The New England patriots beat the New York Jets 29-26 in a thriller. The game was perfectly balanced and both the teams had equal chances to win, but it just proved to be Patriots' day.
The game, it seemed was drifting away from the Patriots before their defensive end, Rob Ninkovich, knocked the ball out of quarterback Mark Sanchez's hand to recover the fumble in overtime.
The Patriots have been part of some nerve-wracking games this season. Sunday's game was the fourth when the outcome was decided in the dying moments of the game.
Ninkovich said: "The whole time I'm thinking, 'Hey, this can't happen again.' We've just got to fight all four quarters, hold them to a field goal at the end. In overtime we said, 'Hey, it's overtime. We know we're going to get a chance, so let's go out there and finish this game.'"
The day began with all four teams tied at 3-3. The Patriots (4-3) now top their division.
Bill Belichick, the Patriots' head coach said: "There's a lot of football left to be played. I don't think anybody clinched anything today."
Stephen Gostkowski made a vital contribution for the Patriots in overtime when he scored a 48-yard field goal on their first possession. Had the Jets played sensibly, the game would not have reached overtime, however.
Rex Ryan, the Jets coach said: "We made too many mistakes but we had our opportunities. It just stinks being on this end of it."
When trailing 23-20 with just over two minutes left, Sanchez threw an impressive pass to Stephen Hill. Unfortunately for the Jets, Hill dropped it and they settled for a tying field goal of 43 yards.
"I think he was trying to make a big play," Ryan said. "You've got to catch the ball first then worry about making the run."
Vince Wilfork, the Patriots' defensive tackle said: "In overtime, Bill came to us and said we're going to need the rush. We all understood that we had to get after it."
The patriots had lost many close matches in recent times. They were on the verge of winning several times but let their opponents snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. This time around they were determined not to repeat the same mistakes."It comes down to a few plays," quarterback Tom Brady said. "We had opportunities last week (at Seattle). We had opportunities against Baltimore. We had opportunities against the Cardinals, and when you make the plays you win the game."
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