Saints at Jets final score: New York handles New Orleans 26-20

It what was considered a battle of brothers, Rex Ryan’s New York Jets weren’t given much of a punchers chance against the vaulted New Orleans Saints and defensive coordinator, Rob Ryan.

But it was Rex who will have bragging rights come the Ryan’s next family gathering as the Jets defended their home field in a 26-20 victory over the Saints, who suffered their second loss of the season.

Things didn’t start out overly positive for New Orleans who learned prior to the game they would be without top wide receiver Marques Colston. Things quickly got worse as on the Saints’ first possession of the game, running back Darren Sproles took a hard hit where he was clearly shaken up. Initial concern was that he suffered a concussion though ESPN later reported that he suffered an ankle injury. Either way, he did not return which helped the Jets, especially their pass rush as quarterback Drew Brees lost his security blanket out of the backfield.

The Jets only had two sacks on the afternoon, but they were constantly in the face of Brees who was picked off twice in the loss.

In addition to New York’s solid defense, the rushing attack from the offensive line and Chris Ivory was unstoppable as Ivory rushed for 139 yards on 18 carries, good for a 7.7 yard per rush average. A 52-yard rush helped those statistics out, but it was clear the Saints couldn’t do much to stop the Jets on the ground.

A seventeen point second quarter gave the Jets a 20-14 lead going into halftime, a lead they extended to 23-14 in the third quarter. The Saints weren’t going to go quietly though as they tried to mount a comeback but continually fell short as the pressure from the Jets seemed to discombobulate the Saints and Brees.

The loss drops New Orleans to 6-2 while the win improves the New York Jets to a very respectable 5-4.