be lucky to finish the year with a decent record. The Giants have to deal with the re-signing of wide receiver Victor Cruz which could affect how successful they could be. The Jets, aside from the quarterback issues, are also dealing with Santonio Holmes coming back from a major injury and not having a possession receiver.

Training camp for both teams is going to reveal so much more than their draft picks.