Jets’ Game Plan Bowls Over Packers

Relying on what New York Coach Joe Walton called “an old-fashioned knock ‘em down game,” the Jets Sunday defeated the Green Bay Packers, 24-3.

“Our pass rush really took them out of their rhythm,” Walton said. “It was a big part of this game plan. We intended to go right at their passing game, and we had some success.”

The Jets, who had five sacks, held the pass-oriented Packers to 193 yards offense--122 through the air.

An error-prone Green Bay offense--the Jets scored touchdowns off two fumbles and an interception--was at fault, Green Bay Coach Forrest Gregg said.

“When you get three points in a ball game you have to believe something’s wrong,” Gregg said. “That won’t beat anybody. I am disturbed about the ball game, I am disturbed about the offensive production. I have been disturbed about the offensive production all year.”

So disturbed, in fact, that he yanked veteran quarterback Lynn Dickey in the third quarter and put in backup quarterback Randy Wright.

Dickey was taken out after throwing an interception that led to Tony Paige’s 11-yard touchdown run off left tackle. Dickey, whose errant throw to wide receiver Phillip Epps was picked off by linebacker Lance Mehl, completed only 6 of 18 passes for 84 yards and 1 interception.

Paige’s touchdown run and Pat Leahy’s conversion opened up a 17-3 Jet lead. In the first quarter, Paige caught a five-yard pass from Ken O’Brien for the only touchdown of the first half.

That touchdown followed a Dickey fumble.

The Jets sewed up the victory early in the fourth quarter when the Packers tried running out of punt formation deep in their territory on a fourth down. But Guy Prather, a linebacker playing between the line and punter Joe Prokop, fumbled the snap. Jet defensive tackle Tom Baldwin recovered and lumbered the remaining nine yards into the end zone for his first NFL touchdown.