Don’t let the score fool you; this game was closer than it appears on paper. For the second straight week, the New York Jets played three quarters of mediocre football and picked things up to win the game in the fourth quarter. Led by Shonn Greene’s three touchdowns, the Jets managed to win another close game to put them right into the thick of the AFC Wildcard race.

It took a big play from Aaron Maybin to spark the team when he sacked Rex Grossman, and forced a fumble that set up one of Greene’s two touchdowns. The other big play came on the series before when Mark Sanchez found Santonio Holmes for a 30-yard touchdown pass to put the Jets ahead for good with just under five minutes to play.

With the Jets needing to win out to make the playoffs, Sanchez again came up big when it mattered most. The win keeps the Jets in the hunt for the last wildcard spot as they got some help with Oakland and Cincinnati losing. ”It tells us we have to get better,” Rex Ryan said. “Sometimes, you don’t like it to come down to that.”

Getting better is an understatement, as the Jets only had 168 total yards after three quarters against the Redskins, a team that has lost seven of eight games. Sanchez only had 165 yards on 19 of 32 passing and one touchdown, but didn’t throw an interception for the first time in five games. For the second straight week, the offensive line didn’t allow a sack.

Greene contributed with 88 yards on 22 carries and saw much of the workload despite LaDainian Tomlinson returning after missing two weeks with a knee injury. ”It was rough the first half,” Greene said. “But we just kept together and kept plugging away.” Grossman ran 19 of 46 for 221 yards, and had one interception and afumble that halted any chance of Washington mounting a comeback.

The fumble was recovered by Calvin Pace, and Greene turned it into six with a nine-yard run out of the wildcat. ”That was just one of those situations where we knew as a defense it was crunch time,” said Maybin, “We’ve been in those situations.” The Jets were trailing 16-13 with just under eight minutes to go, but a hit-or-miss kickoff was returned to midfield.That’s when Sanchez scrambled to avoid the sack, and completed a pass on third and four to Greene for 10 yards. Two plays later, he found Holmes wide open for the long score.

A bright spot for the Redskins, Fred Davis, who has been having a great season, had six catches for 99 yards. After the game, news broke that both he and left tackle, Trent Williams, are going to be suspended for the rest of the season for breaking the NFL’s substance abuse policy.

Rookie running back Roy Helu also had a good game rushing for 100 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. His score came at the beginning of the game to put Washington up 7-0. The Jets came right back with a 17 play, 74-yard drive to score the tying score. With this second late surge in a row, Ryan thinks the Jets are on their way to their third straight playoff appearance.

“We know where we think we’re going,” he said. “More confident than 100 percent? I don’t know about that.”

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The Jets are mathematically still in the thick of the AFC wild card race, but if they don’t improve their play it’s not going to matter what the numbers say. Coming off a victory over the Bills in a must-win game, the Jets look to keep things rolling when they travel to FedEx to face the Washington Redskins on Sunday.

New York narrowly avoided a loss and possibly the end of their season when Mark Sanchez found Santonio Holmes for the game winning touchdown with just over a minute left last week against the Buffalo Bills. While they got the win it was hardly a pretty game as Sanchez struggled, despite throwing for a career high four touchdowns, and the defense had trouble stopping a Bills offense which was without its best player in running back Fred Jackson.

Their play wasn’t a good sign for a team likely forced to win at least four of their last five games, if not all, to have a shot at the final playoff spot in the AFC. For the Jets to have success down the stretch, they’ll have to rely on Sanchez to improve his play and lead the team. He completed 48.6 percent of his passes for only 180 yards last week.

The once feared defense allowed the Bills to drive 90 yards down the field for the score earlier in the game, and almost let Ryan Fitzpatrick lead the Bills down the field in less than a minute for the game winning score. Had Stevie Johnson made a wide-open catch on a play during that drive, the Bills probably would’ve scored and won the game.

“We have to keep improving, there’s no question,” Jets coach Rex Ryan said. “We’re not going to win and we’re not going to reach our goal if we don’t get better. But we definitely plan on getting better.”

“It is funny how if we make a mistake, we’re horrible and it’s, `Oh, they’re terrible,” Ryan said. “That could be bad luck there, too. But if we make a play, it’s, `Oh, we’re just lucky.’ So, maybe it’s the green (team colors). I don’t know. I hope karma is with us. I hope we continue to be lucky, and we’ll take that.

“The old saying, `I’d rather be lucky than good.’ I’d rather be both, and I think we are.” The Jets are hoping for luck, and that they gained momentum heading into the game Sunday because their track record against the ‘Skins isn’t good. The Jets are 1-8 all time versus Washington.

Washington also hopes to keep some momentum going, coming off a close win over Seattle to snap a six game losing streak. The Redskins came back from 10 down in the fourth to score 16 unanswered points. ”That’s what you’re in this game to do, is to win,” Washington coach Mike Shanahan said. “But at the same time, when you’re around a football team that’s giving you everything they’ve got, you feel good.

“That’s why I feel good about the character of this football team, and it was nice to find a way to win because they deserved to win. Our players have been working extremely hard, and hopefully we can keep it going.”

Rex Grossman is coming off of one of his best performances of the season completing over 73 percent of his passes and racking up 314 yards. To add to that, rookie running back Roy Helu earned himself the start this week rushing for 108 yards and a touchdown last week. He also caught seven passes for 54 yards as well.

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Rex Grossman and the Washington Redskins were able to come back from being down three points against the Seattle Seahawks going into the final quarter, winning the game 23-17 on Sunday.

The Redskins were able to move downfield thanks to the help from Grossman, who threw for 314 yards on 26 completed passes for two touchdowns and two interceptions. Receivers Fred Davis and Anthony Armstrong were his two targets for the touchdowns, both making five receptions all together for a total of 108 yards.

Seattle quarterback Tarvaris Jackson helped offensively, throwing for 144 yards on 14 completed passes for two touchdowns and one interception. Receivers Marshawn Lynch and Golden Tate were caught the only two touchdown passes for the Seahawks, altogether collecting two receptions for a total of 35 yards.

Running back Roy Helu played well for the Redskins, rushing for 108 yards and one touchdown on 23 carries. The same can also be said for Seattle’s Lynch, who ran for 111 yards on 24 carries. The Redskins were the first to take the lead halfway through the first quarter, when Davis caught a two-yard pass from Grossman after a time of possession that lasted 14 plays and almost eight minutes.

Seattle was able to tie the game up four minutes into the second quarter when Lynch caught a 20-yard pass from Jackson, making the score 7-7 after the first half. The only time points were scored in the third quarter was when Seattle took the lead after a 36-yard field goal kick from Steven Hauschka.

In the last quarter, both teams stepped up their game. Seattle widened their lead to 7-17 almost three minutes into the quarter with a 15-yard pass from Jackson to Tate after 12 plays that moved the ball 88 yards downfield. The Redskins responded three minutes later with Helu rushing for a 28-yard touchdown, leaving Washington down by three points.

Washington was able to score on their next drive thanks to a 50-yard touchdown pass from Grossman to Armstrong, giving the Redskins the lead with six minutes left to play. Seattle was unable to recover and make any successful attempts to score after a 25-yard field goal from the Redskins’ Graham Gano, which wrapped up the game with Washington winning 23-17.

The Washington Redskins (4-7) head home to face the New York Jets on Sunday, while the Seattle Seahawks (4-7) get to face the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday.

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The Buffalo Bills won their fifth game of the season by shutting down the Washington Redskins’ offense to secure a 0-23 victory. The Bills were able to make sure the Redskins were unable to get the ball moving in their running play, with the Redskins only able to rush for a total of 26 yards the whole game.

Although the Bills were not able to score a rushing touchdown, running back Fred Jackson was able to help move the ball down the field for a total of 120 yards on 26 attempts. The Redskins were also unable to capitalize on passing drives as well.

Quarterback John Beck threw a total of 208 yards in the game off of 20 completed passes, along with giving up two interceptions to Bills’ Jairus Byrd and George Wilson. Washington receiver Fred Davis provided the most help and scoring chances, getting 94 yards on eight catches.

The Bills were able to move the ball downfield successfully through the air throughout the game. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick through for a total of 262 yards off 21 completed catches, along with throwing two touchdown passes and an interception. Receiver Scott Chandler caught both touchdown passes on the only two passes thrown to him in the game.

The main target was Jackson, who caught three passes for 74 yards. Kicker Rian Lindell provided 11 points for the Bills, going three for four in field goal kicks along with two extra point kicks after each touchdown. The Washington Redskins (3-4) fly back home to face the visiting San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, while the Buffalo Bills (5-2) welcome the visiting New York Jets on Sunday.

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