Roughly one year ago…

It was a rainy Monday night.  The Jets had something to prove, smack talk from Hard Knocks to back up, and a worthy Baltimore Ravens opponent.  It was time to show the world that they hadn’t got lucky in 2009.

The Jets had six first downs that game.  They were 1 of 11 on third down and racked up 14 penalties.  Mark Sanchez passed for 74 yards.  Ultimately, the Jets lost 10-9 and it was very, very ugly.

This year, it needs to be different.  The Dallas Cowboys, though better than their 6-10 record from last year suggests, are not the Ravens.  The Jets are clearly the superior team this time.  Last year, the Jets were able to erase the pain of their Week One loss quickly by beating the Patriots the following week.  If the Jets lose to the Cowboys though, beating a poor Jaguars team the next Sunday won’t exactly be too redeeming.

The Jets under Rex Ryan excel on the road, having gone 11-5 over two years in the regular season, and winning four road playoff games.  At home though, they’re 9-7.  If the Jets want home-field advantage in the playoffs, they’re going to have to make home-field, well, an advantage.  And that starts Sunday night.