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Ball-control offense kept Jets in control
Posted: Sunday January 10, 1999 06:29 PM
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- Bill Parcells has the New York Jets on the brink of a Super Bowl by using the same formula he used to get the New York Giants and New England Patriots there. The Jets combined a cold-weather, ball-control offense with a solid defense Sunday to pull within a victory of their first Super Bowl berth since 1969 with a 34-24 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jets reached their first AFC title game since 1982 by controlling the ball for 39:16, running 77 play to the Jags' 53 and outgaining Jacksonville 429 yards to 251. The reason ball control was so important is that when quarterback Mark Brunell had the ball, he made things happen for Jacksonville, throwing three touchdown passes and three interceptions. "We knew we had to control the ball, and I think we did," Jets center Kevin Mawae said. "I don't know what the time of possession was, but I think it was a whole bunch to not enough." Mawae said the Jets put in a cold-weather package for the game, and they used it several times. "It's basically smash-mouth, who wants it the most, and I think we came out on top," Mawae said. The Jets set the tone from the opening kickoff, moving 70 yards in seven plays. Vinny Testaverde capped the drive with a 21-yard TD pass to Keyshawn Johnson. "Any time you take it down on the opening drive, it does a lot for the offensive line," guard Matt O'Dwyer said. "You get in a groove, and it's nice. We got stopped a few times, but we came back when we needed to and did some good things." The big things were done by Testaverde, Johnson and halfback Curtis Martin. Testaverde completed 24 of 36 passes, including all four on the opening drive. Martin carried 36 times for 124 yards, caught six passes for 58 yards and scored two touchdowns. Johnson tied a team playoff record by catching nine passes for 121 yards and a touchdown. He also scored on a 10-yard run, recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass in the closing seconds. "We spread it around and we're a smart team," said veteran tackle Jumbo Elliott, a members of Parcells' final Super Bowl team with the Giants in 1990. "We recognize what defenses are trying to give us and what they are trying to take away and we can respond." Against the Jaguars, the Giants dominated the line of scrimmage against an injury-depleted line. "Jacksonville had some guys beat up on the defensive line," rookie tackle Jason Fabini said. "Tony Brackens was inactive and they've had five or six guys go on IR. Their d-line was kind of thin and it kind of helped what we wanted to do." Despite all the time of possession, the Jets had to sweat out the final minutes after Jacksonville pulled to 31-24 and got the ball back on Donovin Darius' interception with 2:24 to go. However, Darius blundered trying to run the ball out of the end zone, and the Jaguars started their final drive on the 1. They only moved the ball 7 yards before giving it up on downs. "Brunell is a dangerous quarterback," Mawae said. "He brought them back in the game and we turned the ball over when we should not have, and we made it harder than it should have been. But they played good defense against us and their offense is incredible." The Jets face an even more formidable offense next Sunday in Denver, where the Broncos will play host to the conference title game. "We know by no means we can take the same type of game that we had in the latter part of today and still come out victorious against Denver," linebacker Pepper Johnson said.
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