The New York Jets found a way to get past the Dallas Cowboys Saturday night, 19-16.  New York looked like anything but a team gearing up for the postseason, but a win is a win and they move to 9-5.

We’re going to look at some quick observations from the game.

New York:

• With the Jets not in position to win any potential tiebreakers between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs, New York might have to run the table and style points don’t really matter.
• The biggest takeaway from the game was the Jets inability to run the football.  As a team they gained just 73 yards on 26 carries and were stopped in short yardage time and time again despite having one of the most violent runners in the game in Chris Ivory.  If New York is going to have any chance of beating the New England Patriots next week at home, they’re going to have to run the ball much better.
• Ryan Fitzpatrick’s stats look fine, as he completed 26 of 39 throws, for 299 yards, with one touchdown and an interception.  The reality is that he wasn’t fine at all.  Fitz missed open receivers throughout the game and threw a terrible interception deep in his own territory.  He’s the reason why most people don’t believe in the Jets and he gave the critics plenty of fodder on Saturday night.
• Brandon Marshall is one of the best receivers in football, but he continues to drop passes week in and week out.  This wouldn’t be as big of a concern with a more accurate quarterback, but if Fitzpatrick is going to find you and deliver a catchable pass, you need to catch it.
• The Jets run defense took a night off as they allowed the Cowboys 133 yards on the ground on just 21 carries, despite playing against Matt Cassel and Kellen Moore.  Inexplicably, the Cowboys only ran the ball 21 times, and if they made more of a commitment to running the ball we might be talking about a different outcome.

Dallas:

• Kellen Moore, collegiate legend recently brought up from the practice squad got his first game action and was slightly better than a completely ineffective Matt Cassel.  For anyone who believes that Moore can be a young quarterback that can be groomed to eventually replace Tony Romo, that simply isn’t the case.  Moore processes information really well, but he lacks the physical tools to ever start in this league.  Think about a less mobile, possibly more cerebral with a worse arm Colt McCoy.
• Yes, the Cowboys lost another close game, but they are set up for future success with the age and depth of their offensive line and their first-round pick from 2015, cornerback Byron Jones.  The eventual transition from Romo to the next quarterback won’t be as difficult as some may believe with all of the pieces surrounding the position.
• Jason Garrett has done a really nice job this season.  No coach would be able to win with the injuries to the key positions that Dallas has suffered, but Garrett keeps them competing every week and that is certainly worth something.
• DeMarcus Lawrence is turning into a really good young player on the defensive line and if Jerry Jones conscience comes calling in the middle of the night at some point over the next few months and he decides to walk away from the questionable human being which is Greg Hardy, the Cowboys will be okay.
• Dan Bailey is a really good kicker.  With the extra points being moved back this year, you can see a gap between the good kickers and the average guys, and Bailey is a good one.