Jets Follow the Leader, Beat Titans

Herman Edwards had one demand of his New York Jets on Monday night: Leave the Meadowlands with a win.

They obliged.

Chad Pennington overcame a shaky start to throw two second-half touchdown passes and the Jets beat Steve McNair and Tennessee Titans, 24-17.

The Titans (9-3) lost for the first time in seven games and wasted a perfect chance to take sole possession of the AFC South after Indianapolis lost to New England on Sunday. They now have to wait another week for that to happen, with a home showdown against the Colts this weekend.

The Jets (5-7), meanwhile, kept their slim playoff hopes alive.

“A lot of people think when you’re 4-7, you’re trying to get the season over with. But it’s not about next year,” Edwards said. “It’s about every time you play the game you try to win. That’s how we’re going to play around here. We’re not worried about next year. We’re going to win games this year.”

Curtis Martin said that when Edwards told the team he expected them to win, everyone listened.

“When your leader stands up and says something like that, you feel obligated to carry it out,” Martin said.

McNair started the game despite a strained right calf, but was mostly ineffective. He completed 21 of 35 passes for 272 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He threw an eight-yard scoring pass to Derrick Mason with 1:52 remaining to get the Titans within a touchdown, but Chris Baker recovered the on-side kick for the Jets to close out the win.

Mason finished with 11 receptions for 133 yards and one touchdown.

“The leg was not a factor in how I played,” McNair said. “It’s not an excuse. We didn’t execute as well as we should.”

Pennington, meanwhile, completed 18 of 23 passes for 231 yards for his third win in five starts since returning from a broken left wrist.

He threw two first-half interceptions, including one in the end zone, and challenged himself to do better in the second half. Pennington did more than that. He was perfect, going eight for eight for 134 yards and the two scores.

“We believe we’re a good team,” Pennington said. “We just didn’t make the plays earlier in the year. Tonight the Jets stood up and made the plays.”

After the Titans tied the score at 10 on a 35-yard field goal by Gary Anderson in the third quarter, Pennington engineered two straight scoring drives to take control. The first ended with a 27-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Swayne, the second with an eight-yard scoring pass to Curtis Conway.