This Week, Jets’ Defense Comes Through, 26-7

A week earlier, it was the offense that excelled. Sunday, it was the defense, and Coach Joe Walton said he is still waiting for the New York Jets to play a complete game.

“It was a great win,” Walton said after the Jets beat the winless Indianapolis Colts, 26-7. “The defense played superb, but we struggled on offense.”

A week ago, the Jets beat Miami, 51-45, in overtime in a passing battle.

On Sunday, the Jets held the Colts to 52 yards rushing and got four field goals by Pat Leahy, who extended his string of successful attempts to 19 in a row, the third-longest streak in NFL history.

The Jets (3-1) survived four turnovers, then halted three Indianapolis drives in the second half by forcing the Colts to turn the ball over each time.

The only Indianapolis score came on a three-yard touchdown pass from rookie quarterback Jack Trudeau to rookie Bill Brooks with 14 seconds left.

Trudeau tied a 12-year-old club record set by Bert Jones with 53 pass attempts, completing 21 for 233 yards.

“The score was no indication of how our defense did,” Indianapolis Coach Rod Dowhower said. “Offensively, we couldn’t capitalize on turnovers.

“It wasn’t all Jack,” Dowhower said of the 32 incomplete passes. “Sometimes it was excessive pressure; sometimes he didn’t get rid of it quick enough.”

The Jets’ first touchdown, a three-yard run by Tony Paige in the second quarter, was set up by a 40-yard pass interference penalty against the Colts, who ended their scoreless string at six straight quarters before Brooks’ score.

The Jets’ final touchdown, midway through the fourth quarter, came on a 17-yard pass from Ken O’Brien to Kurt Sohn, and Leahy’s final field goal, from 24 yards out, was set up by a fumble by the Colts’ Pat Beach at the Indianapolis 11.

The Jets, hit hard by injuries to their runners, including leading rusher Freeman McNeil, mainly used the passing game of O’Brien, who completed 19 of 32 attempts for 184 yards and was intercepted twice.

The Colts threatened three times in the third quarter but lost the ball each time, on a pass interception by Lester Lyles at the New York 5, a fumble recovery by Bob Crable at the Jets’ 17 and a fumble recovery by Lyles at the New York 24.

Leahy, whose last miss was in the 10th game last year, extended his own club record for consecutive field goals with successful kicks of 34, 48, 47 and 24 yards.

The NFL record for consecutive field goals is 23 by Mark Moseley of Washington.

O’Brien, who hit 29 of 43 passes for 479 yards in a 51-45 overtime victory over Miami a week earlier, had 103 passing yards in the first half, but the Colts, helped by the two interceptions of O’Brien, trailed only 13-0.

The Jets also lost a fumble on their first possession of the game, but the Colts weren’t able to take advantage of any of the turnovers.