NFL – New York Jets defeat the Indianapolis Colts with last minute field goal

The Jets and the Colts have had a great season. At 11-5 for the season the Jets managed to get their act together and with a little luck were able to defeat Peyton Manning and the Colts at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Let’s give credit to Manning and Co. because it really has to be a painful experience to lose a playoffs game by a last-second field goal. And it must be really nerve breaking for Manning to have left the field with a winning margin and only 53 seconds left in the clock for the Jets to put in together a play.

Peyton Manning was a vital part of the team that was able to link 4 wins late in the season to secure their wild card berth by winning the AFC South with a 10-6 record. Manning worked his magic on the field completing 18 of 26 attempts for 228 yards and 1 touchdown with no interceptions. Actually, Manning move the Indianapolis Colts into position to hold off the Jets and take a 16-14 win.

Manning had arguably the best clutch kicker in the NFL history -Adam Vinatieri- by his side. He left his star kicker in position to win the game with the eight-play 48-yard drive that finished with Vinatieri’s 50-yard field goal. If you see the tape, you would realize that Adam could have kicked the ball from 60 yards away and it would still have been a clean goal.

By now, the 4-time league MVP should now that 53 seconds is too much time for an offense like the Jets. And the Jets made Manning pay for his only mistake of the game. Most fans in the Lucas Field Stadium were not expecting much from the Jets after Vinatieri seemed for a moment to have broken down the Jets’ spirit.  And yet Mark Sanchez and his men had enough left in their legs to put on one heck of a play.

First Antonio Cromartie returned the following kickoff 47 yards. From there on Mark Sanchez needed only 5 plays to get the New York Jets in position for the winning field goal. When the Colts called timeout with 29 seconds left and the ball at the Indianapolis 32 it really seemed that the game would be played until the last minute. But then the magic happened: Sanchez connected with a high pass to Braylon Edwards for an 18-yard completion into the Colts 14.

Then it was all in the hands, actually in the feet, of the Jets’ starting kicker Nick Folk. From 32-yards away Folk completed a beautifully executed field goal as the game ran out of time. That was just enough to give the Jets their well-deserve payback from last seasons’ playoffs as the team took a 17-16 win on the road over the Indianapolis Colts.

The New York Jets will now face no other than Tom Brady and the New England Patriots on Sunday. Head coach Rex Ryan will try to keep up the momentum as they face the Pats. This would be the third match-up of the season between both teams. The season games had gone one a piece, but it is hard to forget that on December 6 the Patriots manhandled the Jets by 45-3 at New England. This will make up for an interesting matchup for this weekend.

NBA – Boston Celtics in last minute win over the New York Knicks

by Stephen Lars on Dec.17, 2010, under Basketball, Sports News

One can’t help but to get excited when basketball games are decided right in the las few seconds of a game. All the stamina, all the precision and the play-making that goes on and off the court create an atmosphere that is not only thrilling but nerve-breaking. Very few sports offer that sensation, that certainty that it all can change in a matter of seconds, that the battle can be fought down to the last second, heck, down to the last fraction of a second.

That’s exactly what happened when the Boston Celtics went on to play in the Madison Square Garden in New York. They where facing no other then the New York Knicks, a team that has been seriously fighting its way back into prominence. With less then a second to go, Amare Stoudemire, received a pass and aimed for the three-pointer.

The shot was perfectly aimed, and it went straight into the basket. The Garden was filled with Knicks’ fans screaming and celebrating a the top of their longs, the Knicks went on to celebrate on their corner. It was a great shot. But it was clearly out of time. Everyone was celebrating for what could have been a 119-118 win by the Knicks to put an end to the 10 consecutive game win streak that the Celtics had fabricated. But it was the story that could almost have been.

The Celtics on the other hand were brilliant. That team has been able to keep on collecting wins despite not having either Shaquille O’Neal or Jermaine O’Neal on their team due to injury. But even without the big guys, the Big Three have been taking over. Pierced scored 32 points for the Celtics as the Celtics gave on a great fight in this 118-116 come from behind win, to now hold an impressive 20-4 record; the best record in the Eastern Conference.

NFL – New York Jets take last minute win over the Miami Dolphins

The New York Jets second year quarterback, Mark Sanchez is finding his way into the top of the league. This is his second game in a row with 3 touchdown passes and if he can keep up his numbers, he might be able to lead the Jets into the postseason.

As of press time, the Jets are in a three-way tie for the AFC East with the Dolphins and the Patriots with a 2-1 record each.  At the beginning of the season, the sports commentators had talked about the very rough calendar that the Jets would have to face in their first three weeks. Well, they have come out with a 2-1 record and a very important 31-23 win over the Dolphins on Sunday.

Now considering that earlier this week Braylon Edwards was stopped for driving under the influence, it wouldn’t be too much of an exaggeration to say that he really came a long way and proved that he is deserved a little slack. Anyhow, regardless where you stand in regards to his irresponsibility, he had one heck of a game against the Miami Dolphins.

He began the game in somewhat of a temporarily disfavor, but he sure enough had his stuff together and began to shine on his own. Braylon Edwards opened the game with a 67 yard run for touchdown after a beautiful pass from Mark Sanchez.

He would then, towards the end of the game, secure a second big catch in the game. The Jets where on their third try and still had 10 more yards to go. There was little over two minutes left on the game. The Jets had to find a way to score and then defend their advantage to the end. And then he completed a 20 yarder to keep alive the touchdown drive that made it 31-23 for the Jets, after a 1 yard run by LaDainian Tomlinson.

Now, Sanchez is out there. Is he as good as they say? Well, maybe. He is still young, but he could turn into one of those few big names. So far, he has recorded 5 straight regular season games without an interception, and those three touchdown-passes in a two game streak could keep on going. His team needs him to bring on the best  he’s got.

The Jets have the offensive prowess to be among the best in their conference. What is a bit uncertain is how their defense can stand up to bigger, faster teams. If the Jets secondary can get their act together like they did in this game, there are fairly good chances that they are going to keep on with their winning streak.

The Jets will hit the road once again and face the Buffalo Bills. As of press time, the Jets are a -5 point favorite on the spread. The total for wagering  on the over under has been set at 37. Keep an eye-out for any significant changes on this NFL betting line during the week.

The Miami Dolphins are in need of a revamp, and their next game against the Miami Dolphins is a key game. It’s going to be the Monday night game, and if things stay as expected it is going to be a close one. As of press time, the Patriots are the favorite by -1 point on the spread. It should be one very interesting game.