New York Jets at Baltimore Ravens Preview

By Jonathan Solomon | Saturday, October 01, 2005 | ( 0 )

Got something to say?

Ask any knowledgeable NFL fan before the season about the match-up in Week 4 between the New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens and you would likely get a response such as light playoff implications, an explosive game, two great teams, etc. Fast forward to just days before the meeting and both teams have been ravaged by injury and their seasons are truly in the balance and the future does not look good at all. The Jets are 1-2, the Ravens are still trying to find that first win at 0-2. This is sounding more like a game of two depressed individuals trying to find at least the slightest bit of glimmer in an otherwise torrential downpour of suffering.

The New York Jets and their fans were shocked and aghast at the news this week that both of their quarterbacks, Chad Pennington and Jay Fiedler had suffered very serious shoulder injuries during the loss to Jacksonville last Sunday. The news that neither is expected to play for the foreseeable future and in all likelihood, both are lost for the remainder of the year, was like a meteor that arrived on earth and shattered their homes. Vinny Testaverde was called out of retirement and signed mid-week and will act as a back up for the time being. Yes, that means starting in Baltimore, for the New York Jets will be...Brooks Bollinger. His only career numbers during an NFL season game was last year in Arizona when he completed five of nine passes, rushed once for two yards and was sacked once.

The Baltimore Ravens starting quarterback Kyle Boller was knocked out weeks ago with a foot injury and won't be back for at least two months. That leaves the job to Anthony Wright who has since thrown three interceptions hasn't done much to cause the fans to endear to him as they did when he helped lead the Ravens to the playoffs two years ago. So with the two starting quarterbacks on Sunday not expected to do much good, this game should be played and won by the defenses. The vaunted Ravens defense has allowed a combined 49 points to the Colts and Titans. The Jets defense couldn't stop the Jaguars rushing attack and lost the game on a deep overtime touchdown pass from Byron Leftwich to Jimmy Smith. To make matters worse for the Gang Green defense, starting linebacker Eric Barton will not play because of an ankle injury.

The Ravens run game has been pitiful if for no other reason than the fact that they've been trailing too much to effectively run the ball. In two games, they've had 34 run plays and 104 pass plays. With below average quarterbacks, they're not going to win with a ratio like that. Curtis Martin for the Jets and Jamal Lewis for the Ravens, will need to lead their respective offenses in a time of great need.

As said with most games, the winner will be the team whose defense doesn't slip up and whose offense makes the least mistakes. This won't be a pretty affair but if you're the type of person who likes watching train wrecks, turn on the Jets and Ravens on Sunday and you'll be happy as the defenses should run rampant while the offenses run for their collective lives as they try to do well, life after major injuries.

Got something to say?