Jets maul Rams behind jones' rushing onslaught

The New York Jets set a team record for largest margin on victory on Sunday as they demolished the St. Louis Rams 47-3 behind a 149 yard rushing effort from Thomas Jones.  As ugly as the final score was, it could have been much worse had the Jets not been feeling merciful:  New York led 40-0 at halftime after scoring on their first seven possessions and basically ran out the clock in the second half.

In addition to Jones’ 149 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries, Brett Favre threw for 167 yards and 1 touchdown while not being intercepted in just over three quarters of play.  He was pulled early in the final quarter, replaced by backup Kelvin Clemens.  The interception-free day represented the first time this season that Favre hasn’t thrown at least one pick during a game.

The Jets have little time to celebrate their methodical dismantling of the Rams, as they head to New England on Thursday night for a big matchup with the Patriots.  Coach Eric Mangini sounded ready to turn the page and think about the Jets’ next challenge:

"I've only had about 5 minutes to really think about it. It's New England. It's a tough game, a conference opponent and it's always a tough environment up there."

Jets fullback Tony Richardson further put the matchup with the Patriots into perspective:

“They've been the nemesis for the whole league, not just this franchise.”

While his coach and teammates looked forward to the battle with New England, Brett Favre took a moment to enjoy the Jets’ big win:

“It's awesome to be in a game like that. It definitely feels good to be at this point right now. A game like this does a lot for you, but I don't think this team will be overconfident."

Rams interim coach Jim Haslett was given the ignominious task of explaining his team’s performance.  In a game where they did little right, he wisely opted for brevity rather than specifics:

"It was embarrassing. That was bad football all the way around. I can't even describe it."

The Jets moved to 6-3 heading into the big Thursday game against New England.  After that they’ll have ten days off before facing another tough opponent as they head to Tennessee for a game against the Titans on 11/23.  They’ll return home to face the Denver Broncos on the following Sunday.  St. Louis dropped to 2-7 and will have an opportunity to bounce back against a team in as desperate straits as they are when they head to California next Sunday to play the 2-6 San Francisco 49ers.  They’ll return home for games the following two Sundays against the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins.