By Jerry Beach
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Same ol' Jets. And same ol' Cowboys, too.
Nick Folk kicked a 50-yard field goal with 27 seconds left to complete a stirring comeback by the New York Jets, who scored 17 unanswered fourth-quarter points to shock the Dallas Cowboys, 27-24, in the season opener at sold-out MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
The Jets fell behind 24-10 when Felix Jones scored on a one-yard run 10 seconds into the fourth quarter, but Folk's game-winner - set up by an interception and subsequent 20-yard return by Darrelle Revis - capped a versatile comeback by the Jets.
"It might have been the best team effort I think I can ever remember that I've been a part of," Jets head coach Rex Ryan said.
Mark Sanchez threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress, who was playing his first NFL game in almost three years, with just under 12 minutes left to pull the Jets within 24-17. Tony Romo, who played an almost perfect first three quarters, lost a fumble as he tried scrambling for a touchdown inside the Jets' 5-yard line on the Cowboys' next drive.
Sanchez lost a fumble on the Jets' next series but the Jets tied the game when Joe McKnight blocked a Mat McBriar punt and Isaiah Trufant picked up the loose ball and raced 18 years for the touchdown with five minutes left.
The Jets made the dramatic comeback win the norm last season, when they won five games in which they trailed in the fourth quarter and were 8-3 in games decided by a touchdown or less as they reached the AFC Championship Game for a second consecutive year. But Sunday marked just the third time in franchise history they won a game in which they trailed by at least 14 points in the fourth quarter.
"You talk about a team effort - that was it, there is no doubt," Ryan said. "From special teams getting the blocked punt (to) Nick Folk nailing a 50-yard field goal. Mark did a great job, Plax was huge for us."
For the Cowboys, it was the first time in franchise history they lost a game in which they led by at least 14 points in the fourth quarter (241-1-1). But the storyline was also a painfully familiar one for Romo and the Cowboys.
Romo has been criticized for his late-game performances since he took over as Dallas' starting quarterback in 2006, while the Cowboys were 3-8 in games decided by a touchdown or less last season, when they squandered fourth-quarter leads in three losses and lost two other games in which the score was tied in the fourth quarter.
"This game came down to one or two plays, the plays that I gave them the ball," Romo said. "I cost us the game."
Romo, who was playing in a regular-season game for the first time since he broke his collarbone last Oct. 25, opened the game by leading a nine-play, 74-yard drive that he capped with a three-yard touchdown pass to Dez Bryant. The Cowboys remained in control the first three quarters, during which Romo directed three scoring drives while the Cowboys forced the Jets into four three-and-outs. Of the 235 yards the Jets had through three quarters, 89 came on a two-minute drive at the end of the first half.
Sanchez was 26-of-44 for 335 yards - one shy of his career high - with two touchdowns and one interception. LaDainian Tomlinson had six catches for 73 yards for the Jets, who rushed the ball just 16 times.
Romo finished 23-of-36 for 342 yards, two touchdowns and the key interception for the Cowboys. Jason Witten had six catches for 110 yards. Linebacker Sean Lee returned the Sanchez interception inside the Jets' 1-yard line as time expired in the third quarter to set up the touchdown run by Jones (17 carries for 44 yards).
Game notes: Romo made his fifth consecutive opening week start at quarterback for the Cowboys, the longest stretch by a Dallas signal-caller since Troy Aikman started 12 straight openers from 1989 through 2000. … Burress' catch in the final minute of the third quarter was his first regular-season reception since Nov. 16, 2008, when, as a member of the Giants at the old Giants Stadium, he had three grabs for 47 yards against the Baltimore Ravens. Thirteen days later, Burress accidentally shot himself in the left leg with an unlicensed handgun and eventually spent 20 months in jail. … Bryant left the game due to cramping in the third quarter as did the man draping him, Revis. Both returned by the end of the period.
