SAINTS SHUT DOWN JETS TO REMAIN UNDEFEATED

After leading the New York Jets to an undefeated 3-0 start, rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez finally looked the part of a first year NFL quarterback.  Sanchez threw for 138 yards and no touchdowns, while dishing up three interceptions as the New Orleans Saints remained undefeated by beating the Jets 24-10.  Darren Sharper returned one of Sanchez’s interceptions 99 yards the other way for a touchdown, and Will Harper forced another defensive touchdown as he recovered a fumble in the end zone.  The Saints improved to 4-0 while the Jets dropped to 3-1.

NFL football betting enthusiasts who backed the Saints as -7’ home favorites were rewarded with an easy pointspread cover.  The Saints are now a perfect 4-0 against the spread this season, while the Jets lost to the money for the first time in the 2009 NFL campaign.  The Saints have now won and covered four of the last five meetings against the Jets.  The 34 points scored went UNDER the posted total of 47.  New York has now gone UNDER in three of four games this season, while the Saints evened their O/U record at 2-2.  Five of the last six head to head meetings in the series have gone UNDER the total.

The Jets did an effective job on defense, keeping the Saints high powered offense off the board until midway through the fourth quarter.  They also held quarterback Drew Brees in check, limiting the NFL’s most potent passer to 190 yards and no touchdowns.  The relatively quiet day for the Saints’ offense was more than negated by the defensive effort that shut down the Jets and produced two touchdowns.   Pierre Thomas finally got the Saints’ offense on the board with a touchdown run from one yard out.
 
For the Saints, however, the important thing was getting the victory.  New Orleans has started the NFL season 4-0 for the first time since 1993.  While their ability to score points was a given heading into the year—the team ranked #1 in the league heading into the game—the emergence of the defense has been a pleasant surprise and has been given credit for the team’s undefeated start to the season.  They’ve really stepped up big in the past two weeks, holding the Saints’ last two foes to a combined 17 points.
 
New Orleans will take next weekend off and return to action on October 18th as they host arguably the best team in the league at this point, the New York Giants.  They’ll then take to the road, heading to south Florida for a game against the Miami Dolphins.  The Jets will play the Dolphins in Miami next Monday night before returning home the following Sunday for a game against the Buffalo Bills.  They’ll be back to their traveling ways the following week, making the big cross country trip for a game against the Oakland Raiders on October 25th.