Jets dominate to lead Bengals 27-0 at halftime

Jets lead Bengals 27-0 at halftime

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Mark Sanchez and the New York Jets moved closer to making the playoffs, dominating the Cincinnati Bengals for a 27-0 halftime lead Sunday night.

On an Arctic night in what likely is the final game at Giants Stadium, the Jets displayed their league-leading ground game and top-ranked defense against the AFC North champions. A victory would give New York a 9-7 record, a wild-card spot and a rematch with the Bengals in Cincinnati next weekend.

The Jets got into this position by beating Indianapolis last week when the Colts rested Peyton Manning and many other starters in the second half. The Bengals, who would get the No. 3 seed in the AFC with a win, played their healthy first-stringers throughout the opening half.

It didn’t help much. In the opening quarter, the Jets ran 24 plays and the Bengals had three, and Cincinnati was outgained 138 yards to 1 in the first quarter. By halftime, it was 250 yards for New York, including 190 on the ground, to 7. The Jets ran 46 plays to 15 for the Bengals. New York had the ball for 24:50, Cincinnati for a measly 5:10.

Wide receiver Brad Smith gained 91 yards on rushes off direct snaps. He set up Thomas Jones’ 1-yard TD dive in the first period with a 57-yard scamper that was the four-year veteran’s longest run. Then he scored on a 32-yard run in the second quarter, bursting through the right side.

Jerricho Cotchery took a screen pass and covered 6 yards for the TD that made it 24-0 with 37 seconds to go in the half. Carson Palmer’s pass on the next play from scrimmage was intercepted by Dwight Lowery. He ran it back 34 yards before Palmer pushed him out of bounds.

Palmer finished the half 1 for 11 for 0 yards and the interception.

Jay Feely, who earlier had a 20-yard field goal, made a 39-yarder to end the half.

New York scored on its first series, heading into the stiff wind. Jones ran three times before, on third-and-7 from the Jets 42, Smith took a direct snap and burst through the line. Smith wasn’t caught until the Cincinnati 1.

Jones plunged in on the next play, tying his club mark for touchdowns rushing with his 13th.

The Bengals went three-and-out. So the Jets went right back to work on the ground, prompting more chants of J-E-T-S from the sellout crowd that braved the frigid elements.

Mixing runs by rookie Shonn Greene and Jones, they covered 75 yards in 17 plays, converting five third downs before the quarter ended at the Bengals 1.

Feely kicked his first field goal early in the second quarter to make it 10-0.

Cincinnati’s only first down in the opening 30 minutes came on an illegal contact penalty.