Jets Win their Third Straight in Dominating Fashion over Titans: What were the keys to Victory for NY?

Muhammad Wilkerson (Rich Schultz/Getty Images)

Now on a three game winning streak, the Jets have found their stride with their 30-8 rout of the Tennessee Titans on Sunday afternoon.

Now 8-5 on the season, the Jets have put themselves in a prime position to get a Wild Card spot.

With what may have been the best game the Jets have played all season long, let’s take a look at some of the takeaways:

1. Ryan Fitzpatrick – In the past three games, Fitzpatrick has totaled nine touchdowns and zero interceptions. He has also thrown multiple touchdown passes in five of the past six weeks. Not too shabby for a career back-up quarterback. Sometimes in sports, it is all about timing. And Fitzpatrick, who has never been to the playoffs, is starting to play some of the best football of his career in the stretch run of the season.  More importantly, he has led the Jets to three consecutive wins when the team desperately needed victories. He is proven to be a reliable answer to the quarterback position which was a huge question mark coming into the season.
2. Brandon Marshall – Brandon Marshall is another player that has never been to the playoffs despite being an elite receiver for many years. And he has stepped up when his team has needed him most now during the final few weeks of the season. In yesterday’s contest, Marshall had six receptions for 125 yards and a touchdown. During the Jets current three game winning streak, Marshall has totaled four touchdown catches and 387 receiving yards. Like Fitzpatrick, Marshall is playing for more than a paycheck. They are playing for a postseason berth. And the fact that Marshall and Fitzpatrick are clicking on all cylinders is really making the Jets offense tough to stop. And not only is Marshall having a good season, but so is Eric Decker. With Decker’s touchdown catch yesterday, he and Marshall became the first duo in Jets history with nine or more receiving touchdowns in a season.
3. Chris Ivory – It looks like Chris Ivory has finally busted out of the slump he has been in. With yesterday’s 101 yard rushing performance, Ivory looked just as good as he did at the beginning of the season. It seems as if every player on offense is finding their groove at the most important part of the season. With Ivory, Marshall, and Decker all playing really well, Fitzpatrick has a lot of options and the Jets are not an easy offense to stop.
4. Defense – The Titans might not have the best offense the league, but the performance the Jets defense gave yesterday was phenomenal. They allowed just 24 rushing yards and sacked Marcus Mariota five times, three of them coming from Mohammed Wilkerson. Buster Skrine also had an interception. And with yesterday’s defensive effort, the Jets are now the only team in the NFL to allow less than 80 rushing yards per game (78.9).

After yesterday’s performance, it is hard to not like what you see from the Jets. They are rolling and clicking on all cylinders. The Jets still have one more game that they absolutely have to win and that is next Sunday in Dallas. If the Jets beat the Cowboys, they would just have to split between to the Patriots and Bills to put them in a playoff spot. And with the way the Jets are playing right now, there is no reason to believe that that is not possible.