Normally, one team is not able to look totally dominant in a one-point game.  But tonight was the absolute exception to that.

In the season-opening edition of Monday Night Football, the Baltimore Ravens controlled the New York Jets, 10-9, in one of the most lopsided one-point decisions that you’ll ever witness.

The first half saw neither team able to gain a discernible advantage.  Two Ravens turnovers allowed the New York Jets kicker Nick Folk to connect on two field goals.  The positioning of the turnovers allowed the to score despite only moving the ball a combined 28 yards on those two possessions. 

At the close of the first half, Baltimore was able to recover a fumble by Jets running back Shonn Greene – putting them in New York territory.  Baltimore was able to sustain a 11 play, 44 yard drive that was capped by a tough 1-yard TD run by Willis McGahee.  The drive was kept alive because of multiple penalties committed by the Jets secondary.  Cornerback Antonio Cromartie and rookie safety Kyle Wilson committed pass interference penalties with resulted in first downs for the Ravens.  Baltimore exchanged three points for seven after Braylon Edwards was called for running into place kicked Billy Cundiff.

Baltimore converted a field goal in the third quarter, and New York added their own in the fourth.  But throughout the second half, the Jets offensive misery continued.

And as the game progressed, the Ravens continued to attack the Jets inconsistent secondary – namely Cromartie and Wilson.  They used their experienced receiving corp of Anquan Boldin, Derrick Mason and the newly acquired T.J. Houshmandzadeh to create mismatches that turned into first down conversions – either by completed passes or penalties.

To sum it up, let’s take a look at the statistical imbalance that existed in this game:

After Sanchez's dismal showing, he won't be the only Jet scratching his head tonight.

First Downs:  Baltimore – 20; New York – 6

Total Net Yards:  Baltimore – 282; New York – 176 

Penalties:  Baltimore – 5 for 38 yards; New York – 14 for 125 yards

The Jets couldn’t gain yards.  The New York passing was non-existent for the majority of the contest.  Mark Sanchez rarely looked down the field.  And when he did, it was for a split second, and then he would check down to one of his backs.  Hence, Sanchez was a subpar 10-21 for only 74 yards. 

With such a terrible passing game, the running game was also not able to gain any momentum.  The Jets managed 116 yards in that category, but it couldn’t carry them to keep the chains moving.  In fact, their six first downs were tied for the lowest in team history.  Their passing yards (60) and number of offensive plays from scrimmage (44) were their worst totals in several years.  To top it off, their 125 penalty yards were the most in over 20 years.

If the Jets are still a Super Bowl favorite – as many have touted them to be – they have a lot of work to do between now and then.

And, oh yeah, somebody tell Rex Ryan that the Jets aren’t leading the league in wins.

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