2006 New York Jets season The 2006 New York Jets season began with the team trying to improve on their 4 – 12 record in 2005 . The season marked the first for rookie head coach Eric Mangini , who replaced Herman Edwards after the latter left the Jets to coach the Kansas City Chiefs . Although expectations were low for the team , the Jets managed to go 10 – 6 , including winning five of their final six games , and clinched the fifth seed in the playoffs . They fell in the wild card round to the division rival New England Patriots by a score of 37 – 16 . Offseason . Coaching changes . Head coach Herman Edwards left the Jets on January 8 , when he was announced as the successor to coach Dick Vermeil for the Kansas City Chiefs , despite Edwards ' insistence during the season that he would finish the remainder of his contract with the Jets . The Jets received a fourth - round pick in the 2006 NFL Draft from the Chiefs for the right to negotiate with Edwards , which was roundly criticized as unsubstantial for the loss of a head coach . On January 17 , the Jets announced that New England Patriots defensive coordinator Eric Mangini had been signed as head coach . Mangini became the youngest head coach in the NFL , turning 35 on January 19 . Mangini ' s first order of business was to reorganize the coaching staff . Offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger and defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson were both released from the Jets staff . Special Teams Coordinator Mike Westoff was retained . A full staff was announced on February 20 . Linebackers coach Bob Sutton was named defensive coordinator and the team signed Jim Herrmann to replace Sutton as the linebackers coach . Herrmann was the defensive coordinator at the University of Michigan for twenty years before arriving in New York . General Manager Terry Bradway announced that he was stepping down as Jets GM on February 7 . Assistant GM Mike Tannenbaum was named the new GM on the same day . Bradway continues to be employed by the Jets organization as a scouting consultant . Player transactions . The Jets moved quickly to get under the salary cap as they were over by $ 25 million . On February 22 , tackle Jason Fabini , quarterback Jay Fiedler , linebacker Barry Gardner , defensive tackle Lance Legree , fullback Jerald Sowell and wide receiver Harry Williams were placed on waivers . The team chose not to tender an offer to Mark Brown . Cornerback Ty Law also parted ways with the Jets , as the organization decided not to exercise the contract option to extend his contract through 2008 . Running back Curtis Martin agreed to an undisclosed restructured contract . Pro Bowl Center Kevin Mawae was released on March 5 . Mawae disagreed with the assertion that his release was for salary cap reasons , as his cut would only be a savings of $ 1 . 1 million , and felt that it was simply a change in direction for the team . The Jets also restructured the contract of quarterback Chad Pennington . Pennington ' s contract was cut from a base salary of $ 6 million to $ 3 million . Pennington will be able to make back the $ 3 million through incentives . He also had to forfeit his $ 3 million roster bonus that was due at the start of free agency . John Abraham was designated the team ' s franchise player . He would later be traded to the Atlanta Falcons involving a 3 - way trade between the Jets , Falcons , and the Denver Broncos . The Falcons traded their first - round draft pick ( # 15 ) to the Broncos for the Broncos first ( # 29 ) , third ( # 93 ) and 2008 fourth - round pick . The Falcons traded the # 29 overall pick to the Jets in exchange for Abraham . Patrick Ramsey was traded to the Jets on March 17 for their sixth - round draft pick . Tight end Chris Baker , who became an unrestricted free agent in the offseason , re - signed with the Jets , his hometown team , on March 24 . Andre Dyson was signed by the Jets on March 29 for a five - year , $ 11 . 5 million deal , including $ 3 million in signing and roster bonuses . Other notable signings include linebackers Matt Chatham , a former New England Patriot , ex - Tennessee Titan Brad Kassell , ex - Pittsburgh Steeler defensive end Kimo von Oelhoffen , another ex - Patriot wide receiver , Tim Dwight , ex - Denver Bronco defensive tackle Monsanto Pope , ex - Buffalo Bill center Trey Teague , and ex - Arizona Cardinal Offensive Tackle Anthony Clement . The club also signed former longtime Jets Victor Green and Richie Anderson . Both intend to retire in a Jets uniform . Kevan Barlow was acquired from the San Francisco 49ers for an undisclosed draft pick in the 2007 NFL Draft , after the Jets ' trade of defensive back Derrick Strait to the Cleveland Browns for running back Lee Suggs on August 14 fell through because Suggs failed his physical . On the eve of the Jets pre - season finale , they sent quarterback Brooks Bollinger to the Minnesota Vikings for C . J . Mosley . Backup tight end Doug Jolley was also traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for an undisclosed draft pick . The team also picked up Cowboys tight end Sean Ryan for an undisclosed draft pick and claimed former Texas standout Sloan Thomas from the Titans . 2006 NFL Draft . As a result of their 4 – 12 2005 record , the Jets were granted the fourth pick in the first round of the NFL Draft , which was held on April 29 and April 30 . When the Houston Texans announced they would take defensive end Mario Williams of North Carolina State instead of Heisman Trophy - winning running back Reggie Bush of USC , some observers felt the Jets should trade up to the second pick and draft him . However , it appeared that making such a trade would have been too prohibitive for the team , and Bush would be drafted second by the New Orleans Saints . Instead , the Jets decided to focus on their offensive line with the draft and took offensive tackle D ' Brickashaw Ferguson from Virginia . With their other first - round pick , they took center Nick Mangold of Ohio State . Regular season . Week 1 : at Tennessee Titans . Game Summary . After the teams traded punts on the first four possessions of the game , Pennington led the Jets on a 9 - play , 76 - yard drive , aided by a pass - interference call on Titans linebacker Peter Sirmon that negated an interception by defensive back Reynaldo Hill , capped off by a 1 - yard touchdown run from Kevan Barlow . After another Titans punt , Tennessee head coach Jeff Fisher grew impatient with starting quarterback Kerry Collins , pulling him in favor of rookie quarterback Vince Young . Young drove the Titans to the Jets ' 32 - yard line , but underthrew receiver David Givens on the next play , and Andre Dyson intercepted . Pennington drove the Jets into the Titans ' red zone , completing a 10 - yard pass to Sean Ryan , but Ryan was hit hard by Keith Bulluck and fumbled , with Tennessee recovering . However , two plays later , the Jets would get the ball right back , as Collins , inserted back into the game , was intercepted by Dyson , his second of the quarter . Setting up shop at the Titans ' 36 - yard line , the Jets would capitalize , as Pennington threw an 8 - yard touchdown pass to Jerricho Cotchery with 18 seconds left in the first half , but kicker Mike Nugent shanked the extra - point attempt wide right to leave the Jets with a 13 – 0 halftime lead . Tennessee ' s woes in the passing game continued as soon as the second half started , with Collins getting intercepted again , this time by Kerry Rhodes , who returned the ball 25 yards to the Tennessee 22 . Nugent nailed an 18 - yard field goal as the drive stalled at the one - yard line . On the Jets ' next possession , Pennington drove to the red zone again , but Nugent missed a 34 - yard field goal attempt wide right . On the Jets ' next possession , Pennington appeared to find Cotchery on a 2 - yard touchdown pass , but the touchdown was nullified by a holding penalty on D ' Brickashaw Ferguson . When the drive stalled , Nugent missed another field goal , hitting the right upright from 30 yards out . Tennessee finally capitalized , with Travis Henry scoring on a 3 - yard touchdown run with 10 : 48 left in the game . Tennessee went for two , and brought in Young . Young ' s pass intended for Bobby Wade was incomplete , but Jets defensive back Derrick Strait was flagged for pass interference , giving the Titans second life . They would take advantage , with Collins handing off to Henry for the conversion . After a trade of punts , the Jets took over on their own 11 with 7 : 28 to go . On third down , Pennington was sacked by Cortland Finnegan , and Tennessee ' s Randy Starks recovered at New York ' s 1 - yard line . Tennessee went for two and converted , with Collins finding Drew Bennett open , and the game was tied , 16 – 16 . The Jets came right back , first with Justin Miller returning the ensuing kickoff 41 yards , and then Pennington steadily driving downfield , finding Baker on the 12 - yard touchdown pass to cap a 7 - play , 57 - yard drive . The Jets had to hold on because on the next possession , Collins found Bennett on a 26 - yard completion moving the ball to midfield , and he then completed long passes to Ben Troupe and Wade to move the ball to the Jets ' 12 - yard line with 1 : 11 to play . The Jets locked down , and on 4th - and - 6 from the Jets ' 8 - yard line , Collins ' pass for Bo Scaife was knocked away by Rhodes , ending the game . Scoring Summary . 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Week 2 : vs . New England Patriots . In the week leading up to the matchup of 1 – 0 teams , bad blood brewed between the two teams when the Patriots filed tampering charges against the Jets for former wide receiver Deion Branch . The Patriots stated that while the Jets had permission to negotiate a contract with Branch , any trade talks were to be solely between the teams . They claimed that because Branch and his representatives had knowledge of what was being offered in a trade , the Patriots ' negotiating position was compromised . Game Summary . After both teams punted on their first possessions , Patriots quarterback Tom Brady led the Patriots on an 11 - play , 82 - yard drive , capped by Corey Dillon ' s 1 - yard touchdown run . Following another Jets punt , Brady led New England on an 87 - yard drive capped by rookie kicker Stephen Gostkowski ' s 20 - yard field goal and a 10 – 0 lead . The game turned when Jets punter Ben Graham shanked a 10 - yard punt booting from his own 40 , giving Brady and the Patriots the ball at midfield with 1 : 01 to go in the half . Aided by big completions to Troy Brown ( 14 yards ) and Benjamin Watson ( 23 yards ) , with 20 seconds to play , Brady found Chad Jackson on a 13 - yard touchdown pass that appeared to break the Jets ' backs . On the Jets ' first drive of the second half , they were faced with a 4th - and - 1 from their own 46 - yard line . Coach Eric Mangini risked going for it , but running back Kevan Barlow was stopped at the line for no gain . Aided by two costly Jets penalties , a pass - interference call on Victor Hobson and a defensive holding call on Erik Coleman , New England drove to the Jets ' 1 - yard line , where rookie running back Laurence Maroney punched the ball in for a 24 – 0 Patriots lead . But , the dormant Jets offense finally woke up . On a 3rd - and - 13 from their own 29 - yard line , Chad Pennington completed a deep pass downfield to Jerricho Cotchery , who had to backpedal and leap for the ball as Pennington scrambled out of the pocket . He was hit hard by the Patriots ' Chad Scott , and fell on top of the Patriots ' Eugene Wilson . Hearing no whistle , he sprang up and ran untouched to the end zone . New England ' s challenge of the touchdown was upheld , as only Cotchery ' s hand hit the ground . Fired up by the miracle touchdown , Brady was intercepted by David Barrett , and on the ensuing possession , Pennington found Laveranues Coles on a slant pattern across the middle . Coles juked , causing Eugene Wilson to slip , and then outran the Patriots to the end zone to make it a 24 – 14 game with 50 seconds left in the third quarter . The Jets ' rejuvenated defense caused Brady to fumble on New England ' s next possession , with Kerry Rhodes sacking and Bryan Thomas recovering at the Patriots ' 49 - yard line . The Jets converted the opportunity into a 42 - yard field goal from Mike Nugent , and suddenly , the Jets only trailed by a touchdown . But when New England got the ball back with 9 : 14 to go on their own 30 , they steadily wore the Jets down . Brady converted three third downs as the Patriots drove to the Jets ' 12 - yard line with 1 : 11 to go , and a chip - shot field goal away from icing the game . But kicker Gostkowski was blocked by Jonathan Vilma , who returned the ball to the Jets ' 9 - yard line . With no timeouts and 1 : 05 to go , the Jets moved the ball to their own 45 - yard line , but Pennington ' s heave with 15 seconds left was tipped and intercepted by Tedy Bruschi to effectively end the game . Scoring Summary . 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Week 3 : at Buffalo Bills . Game Summary . On Buffalo ' s first play , J . P . Losman found Peerless Price for an 18 - yard completion . They finished their next play with a bang , as Losman found Roscoe Parrish for a short completion , who then juked past a defender and sprinted into the end zone for a 7 – 0 Bills lead just 55 seconds into the game . After a Jets punt , Buffalo moved the ball to the Jets ' 35 - yard line , but on a fake field goal , holder Brian Moorman threw an incomplete pass . After another Jets punt , Buffalo moved the ball to the Jets ' 19 - yard line , but Losman was sacked by Kerry Rhodes , and Jonathan Vilma scooped up the loose ball . On Buffalo ' s next possession , following another Jets punt , Buffalo gambled and went for it on 4th - and - 3 from the Jets ' 28 - yard line , but Losman ' s pass to Josh Reed only picked up two yards . The Jets capitalized , with rookie running back Leon Washington turning a short pass into a 46 - yard gain to the Buffalo 3 - yard line , where Kevan Barlow ran it in to tie the game , 7 – 7 . But Buffalo came right back , using a 32 - yard run by Willis McGahee to move into Jets territory , and Rian Lindell booted a 36 - yard field goal . Following a trade of punts , the Jets took over at their own 33 with 2 : 43 left in the first half . Operating out of a no - huddle offense , Pennington quickly drove the Jets downfield , finding Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery for big completions of 10 + yards before Pennington found Chris Baker open on a 1 - yard touchdown pass with 14 seconds left in the half to give the Jets a 14 – 10 halftime lead . Buffalo forced a punt on the Jets ' first possession of the second half , but with the ball on their own 33 - yard line , Losman was sacked by Kerry Rhodes , and Victor Hobson picked it up and raced into the end zone for a 32 - yard fumble return touchdown . It was Rhodes ' second sack that forced a fumble in the game and third in the last two games . Late in the third quarter , Losman turned the ball over again , getting intercepted by David Barrett . But Losman atoned for his mistakes , finding Josh Reed open on a 31 - yard completion to set up a 28 - yard field goal by Lindell with 9 : 17 left in the game . The Jets appeared to put the game away on the next possession , with Cedric Houston scoring his first touchdown of the season on a 5 - yard run with 3 : 26 to play . But Losman rallied Buffalo , finding Peerless Price and Lee Evans on long completions before running the ball into the end zone from 12 yards out on a scramble to cut the Jets ' lead to 28 – 20 . On the ensuing onside kick , Buffalo caught a break , as Lindell ' s onside kick bounced off the elbow of Jets linebacker Matt Chatham , and André Davis recovered . But Buffalo could not get a first down , ending the game . Scoring Summary . 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Week 4 : vs Indianapolis Colts . Game Summary . On the game ' s first possession , Chad Pennington was sacked by Robert Mathis , fumbled , and the Colts ' Josh Thomas recovered . Dominic Rhodes would score on a 6 - yard touchdown run minutes later , an inauspicious start . The teams would trade punts for the rest of the first quarter before Pennington drove the Jets at the beginning of the second quarter , using long completions to Laveranues Coles and Tim Dwight before he found Jerricho Cotchery on a 33 - yard touchdown pass . What happened next stunned the Colts : Mike Nugent tried an onside kick and Kerry Rhodes recovered , sparking the home crowd . The Jets would make that surprise work , as Kevan Barlow scored on a 1 - yard touchdown run with 4 : 44 left in the first half , and the Jets had a 14 – 7 lead . But Peyton Manning rallied the Colts , converting a key third down to Marvin Harrison before Joseph Addai scored on a 2 - yard touchdown run to tie the score going to halftime . Indianapolis punted to open the second half , and the Jets began to drive . Pennington converted three third downs on a drive that took nearly nine minutes off the clock , but it did not end well . Jets coach Eric Mangini tried his second gamble of the game : going for it on 4th - and - goal from the Colts ' 2 - yard line . But Pennington ' s pass was intercepted in the end zone by Rocky Boiman , the first time in his career Pennington was intercepted in the end zone . Boiman ' s interception would set up a fast - and - furious finish as the teams scored 31 points in the fourth quarter . Indianapolis took advantage of Boiman ' s interception and drove to set up Martin Gramatica ' s 20 - yard field goal , as Joseph Addai picked up big yardage on the drive . Using a no - huddle offense , Pennington drove the Jets downfield , and aided by an illegal contact penalty on the Colts ' Mike Doss , scored the go - ahead touchdown as Kevan Barlow scored on a 5 - yard run with 7 : 55 to play . Manning led the Colts right back , and aided by a questionable pass - interference penalty on Justin Miller , found Bryan Fletcher on a 2 - yard touchdown pass with 2 : 40 to play . Miller appeared to be the goat , but on the ensuing kickoff ran the ball back 103 yards for a touchdown that sent Jets fans into hysteria . The Jets led 28 – 24 with 2 : 20 to play . But that would be enough time for Manning , converting a huge third down to Marvin Harrison and a 15 - yard pass to Reggie Wayne going to the Jets ' 1 - yard line . Manning ran the ball up the middle on the next play to give the Colts the lead . With eight seconds to play and the ball on the Jets ' 32 - yard line , Pennington completed a seemingly innocuous pass to Leon Washington . But what followed was an amazing attempt to pull off a miracle . In order , the Jets tried a series of several laterals , going from Washington , to Brad Smith , to Laveranues Coles , to Pennington , to Justin McCareins , back to Smith , who fumbled but recovered . He lateraled back to Coles , who fumbled but recovered . At this point , the Jets were at the Colts ' 40 - yard line . Coles ran down 13 yards and then tossed off to Nick Mangold , who fumbled , but this time , the Colts ' Jason David recovered , ending the game . Scoring Summary . 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 4th Quarter Week 5 : at Jacksonville Jaguars . Game Summary . For the third straight week , the game got off to an ominous start for the Jets , as Chad Pennington was intercepted by Brian Williams on the Jets ' first possession . Byron Leftwich then completed a short pass to Fred Taylor , who turned it into a 32 - yard gain . Two plays later , Maurice Jones - Drew scored on a 6 - yard touchdown run . After forcing a punt , Jacksonville wasted no time tacking onto their lead , with Leftwich completing passes to Reggie Williams and George Wrighster for long gains . Taylor would then score on a 13 - yard touchdown run for a 14 – 0 Jaguars lead . Early in the second quarter , the Jets attempted a punt , but the Jaguars ' Gerald Sensabaugh blocked it , and Jorge Cordova recovered at the Jets ' 8 - yard line . Three plays later , Jones - Drew scored on a 4 - yard touchdown run , surviving a challenge by the Jets . It only snowballed from there , as Pennington was intercepted by Terry Cousin on the next possession , and Leftwich flipped a 1 - yard touchdown pass to Wrighster . Jacksonville would add a Josh Scobee 43 - yard field goal early in the second half , and after Deon Grant intercepted Pennington , Leftwich threw a 16 - yard touchdown pass to Williams for a 38 – 0 lead . The Jets ' lone scoring chance in the second half was stopped when Leon Washington was stuffed on a 4th - and - goal from the Jaguars ' 1 - yard line early in the fourth quarter . The Jets were stopped on fourth down on their next possession when Pennington ' s scramble fell a yard short , and Scobee added a 40 - yard field goal to close the scoring . On the Jets ' final possession , backup rookie quarterback Kellen Clemens made his first appearance under center , but the drive ended badly when he was sacked by Montavious Stanley and Nick Greisen recovered . Scoring Summary . 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Week 6 : vs . Miami Dolphins . Game Summary . The Jets got off to a good start in this game , with Mike Nugent kicking a 33 - yard field goal on the Jets ' first possession , their first points in the first quarter all season . The defense was a force early , a week after being trashed in the 41 – 0 loss to Jacksonville , as Andre Dyson intercepted Miami quarterback Joey Harrington on the next possession . After a punt , the Jets again forced a turnover , as Victor Hobson picked Harrington off . Midway through the second quarter , Miami gambled on a 4th - and - 1 from the Jets ' 29 - yard line , but Ronnie Brown was stopped . The game went to halftime still 3 – 0 Jets . Pennington led the Jets on a long drive to open the second half , capped off by another 33 - yard field goal by Nugent . Miami came right back , driving inside the Jets ' red zone , but the defense held firm , holding Miami to an Olindo Mare 21 - yard field goal . After a good kick return by Justin Miller , Pennington turned a short completion to Laveranues Coles into a 58 - yard touchdown as Coles found an opening and raced to the end zone for a 13 – 3 Jets lead . After Sammy Morris fumbled on the next possession for Miami , Pennington found Coles on a 22 - yard touchdown pass to open up a 17 - point lead with 13 : 23 to play . Miami came right back , however , with Harrington leading the Dolphins quickly downfield on a 12 - play , 81 - yard drive , capped by a 2 - yard touchdown toss to Chris Chambers . After forcing a punt , Harrington again led Miami downfield , using an 11 - play , 74 - yard drive to pull Miami within 20 – 17 , as Ronnie Brown scored on a 1 - yard run . After another punt , Miami took over on their own 11 - yard line with 2 : 18 to play . Harrington used big completions to Randy McMichael and Chambers to move to the Jets ' 32 - yard line with 38 seconds to play , but Mare ' s game - tying 51 - yard attempt was well short , sealing the victory for New York . Scoring Summary . 1st Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Week 7 : vs . Detroit Lions . Game Summary . The Jets quickly drove downfield on their first possession , scoring their first touchdown in the first quarter all season . Chad Pennington found Jerricho Cotchery on a 28 - yard completion and rookie running back Leon Washington picked up 23 yards on a sweep around end before Washington scored on a 5 - yard touchdown run . On the Jets ' next possession , Pennington fired a 44 - yard touchdown pass to Justin McCareins , his first touchdown of the season , to open up a 14 – 0 lead . The Lions would get on the board early in the second quarter as Jon Kitna had big completions to Dan Campbell , Mike Furrey , and Roy Williams , the pass to Williams a 22 - yard touchdown . But on the kickoff , Justin Miller returned the ball 56 yards inside Detroit territory , and after a pass from Pennington to Cotchery , Kevan Barlow scored on a 3 - yard touchdown run . Kitna would get intercepted by Kerry Rhodes on the next possession , but Pennington would then get picked off by Terrence Holt at the Detroit 2 - yard line to short - circuit a possible score . The Jets led 21 – 7 at halftime . Kitna would again get intercepted on the first possession of the second half , this time by Jonathan Vilma . But the drive went nowhere , and Detroit ' s next one , a 12 - play , 83 - yard drive , resulted in a 25 - yard field goal by Jason Hanson . The Jets got that right back , as Pennington converted a couple of third downs during a drive that was capped by Mike Nugent ' s 33 - yard field goal . Down fourteen points , Detroit halved New York ' s lead with Kitna finding Kevin Jones on a 9 - yard touchdown pass on a drive where Kitna converted a critical 4th - and - 11 pass to Mike Furrey . The Jets would come right back , with Washington scoring on a 16 - yard touchdown run on a sweep around end . Detroit would not give up , as Kitna found Furrey on an 18 - yard touchdown pass on a play that survived a Jets challenge . On that drive , Kitna again converted a fourth down to Furrey . But Detroit ' s ensuing onside kick failed , and the Jets ran out the clock . Scoring Summary . 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Week 8 : at Cleveland Browns . Game Summary . The Jets got the ball first and Pennington led the Jets on a 16 - play , 83 - yard drive that took 8 : 30 off the clock before Mike Nugent kicked a 27 - yard field goal . On the Browns ' next possession , Reuben Droughns had two big gains to put the Browns in position for Phil Dawson ' s 47 - yard field goal , knotting the score , 3 – 3 . Pennington was then intercepted by Sean Jones , and Charlie Frye led the Browns on a long drive that was capped by a 2 - yard touchdown run by Droughns . Frye would get intercepted by Eric Smith on the Browns ' next possession , but Nugent missed a 52 - yard field goal wide right , his first missed field goal since Week 1 . However , the Jets would get a break as Dawson missed a chip - shot 26 - yard field goal at the end of the first half . Still , Cleveland led 10 – 3 at halftime . Cleveland got the ball first in the second half , and Droughns continued to move the ball , picking up solid yardage before Frye found Kellen Winslow II open on a 30 - yard touchdown reception . After the teams traded punts , Leon Washington fumbled on the Jets ' 10 - yard line , with Nick Eason forcing and Kamerion Wimbley recovering . Dawson knocked in a 21 - yard field goal to give Cleveland a 20 – 3 lead with 3 : 51 left in the third quarter . The Jets got an immediate lift when Justin Miller returned the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a score , his second return of the year , to cut the lead to ten . After a Browns punt , Pennington drove the Jets into position for Nugent ' s 47 - yard field goal to narrow the deficit to 20 – 13 . But on the Jets ' next possession , Pennington was again intercepted by Jones , but Cleveland was forced to punt . After another trade of punts , the Jets took over on Cleveland ' s 47 - yard line with 1 : 56 to play . On 4th - and - 4 from the Cleveland 24 with 1 : 06 to play , Pennington lofted a pass that Chris Baker leapt for and caught with one hand as he began to land . Just before his foot hit the ground , the Browns ' Brodney Pool levelled Baker , who landed out - of - bounds but still in possession of the ball . The referee ruled that Baker was out - of - bounds , rather than ruling he was forced out , which would have led to a touchdown . Eric Mangini called a timeout in the hopes that the referees would review the play , but since it was a judgement call , it was non - reviewable under NFL rules . Frye took a knee to end the game . Scoring Summary . 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Week 10 : at New England Patriots . Game Summary . On a rainy day in New England , both team ' s defenses held firm early , with the teams trading punts until New England went on a drive that reached one play into the second quarter , when Stephen Gostkowski booted a 31 - yard field goal . On the Jets ' next play from scrimmage , Chad Pennington was intercepted by Artrell Hawkins . Two plays later , Tom Brady found Doug Gabriel open downfield for a long first down , but Victor Hobson forced a fumble and Kerry Rhodes recovered . The Jets followed with a time - consuming 16 - play , 9 : 12 drive , capped off by a two - yard Kevan Barlow touchdown run for a 7 – 3 Jets lead . New England battled downfield , converting a 4th - and - 1 from their own 44 with a run to fullback Heath Evans , and on the first play after the two - minute warning , Brady appeared to be intercepted by Drew Coleman , who ran the ball back 35 yards . But , the play was negated on a controversial roughing - the - passer call on Hobson , who dove at Brady as he was releasing the ball , but drove him into the ground , prompting the flag . The Patriots then converted on a 4th - and - 3 from the Jets ' 24 , but would be forced to settle for a 21 - yard field goal from Gostkowski with four seconds left . Justin Miller ran back the opening kickoff of the second half 62 yards , and the drive ended with Pennington lining up in the shotgun on 4th - and - 5 from the Patriots ' 33 , only to punt the ball to the New England 4 . After a Patriots punt , Pennington led the Jets on another long drive , this one 15 plays and only 45 yards , but it ate 6 : 40 off the clock and resulted in Nugent ' s 34 - yard field goal . Midway through the fourth quarter , Brady was intercepted by Erik Coleman , and Pennington tossed a 22 - yard touchdown pass to Jerricho Cotchery , barely keeping his feet inbounds , although the play was never challenged . The Jets led 17 – 6 with 4 : 51 to go . However , operating out of a no - huddle offense , Brady led the Patriots 61 yards in 31 seconds , capped by a 15 - yard touchdown pass to Reche Caldwell , and Brady found Caldwell again on the two - point conversion to narrow the lead to 17 – 14 . But the next drive was critical , as the Jets forced New England to burn all three timeouts , punting with 1 : 15 to go . New England took over at their own 11 - yard line and moved the ball to the Jets ' 46 - yard line . On the final play of the game , Brady was sacked by Shaun Ellis . Scoring Summary . 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Week 11 : vs . Chicago Bears . Game Summary . The first quarter was all about defense , as the teams traded punts until the Jets got the ball late in the first quarter at their own 24 - yard line . On the drive , Chad Pennington converted key third downs to Brad Smith and Tim Dwight , and was soon faced with a 3rd - and - goal at the Bears ' 6 - yard line . Apparently unable to see an open Laveranues Coles , Pennington lobbed a pass towards Chris Baker that was intercepted by Brian Urlacher . With just under four minutes left in the half , Thomas Jones appeared to fumble and Kerry Rhodes recovered , but Chicago successfully challenged the play , denying the Jets a scoring opportunity . The game was scoreless at halftime . Eric Mangini , apparently remembering the success of his surprise onside kick against Indianapolis in Week 4 , decided to open the second half with one . Unfortunately , this one was scooped up by Chicago ' s Chris Harris . On the Bears ' first play , Jones broke off a 19 - yard run , and Jones rushed every play on the drive that was capped off by a 20 - yard field goal by Robbie Gould . The Jets ' next drive ended when Pennington was intercepted by Nathan Vasher in Chicago territory . The Bears ' game - breaking score came when Rex Grossman completed a short pass to Mark Bradley . The Jets ' Drew Coleman fell down attempting to make the tackle , and Bradley had an open lane to the end zone to extend the Bears ' lead to 10 – 0 . The Bears then went into a ball - control offense , and the Jets could not muster anything . Scoring Summary . 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Week 12 : vs . Houston Texans . Game Summary . The game started out with the teams trading punts , and when Houston attempted a punt from the Jets ' 37 - yard line , punter Chad Stanley fumbled the snap and the Jets had the ball at their own 46 - yard line . A 36 - yard completion from Chad Pennington to Laveranues Coles almost went for naught when Leon Washington fumbled a short pass , but Brad Smith recovered . Mike Nugent booted a 23 - yard field goal to put the Jets on the board . On the Jets ' next drive , Pennington led the Jets into Houston territory , aided by a pass - interference call on DeMarcus Faggins . Nugent kicked a 34 - yard field goal for a 6 – 0 Jets lead . Houston rebounded , with David Carr converting a key third down to Andre Johnson to set up Kris Brown ' s 47 - yard field goal . Pennington completed a long pass to Jerricho Cotchery on the next drive to set up Nugent ' s career - long 54 - yard field goal to give the Jets a 9 – 3 lead . The half ended when Brown came up five yards short on a 59 - yard field goal attempt . On the Jets ' first possession of the second half , following a Houston punt , Pennington completed long passes to Chris Baker and Cotchery before finding Coles on a 12 - yard touchdown pass . On the Jets ' next drive , fans everywhere held their breath when Pennington was drilled by Mario Williams while releasing a pass and was slow to get up . Luckily , he only had the wind knocked out of him . Kerry Rhodes intercepted Carr soon after , and Pennington completed another long pass to Cotchery to set up Cedric Houston ' s 1 - yard touchdown run and a 23 – 3 lead . The Jets ' final score came after a 13 - play drive that ate up 8 : 27 , capped by Nugent ' s 40 - yard field goal , his fourth of the game . Houston closed the scoring when Carr found Johnson in the end zone , and then completed a two - point conversion pass to Wali Lundy . Scoring Summary . 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Week 13 : at Green Bay Packers . Game Summary . The Jets let Green Bay know right away that they would not let the cold affect them , with B . J . Askew prancing along the sidelines in the 19 - degree weather shirtless before the game . Sure enough , on the game ' s opening drive , Pennington drove the Jets downfield , aided by a key third - down completion to Justin McCareins , capped by Mike Nugent ' s 24 - yard field goal . On the next possession , Bryan Thomas sacked Brett Favre , causing a fumble while Dewayne Robertson recovered for the Jets . Out of a no - huddle offense , Pennington quickly engineered a scoring drive , a 12 - yard touchdown pass to Jerricho Cotchery . After a Packers punt , Pennington found Chris Baker and Cotchery on long completions to set up Cedric Houston ' s 3 - yard touchdown run for a 17 – 0 Jets lead . Dave Rayner would miss a 40 - yard field goal wide right for Green Bay , and the Jets drove to another score , this time a 1 - yard touchdown run by Houston . Favre would then get intercepted by Andre Dyson , and the Jets would get fortunate on the next drive , surviving a Laveranues Coles fumble that Cotchery recovered , and Baker had a couple of key grabs on the drive , including a 1 - yard touchdown catch with 13 seconds to play in the half for a dominating 31 – 0 lead . Out of the gate in the second half , Green Bay resorted to a rushing game , and the first drive worked , with Rayner kicking a 34 - yard field goal . Pennington then got intercepted by Charles Woodson . Green Bay could not convert a 4th - and - 1 from the New York 33 - yard line , but Pennington threw another pick , this time to Patrick Dendy . Green Bay made Pennington pay this time , as Favre found Donald Driver for a 20 - yard touchdown to cut the lead to 31 – 10 . Green Bay then recovered the ensuing onside kick , and the Packers had all the momentum . But the Jets forced a punt and then drove to a touchdown , with Houston picking up a big run and Leon Washington finishing the drive with a 20 - yard touchdown run . That effectively ended the game . Scoring Summary . 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Week 14 : vs . Buffalo Bills . Game Summary . Buffalo struck first late in the first quarter when Willis McGahee broke through a hole and ran 57 yards to the end zone . Justin Miller put the Jets in good field position with the ensuing kickoff return , and after Chad Pennington found Laveranues Coles on a long completion , he found him on a 10 - yard pass for a touchdown , knotting the game at 7 . On the next drive , Anthony Thomas fumbled for Buffalo and Miller recovered . Mike Nugent would knock in a 30 - yard field goal to give the Jets the lead . With 4 : 59 left in the half , J . P . Losman found Lee Evans on a deep pass downfield that went for a 77 - yard touchdown . On the first play after the two - minute warning , Pennington was intercepted by Nate Clements , who returned it 42 yards for a score . Nugent would add a 38 - yard field goal right before halftime , and the Jets trailed 21 – 13 at halftime . The defenses held firm for a majority of the third quarter , before Losman found Robert Royal on a 6 - yard touchdown pass . Rian Lindell ' s 34 - yard field goal with 8 : 04 remaining capped the scoring . Scoring Summary . 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Week 15 : at Minnesota Vikings . Game Summary . On the second play of the game , Chad Pennington was sacked by Nick Harris , and E . J . Henderson recovered . Three plays later , Brad Johnson tossed a 30 - yard touchdown pass to Travis Taylor , and the Jets trailed 7 – 0 two minutes into the game . The Jets immediately responded , with Brad Smith making a key grab on the drive that ended with Cedric Houston ' s 6 - yard touchdown run . On the next Jets ' drive , Mike Nugent was ready to attempt a 37 - yard field goal , but holder Ben Graham botched the snap , and the Jets could not score . Nugent would make a 25 - yard field goal early in the second quarter to give the Jets a 10 – 7 lead . Pennington found Jerricho Cotchery and Laveranues Coles for big completions on the drive that ended with Coles grabbing a 21 - yard touchdown pass from Pennington . Nugent would make a 52 - yard field goal for a 20 – 7 lead before Ryan Longwell missed a 49 - yard field goal wide right for Minnesota , giving the Jets prime field position , and Nugent made a 45 - yard field goal as time expired for a 23 – 7 halftime lead . With a large lead , the Jets controlled the clock in the second half , going on a nearly eight - minute drive that ended with a 20 - yard field goal from Nugent , his fourth of the game and the final Jets score . Johnson was pulled at the beginning of the fourth quarter for backup Tarvaris Jackson , and Jackson led Minnesota on a scoring drive , finding Troy Williamson on two long passes before connecting with Mewelde Moore on a 35 - yard touchdown . Both the two - point conversion and ensuing onside kick failed , but Pennington was intercepted by Harris . Jackson led the Vikings to the New York 14 - yard line with two minutes to go , but David Barrett intercepted Jackson , effectively ending the game . Scoring Summary . 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Week 16 : at Miami Dolphins . Game Summary . With the rest of Week 16 ' s games being played on Christmas Eve , the Jets , due to losses by Jacksonville and Cincinnati , controlled their own playoff destiny with two victories . The game was played in a driving rainstorm as both teams struggled to move the ball early . With 49 seconds remaining in the first quarter , Mike Nugent was ready to attempt a 34 - yard field goal , but holder Ben Graham could not handle the snap in the slippery conditions , and the Jets were denied . It was the second straight week Graham had flubbed a snap , but this one could be blamed on the wet conditions . The two teams would trade punts for the rest of the half . In the third quarter , Dolphins coach Nick Saban inserted backup quarterback Cleo Lemon into the game , replacing an ineffective Joey Harrington . Finally , the Jets went on a drive with 6 : 15 left in the third quarter , with Chad Pennington scrambling for 15 yards and moving into the Dolphins ' red zone when Yeremiah Bell was flagged for pass interference . Nugent knocked in a 22 - yard field goal for the first points of the game . But Lemon rallied Miami , completing two long passes to Randy McMichael and Ronnie Brown picking up a long run before Lemon tossed a 7 - yard touchdown pass to McMichael , and the Dolphins led 7 – 3 with 13 : 26 left in the game . Pennington showed poise in leading the Jets back to take the lead , completing key passes to Brad Smith and Leon Washington before finding Cotchery on a 31 - yard completion to the Miami 1 - yard line , but the Jets challenged , saying that Cotchery was brought down after he broke the plane of the end zone , and the referee agreed , giving the Jets a 10 – 7 lead with 8 : 04 remaining in the game . Miami was then forced to punt , but caught a break when Donnie Jones ' kick bounced off the elbow of Jets linebacker Brad Kassell , and long snapper John Denney recovered at the Jets ' 42 - yard line . Lemon led Miami downfield , completing key passes to Derek Hagan and Sammy Morris before Mare tied the game with a 25 - yard field goal . With 2 : 09 to play , the Jets ' biggest play of the season took place . Pennington flipped a short screen pass to Washington , who found a hole and scampered 64 yards down to the Miami 16 - yard line . After three runs by Kevan Barlow , Nugent kicked a 30 - yard field goal with 10 seconds to play , and the Jets had their biggest win of the year . Scoring Summary . 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Week 17 : vs . Oakland Raiders . Game Summary . For the Jets , it was simple : a win would qualify them for the playoffs , only a year after a disastrous 4 – 12 season . After the teams traded punts , Aaron Brooks completed a pass to Johnnie Morant for a first down , but David Barrett forced a fumble and Hank Poteat recovered . Brad Smith had a key run on the next drive , and Chad Pennington then tossed a 1 - yard touchdown pass to Chris Baker . Oakland later went on a drive to the Jets ' 10 - yard line , but on third down , Kerry Rhodes sacked Brooks , forcing Oakland to settle for a Sebastian Janikowski field goal . Pennington led the Jets on a key score during a " two - minute drill , " bringing the Jets into position for a Mike Nugent 35 - yard field goal and a 10 – 3 halftime lead . Pennington would find Laveranues Coles , Leon Washington , and Baker on long gains on the first drive of the second half before Nugent kicked a 22 - yard field goal . The ensuing kickoff was returned 92 yards by Chris Carr to the Jets ' 1 - yard line , but the play was negated by a holding penalty on Jarrett Cooper . The Jets stopped Brooks on a 4th - and - inches on the drive , and effectively iced the game and a playoff spot when Leon Washington scored on a 15 - yard touchdown run around end . On the next Oakland drive , Eric Barton sacked Brooks , forcing a fumble , and Bobby Hamilton recovered . Nugent ' s 35 - yard field goal capped the scoring . When the Denver Broncos lost at home to the San Francisco 49ers , the Jets secured the top wild - card berth and a date in New England in the wild - card round of the playoffs . Scoring Summary . 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Postseason Results . Wild - Card Round : at New England Patriots . Game Summary . The Jets and Patriots had split their two games of the 2006 season , with the Jets winning the second matchup . Whereas the Jets won that game primarily by blitzing quarterback Tom Brady , this time Brady opened the game with a no - huddle offense , quickly scoring a touchdown on their opening drive . The Jets eventually went ahead , 10 – 7 , on a 77 - yard scamper on a short pass from Pennington to Jerricho Cotchery , but the Patriots responded with a field goal , and then a nearly seven - minute drive to close the first half with a touchdown , putting them ahead , 17 – 10 . In the second half , the Jets and Patriots each exchanged field goals , keeping the differential at seven . Arguably the biggest play of the game came when Jets quarterback Chad Pennington attempted a screen pass to Jerricho Cotchery . The pass was tipped and the ball fell to the ground , but because Pennington had made the pass slightly behind him , it was considered a lateral , and thus a fumbled ball . New England defensive tackle Vince Wilfork picked up the ball and ran it 35 yards to the Jets ' 15 - yard line , ending any momentum the Jets had . The Patriots were able to convert on the turnover , and made it a ten - point game going into the fourth quarter . In the fourth , the Jets again pulled to within seven points , but the Patriots again marched down the field , eating more than six minutes off the clock . The drive culminated in a seven - yard touchdown pass to running back Kevin Faulk . The final nail in the coffin for the Jets was an interception by Asante Samuel , which was returned for a touchdown with less than five minutes to play . After the game , Patriots coach Bill Belichick and Jets coach Eric Mangini , who were not on good terms during this season , embraced in the middle of the field . Scoring summary . 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter