There has to be some explanation for why the two New York-area NFL teams can't win games after such impressive starts.
Rex Ryan should tone down the rhetoric until the Jets can win again. (Getty Images)
When the Yankees opened the baseball playoffs, the Giants and Jets were both riding high in the NFL. The Yankees won the World Series, and seemingly took all the victories in the Manhattan area with them.
The Giants have lost four straight but couldn't make it five since they were idle this week, but the Jets held up their end of the losing bargain.
The Jets lost 24-22 to the Jacksonville Jaguars on a last-second field goal Sunday, their second consecutive loss and fifth in the past six games.
Their 3-0 start to the season, when coach Rex Ryan and Mark Sanchez were the toasts of the league, seems like forever ago.
Losing to the Jaguars at home drops the Jets to 4-5 as they head to New England next week to play the Patriots.
Let's face it, Big Apple football is rotten to the core.
Can it be fixed?
Neither the Jets nor the Giants have that look that says they can turn things around, but you never know. What if the Jets go into New England and win next week? They did beat the Patriots earlier this season.
That was when they were riding high. Now the Jets are scrambling.
Suddenly, Sanchez isn't so golden. And Ryan's candid quips are now probably seen as too much bravado, making him the loudmouth coach rather than a breath of fresh air. His decision to give his team the bye week off from practices is now one that will be scrutinized instead of praised.
49ers: Give this one to the defense. It had five interceptions and kept the Bears out of the end zone. The offense didn't do much, aside from a few Frank Gore runs. They have to pass it better.
C-
2.27
C-
Bears: Jay Cutler was terrible. Five picks? Awful. The end-zone interception at the end was a really bad play. The defense saw a pretty good game go to waste.
Redskins: Ladell Betts ran the ball for 114 yards and Jason Campbell made some timely throws. The pass defense gave up two big scores early, but once Kyle Orton went out at halftime it was much easier to stop. The touchdown off the fake field goal was big.
D
1.41
C-
Broncos: Kyle Orton hit Brandon Marshall for two big touchdown passes, and it looked like it might be a blowout but the Redskins settled down. The Denver defense sure didn't look as good as it had earlier this season.
Titans: Chris Johnson had another big day running it and the defense tightened in the second half. Vince Young was solid in getting his record to 3-0 as a starter. There's no doubt they are playing better.
B
1.93
C-
Bills: They hung around for a half, but didn't do anything in the second half on offense. The run defense was a problem again. The Dick Jauron watch is on again.
Rams: They really played well and had chances at the end. Marc Bulger and Steven Jackson both had good games. They did lollygag a little on the last drive. All in all, it was a good day -- even if they didn't win.
B
1.61
C
Saints: This was a natural letdown, and it showed. But they did what good teams do, which is find a way. Courtney Roby's kickoff return for a score to open the second half was huge. Drew Brees wasn't as good as he has been and the defense wasn't good.
Bengals: This one goes to the defense. They dominated the Steelers offense. The front got after Ben Roethlisberger and the secondary covered well. The big play was the kickoff return for a touchdown by Bernard Scott.
A
3.11
B-
Steelers: They couldn't get anything going on offense and a pretty good defensive effort went to waste. The kickoff coverage has been a problem all season long. The offensive line was whipped.
Jaguars: Maurice Jones-Drew had another good day with 123 rushing yards and opened the scoring with a 33-yard run. David Garrard made some big throws in the game-winning drive. The defense had two big picks, but one went to waste on a fumble by Jones-Drew. It was a nice effort.
B-
2.12
C-
Jets: Mark Sanchez isn't playing as well as he was early in the year. And what has happened to that defense? They couldn't stop the Jaguars for much of the day. Garrard made it look easy on the last drive.
Vikings: Brett Favre had a big day with 344 yards passing and Adrian Peterson did his usual thing. Sidney Rice had the biggest day with seven catches for 201 yards. The defense wasn't as sharp as it has been.
B
2.96
C-
Lions: The defense had a woeful day. They couldn't stop the Vikings, even if they did stiffen inside the 20. Matthew Stafford was steady, not throwing any picks, but he needs help.
Dolphins: As usual, the Dolphins ran the ball well with Ronnie Brown, before his injury, and Ricky Williams. Chad Henne's bad interception nearly cost them in the end. He did make amends for it with his throws on the drive to the game-winning field goal.
C-
2.22
C
Buccaneers: Josh Freeman was decent in his first road start. He didn't cost them this game. The defense, a sore spot all season, was pushed around in the run game. At least they're more competitive now.
Panthers: The Panthers ran it on the Atlanta defense and their defense limited the Falcons passing game. They picked off Matt Ryan twice. They played their style of game, which they had to do.
B-
2.04
C-
Falcons: They aren't playing well enough on either side of the ball. Ryan is really struggling. The defense was hit hard by the run. Losing Michael Turner hurt, but Jason Snelling played OK.
Chiefs: The Chiefs defense had a nice day. They shut down the Raiders offense after the first quarter. Jamaal Charles had a nice game with over 100 yards rushing and Matt Cassel was efficient.
C-
1.60
D
Raiders: JaMarcus Russell is officially a disaster. They can't move the ball with him playing quarterback. They looked good early, but wilted. The defense has to get sick of having no help from the offense.
Chargers: They jumped to the big lead and then had to fight off the Eagles. The offense played well. The defense, especially the pass defense, did not. Philip Rivers was sharp.
B+
2.66
C-
Eagles: What happened to the defense? They couldn't get stops. Donovan McNabb played well, but he was in scramble mode all day. Jason Avant had a huge day. They just seemed flat from the start.
Packers: What a big day by the Packers defense. The Cowboys didn't get a third-down conversion until the fourth quarter. Charles Woodson really came up big. The offense didn't do a lot, but it didn't need to.
F
2.60
C
Cowboys: Horrible, horrible offensive showing. You can't win many games playing that way. Hard to believe that was the same offense that came in on fire. The defense actually played well.
Cardinals: They slumbered through the early part of the game, but got it going in the second half. Kurt Warner was good in the second half, and the defense really played well after halftime. Why the slow start?
B+
2.44
C
Seahawks: Their defense wilted in the second half. Warner lit them up. Matt Hasselbeck played well, but the Seahawks couldn't keep up in the second half. They have defensive issues.
Colts: They were outplayed most of the night, but found a way with an 18-point rally. Peyton Manning threw four touchdown passes to lead the comeback. The defense had issues. But they made a key fourth-down stop to give them a chance in the end.
B
3.07
B-
Patriots: Their coach wasted 58 minutes of good football with one bad decision. How did Bill Belichick do it? Why? Tom Brady and Randy Moss played well. The defense did not.
Ravens: They didn't do a lot on offense, but they didn't need it. The defense dominated a bad Cleveland offense. The interception return for a touchdown by Dawan Landry was all they needed.
C-
2.78
D
Browns: How low can they go? The offense looks terrible. They can't even complete a pass past 5 yards. They don't even try. The line stinks. The receivers can't get open and the quarterbacks aren't playing well. The defense actually played pretty well.
I have huge respect for Pete Prisco. The amount of dis he suffers on this forum is way over the top. And unwarranted. Nevertheless , for once , I'm disappointed with him this week.
The Sunday night game was a classic. For most of the game New England was terrifyingly awesome. On both sides of the ball. Brady was exceptional. By contrast Indy was not inspiring and I thought Manning had t
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I personally don't see anything wrong with running up the score, especially when a team is at home. Give the fans something to cheer about, scoring touchdown after touchdown. In reality they were getting an offense, that was terrible the week before, reps to gel. That kind of work can be invaluable. I don't feel a team should have to change the way their offense plays i
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Why are there so many older posts littered throughout these message boards? There are posts dated from last month let alone last week. Somebody at CBS Sports.com is taking their eye of the ball and it is confusing to try to read through this mess.
How can you say that? Because you read the stats and saw the yardage that McNabb put up? Or did you actually watch the game?
The Chargers offense was scoring at will and the defense held Philly to a field goal on, what?... 3 redzone situations - one being 1st and goal at the 1 yard line. So the Chargers went to playing prevent D most of the game. T
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The Saints fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter at home and looked flatter than a discarded, stepped-on beignet you might find on Bourbon Street. I was a bit surprised when the the Panthers went up 14-0 on the Saints, but they have shown the ability to score quickly, so this wasn't likely to be a problem unless the Panthers' D could stop them for 4 quarter
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Okay Brett Favre, be upset with the Packer organization; but you have some unfinsished business with the Packer fans. You need to apologize to them for what you put them through for 4 years. You said that you went to the church prayed before the game in Minnesota? Well, you'd better stay there all weekend in Green Bay, because there is no place else to hide from the people tha
I think the Bengals played a good game to beat the Steelers, but I do not think it was an A effort. Their defense is a good, if not great unit, they deserve an A, but there offense did not get in the end zone all game, they managed to get into field position for 3 field goals, but I think their offense deserves a C at best. Special Teams was just as much the Steelers bad kickoff coverage
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What is with the infatuation with the 4-5 NY Jets? They are in a down hill spiral that will continue for awhile and people are still making excuses as to why they SHOULD HAVE won their "last" game. They are a mid level team with a Rookie QB and they have a very tough schedule so they are not the next Super Bowl Champion by any stretch of the imagination. They will be go
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Forgive me if I can't quite connect the dots, but I can't quite connect the dots. When I was in school, your GPA was an indicator of your overall body of work, not the by product of one particular test or class. So can someone please help me to understand any of the following:
1. The YTD (year-to-date) GPA for the Indianapolis Colts is 3.08 while the GPA for the Patr
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I saw the Detroit-Minnesota and Dallas-Green Bay games. Pete's grades on the first one are probably about where I'd put them. Detroit hung in against Minnesota and Minnesota's offense was very good and their defense kept pressure up on Stafford all day. The C- he gave Detroit is pretty accurate. The B he gave Minnesota probably could be a B+ but it's pretty close. Whe
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They only gave up 10 pts, could've been 13 with the missed field goal. They were put back on the field 3 times when they shouldn't have been, with 2 fumbles and a stupid offside penalty on Robison. They got a lot of pressure on Stafford, but did only manage 3 sacks. I think the defense played just fine, it was the stupid penalties that you
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Hey Pete, get a clue man. The Curse of the New York Yankees. Are you kidding me?! That could be the dumbest explanation I have ever heard. Here's an explanation for why neither team can win. Neither team is playing well on offense or defense right now. How's that for an explanation. And look up the facts pal, last time I checked, East Rutherford, New Jersey was not the Big Apple. Neither the Jets
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I really wanted to say something super clever and funny here but can you get more funny than the statement that the Chiefs D shut down the Raiders after the first quarter? I mean really? The Jamarcus Russell led Raiders offense? Who really wants to be know for the defense that shut down the offense that is the only one in competition to be worse than the Chiefs? Prisco you
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The Oakland Raiders have cursed New York Football.
I know, go ahead with the bashings that are due to Raider fans simply for being Raiders fans, but The Giants have lost four games in a row since they whoooped on the Raiders where Antonio Pierce called the game similar to a "scrimmage".
Mark Sanchez was chillin on the bench enjoying a hot dog during the fourth q
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Lets think about this: 49ers defense I believe put up at least an A- preformance, while the offense while close to nonproductive (typical bust smith fashion), but did not lose them the game either. I assume offense is ranked a C- or even a D yet averaging it would at least get the 49ers a B- / C+ range but anytime a defense get 5 ints deserves and does not allow a TD deserv
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