Jets Pennington challenges himself
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) – Chad Pennington goes into the toughest stretch of the season after one of the worst performances of his career. The Jets quarterback was off during the entire 17-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, throwing three interceptions while missing receivers with passes thrown too long or too short.
His right shoulder is still sore after missing three games with a strained right rotator cuff, and the pain is not expected to ease for the remainder of the season. Offseason surgery is a possibility.
But Pennington expects more of himself than what he showed, so it should come as no surprise he considers the final three games of the regular-season one of the biggest challenges of his career.
The Jets (9-4) play three contenders, starting Sunday against NFC West-leading Seattle (7-6), also fighting for a playoff spot. The contest is crucial for both teams. New York wants to keep its lead in the AFC wild-card race over Denver and Baltimore, while the Seahawks want to stay ahead of St. Louis atop their division.
“I want to help push this team into the playoffs,” Pennington said. “I just don’t want to limp into the playoffs. We’re right there on the edge. I don’t want to be close. I don’t want to be a 9-7 or 10-6 team sitting at home. I want to be a 12-4 team looking good, looking forward to the playoffs.”
That might be tough. Division rival New England (12-1) comes next, then St. Louis. For the Jets to have any chance at clinching a playoff spot, they need Pennington to be at his best, even though he will not be completely healthy.
So far this season, Pennington is 0-for-2 against the elite of the AFC. In both games, he made mistakes that cost his team. In a 13-7 loss to New England earlier this year, the Jets were driving when Pennington threw into double-coverage on fourth down from the Patriots 30.
The pass for Wayne Chrebet was poorly thrown and went incomplete. Against the Steelers, Pennington tossed three interceptions and had a quarterback rating of 33.6. Pennington said his shoulder was a non-factor in the game, and was more upset with his decision making.
“I feel I’m making throws,” Pennington said. “I even surprise myself with some of the throws I’ve been making. My whole game is decision making. I can’t have games like Sunday where I didn’t make good decisions.”
Especially against winning teams, when the Jets need to score plenty of points. The Seahawks have 66 points in their last two games, while the Jets have scored 35. Seattle goes into the game off a 27-23 win over Minnesota, taking a one-game lead over St. Louis in the NFC West.
The Seahawks finish with Arizona and Atlanta.
“We’ve had a bunch of now-or-never situations this year,” quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said. “I’ve heard the term this is a must-win game all year. It’s been an unusual year. There’s been some tremendous highs and tremendous lows. Right now, we’re first in our division, and we’re just going to try and keep it rolling and see what happens.”
Seattle will be without defensive end Grant Wistrom, out for the rest of the regular season with an injured left knee ligament, and defensive tackle Marcus Tubbs, out with a sprained ankle.
Linebackers Chad Brown and Tracy White are expected to return, and receiver Darrell Jackson will play after missing practice all week to be with his family following the death of his father. The Seahawks hope to keep their momentum going after beating the Vikings.
“We are trying to put ourselves in positions where we can go make the plays to win games now,” running back Shaun Alexander said. “I think we’re just about ready to make a big push.”
So is Pennington. It could be argued that Pennington has had only a good half-season in his five-year career: 2002. Pennington came in and rescued the Jets, winning one game after another to take them to the playoffs. He beat Indianapolis 41-0 in the first round before a horrific game in a 30-10 loss to the Raiders.
Pennington was injured for the first half of last season and by the time he returned the Jets were not really involved in any big games. Perhaps that is why this final stretch is so important.
“He’s the quarterback, he’s going to say that because he’s part of the leaders of this football team,” Jets coach Herman Edwards said. “We need everybody to step up and play better than we did last week.”