10/14 — We're under way and so is Thomas Jones, big-time. On the Jets' first play from scrimmage, Jones follows FB Darian Barnes up the middle, bounces from left to right and, with D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold sealing off the Eagles' pursuit, TJ is rolling. He isn't taken down until after a 36-yard gain.

The last time the Jets had a longer run was when Curtis Martin peeled off a pair of 40-yarders on Oct. 13, 2005 vs. Buffalo in the Meadowlands.

The runs get shorter, then Eagles S Sean Considine isn't fooled by play action and rushes Chad Pennington into an incompletion, so the Green & White — which as we've noted today are the Navy & Gold — settle for Mike Nugent's 30-yarder despite a high James Dearth snap and draw first blood. It's the Jets' first first-drive score since Game 12 at Green Bay last year.

Jets 3, Eagles 0

The good feeling continues on the Jets' first defensive play, when RDE Kenyon Coleman executes a nice stunt around NT Dewayne Robertson, comes up the middle and takes down Donovan McNabb for his first sack as a Jet.

But the balloon is punctured on third down when McNabb hits WR Kevin Curtis on a slant and Curtis skips away from two Jets DBs, announced as Andre Dyson and Eric Smith in the Jets dime and is off to the races. The touchdown play covers 75 yards and the last time the Jets gave up a longer one was ... well, not that long ago, last December vs. the Bills on a 77-yard pass from J.P. Losman to Lee Evans.

That was quick. Too quick.

Eagles 7, Jets 3

Jones continues to excel behind his invigorated line, ripping off 12- and 10-yard gains on the first two plays of the next series, and by the time it's done he's got 82 yards on eight carries. Not bad for less than a quarter of work.

Trouble is, Nugent is off target on a 44-yard FG try to end this drive. Nuge has now missed three of his last five, all three from under 45 and the last two toward the Meadowlands' east end zone.

Philadelphia pushes across midfield on short passes. At third-and-5 from the Jets 46, the crowd gets into it. But McNabb deflates them with a dart over the middle to backup TE Brent Celek, S Kerry Rhodes in coverage, for the first down. Then McNabb nails WR Reggie Brown open in the zone — against a familiar Jets problem, no pass-rush pressure — for 26 yards to first-and-goal at the 10. The opening quarter ends with Brian Westbrook taking a toss and bowling into Rhodes for a 6-yard gain to the 4.