FanHouse C.J. Mosley

When two bad teams get together, sometimes they can produce some great theater. Such was the case Sunday in Detroit, where a pair of 1-8 teams gave fans one of the day's best games.

At the end, a penalty that was called on the game's last play gave the homestanding Lions one untimed down from the Cleveland 1. They made it count, as rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford hit tight end Brandon Pettigrew for six, and a Jason Hanson extra point gave Detroit a 38-37 win.

When you're 1-8, success becomes a relative thing. Nothing is going to save your season so you just want to see enough signs of growth down the stretch to make you believe the entire year isn't a waste. The Jets found themselves in just that position and the last three weeks have discovered that there might be a few diamonds in the rough on their defense.

Sandwiched around a disaster in Dallas have been the team's two strongest defensive games of the year. That's a positive sign as the season plays out, especially since the improvement has coincided with increased playing time for several new players. David Harris and Darrelle Revis, the first two draft picks, have gotten much of the notice but others have contributed as well. On the defensive line, C.J. Mosley has 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles since the bye week while Sione Pouha has recorded 10 tackles in the same period. That's more production than Dewayne Robertson was giving for about 10 times the price.

Throw in resurgent play from Bryan Thomas, Shaun Ellis and Victor Hobson and you've got a defensive revival. All of those guys play in the front seven and when they do their job the ripples can be felt all over the field. Kerry Rhodes spent the first half of the year unable to be the playmaker who opened eyes in 2006 but has been back in that role because the guys in front of him are doing their jobs. Corners are helped when the pass rush is working and the entire unit can show its teeth.

There are two caveats to this improved play. The first is that last week's game was against Miami, a gaping chasm of awfulness and the second is that the same thing happened in 2006. The Jets entered the bye as a subpar defensive club and played the second half as one of the best units in the league. Then they fell flat on their face to start this season so it's much too soon to start counting any chickens. They've stopped laying eggs, though, and that's a start.

The New York Jets rounded out their preseason with a 13-11 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, which concluded on a game winning field goal off the foot of Mike Nugent.

Marques Tuiasosopo led the Jets in passing, going 9 of 16 for 78 yards. And while the statistics aren't that impressive, he was the catalyst on the Jets final drive. He showed some good poise and leadership ability on that series, possibly winning him the third quarterback job over Brad Smith.

The rushing attack was also something to behold tonight for New York. Even with Leon Washington and Thomas Jones sitting out, the Jets were able to gain 113 yards on the ground. Stacy Tutt led the way with 48 yards, while Danny Ware added 33 of his own.

Defensively, things weren't quite as positive. While the Jets did manage to hold the Eagles to 11 points, quarterback Kevin Kolb was able to pick their secondary apart. He ended the night going 22 of 33 (33 passes in a preseason game, are you kidding me?) for 220 yards and a touchdown -- obviously not a positive thing for the Jets second and third team secondaries.