Jets beat Dolphins to end slump at three

Brandon Moore nearly had amnesia for a split second in the immediate aftermath of the Jets' much-needed 24-6 victory over the Dolphins, almost failing to remember his team's typical postgame ritual after a triumph.

It seemingly had been that long since the Jets, who put the brakes on a three-game losing skid Monday night, actually had something worth celebrating.

"The chant at the end of the game -- the '1-2-3 . . . and the home of the Jets,' " the right guard said, "after losing so many times, you kind of even forget that you do that after you won. So it feels good."

Said Rex Ryan: "We needed to win in the worst way, and we're just happy that we found a way to get one."

Especially with all the turmoil and controversy surrounding the team in the past week.

Darrelle Revis had a key 100-yard first-quarter interception for a touchdown, and Mark Sanchez ran for a 5-yard touchdown and threw a TD pass to Santonio Holmes. Holmes, who had made headlines by calling out the offensive line for the second straight week, scored on a nifty 38-yard catch-and-run with 11:50 left that gave the Jets (3-3) an 18-point bulge and capped their run of 17 unanswered points, putting this one away.

Holmes was a ceremonial captain during the pregame coin toss, with Ryan sending him out there with Moore, the very guy who was critical of Holmes for comments he thought were divisive and were fracturing the locker room. It was a typical ploy by Ryan, looking to smooth things out during tumultuous times.

"That was just a coincidence," Ryan cracked. "I talked to both of them. We had to get some things off our chests, but I assure you that we're together. That's the important thing."

But initially, Ryan's psychological trick did little to get a rise out of the Jets. They gained only 14 yards in their first four possessions, and Miami (0-5) rolled up 173 yards of first-quarter offense compared to 10 for the Jets, who didn't get a first down until 6:17 remained in the half.

Still, the Jets overcame yet another sluggish start, which seems to be a trademark of theirs, and found a way to ignite their offense after four consecutive three-and-outs to start the game. They rolled up 268 yards in their final seven possessions.

The Jets' offense finally got into a bit of a rhythm on its fifth and final possession of the first half when Sanchez, who had been off-target with his throws and reads, found that stride he had been looking for. He completed four straight passes for 70 yards to help set up a third-and-4 from Miami's 5.

Sanchez took three steps back and perfectly executed the quarterback draw, diving headfirst into the end zone to cap an 11-play, 81-yard drive to give the Jets a 14-6 halftime lead.

"That was huge," Sanchez said. "I was just telling guys on the sideline to 'stay with it, just keep fighting and we're going to blow this thing open, I promise. We'll get the running game going, we'll get this thing rolling, I promise.' And we did it. They answered it. It was great."

Guard Matt Slauson said: "We just had to get in a groove. We started off slow, but no one panicked and we just kept on going."

Sanchez completed 14 of 25 passes for 201 yards and Shonn Greene gained 74 yards on 21 carries. Miami's Matt Moore completed 16 of 34 for 204 yards, was sacked four times and threw two interceptions, both by Revis.

The Dolphins took an early 3-0 lead on Dan Carpenter's 28-yard field goal, and they had a real chance to pounce on the Jets on the ensuing kickoff. The ball bounced at the 7, way short of return man Joe McKnight, and hit Garrett McIntyre in the right knee. Austin Spitzer recovered at the Jets' 19, giving Miami a golden opportunity, but Revis came up with a play that turned a potentially ugly situation into a special one. "It boosted our confidence," LaDainian Tomlinson said. "But at the same time it made everybody relax."

On third-and-6 at the 17, Moore looked left and targeted Revis covering Marshall, something Moore did with great frequency early. But he got burned this time, as Marshall wasn't ready for the ball when Moore unleashed it and hadn't turned around. Revis caught it at the goal line, made a few moves and scampered 100 yards for a game-changing touchdown, putting the Jets ahead 7-3 with 5:52 left in the first quarter. "Sweet," Sanchez said of Revis' pick-6.

"That play, he tried to get inside me, and he started slipping," Revis said. "I moved out of the way, and the ball was right there. It was good to get the ball in my hand and try to make a play. That's all I tried to do."

Sanchez said of the win, "It was big for us, but we're not done yet. There's plenty of corrections to make, and it just feels good to get a win. It's nice to not come in the locker room and think, 'Man, we were so close' or 'Man, we could have' or 'Ah, I wish I would've done this and that.' Sure you are going to feel like that, but you get a win in the NFL, it's great, and these guys deserve it. I'm proud of these guys."