Jets squeak by Cowboys

The Jets tried to force-feed second-round pick Devin Smith, but he was plagued by injuries and had trouble getting on the same page with Fitzpatrick.

Matt Cassel admits he’s destined to be on National Football League blooper reels forever after a 19-16 loss to the Jets in which the only thing he efficiently passed was … the torch … to fairy-tale QB candidate Kellen Moore.

“I’ve been 6-feet, 200 pounds for a long time, ” said Moore, who was 50-3 as a starter at Boise State but may be exaggerating those other numbers. I just straightened it out and it felt good.

No more maybe for the Dallas Cowboys. In Cover 2, corners actually get a little lazy sometimes. “We didn’t blow the game like we did in Buffalo”. Of course, a cynic might suggest there are still two opportunities for the players to do so, still more opportunities for the media to clam that somebody’s coaching head should roll (which head doesn’t matter, just cut one off!!), still additional chances for more bloopers and oopsies and FUBARs.

On Saturday night, they had two who stepped to the forefront in the crucial fourth quarter.

Eric Decker was the first to give the Jets a scare, going down in an awkward fashion and twisting his left knee. On the drive, Fitzpatrick connected on throws of 14 yards (to Brandon Marshall), 13 yards (Decker), 20 yards (Marshall) and 24 yards (Quincy Enunwa). He is now known for making one of the most important catches in the Jets’ season.

The Jets signed Thompkins, a third-year pro, to their practice squad in early October, shortly after the Patriots cut him from their squad.

Thompkins’ grab gave the Jets the field position they needed to regain the lead. Leading up to the game against the New York Jets on Saturday team vice president Stephen Jones said he too was interested in seeing Moore play. Powell accumulated 79 yards from scrimmage, upping his output to 269 yards over the last three games. You can be forgiven for having forgotten him. “But when we had to have it, at the end there, I thought our guys stepped up”.

“Kind of had tough sledding for a while”, Fitzpatrick said. I’m so proud of him. This team is pretty much the same team that went 12-4 in the regular season last year, and one that without a ridiculous rule that still needs work, would have been in the NFC Championship Game against Seattle last year. The Jets’ playoff fate is tied to the fortunes of the Chiefs, Steelers and Broncos, but there’s a vibe right now that they’ll handle all that’s under their control with two games left.

The Jets’ feel-good December has been far from flawless. “He’s been doing it all year, and he did it again”. It was a disgusting pass. … He made a great catch.

Moore, 26, didn’t exactly have a sterling debut, tossing three interceptions and completing 60 percent of his passes for 158 yards and a touchdown.

If they’re being honest with themselves, they know they did not behave like a playoff team until – to their credit – the fourth quarter. It may just be one play.