Bledsoe gets hype, NY Jets get points

DREW BLEDSOE got all the hype in his debut as Buffalo Bills quarterback, but it was little known kick returner Chad Morton who proved to be the hero in the New York Jets’ 37-31 overtime victory in National Football League action on Sunday.

Morton ran back two kick-offs, including a 96 yarder to start overtime, lifting the Jets to a 37-31 victory and spoil Bledsoe's debut with the Bills.

He became only the second player in NFL history to return an overtime kick-off for a touchdown. On November 27, 1980, Chicago Bears' Dave Williams took the opening OT kick-off for a score, leading the Bears past the Detroit Lions 23-17.

"I knew it was going to be a foot race. I didn't know if I had enough gas to make it to the end zone," Morton said. "I was thinking to myself, 'Please, don't get caught.' ... But I made it into the end zone. Game over."

Morton caught Mike Hollis' kick-off along the right sideline and cut toward the middle of the field. He broke a tackle at the 30, then outran Shawn Bryson into the end zone.

He is the first player in NFL history to return a kick-off for a score in regulation and overtime. He also became the first Jets player and fifth player in NFL history to return two kick-offs for scores. New Orleans Saints' Tyrone Hughes was the last player to run back two kick-offs for scores, accomplishing the feat in 1994.

After running back a 98 yarder the third longest in franchise history in the second quarter, Morton had enough in him for one more big return. It came after Bledsoe forced overtime by hitting Eric Moulds with a 29 yard TD pass with 26 seconds remaining. The Jets won even though Curtis Martin left the game at halftime with a sprained ankle and Vinny Testaverde played inconsistently.

Testaverde finished 24 of 30 for 210 yards and two touchdowns. Anthony Becht, with a one-yard reception, and Wayne Chrebet, with an 18 yarder, also scored for the Jets.

Bledsoe, acquired to spark the Bills offence in a deal with New England last April, finished 26 of 39 for 271 yards, with a touchdown and two interceptions.

"It was very surreal," Bledsoe said, as he watched the game end from the sideline.

Jets coach Herman Edwards overlooked the sloppy performance that included the Jets being called for 10 penalties, including two roughing the kicker calls. Edwards was impressed by something else. "Their will to win," Edwards said. "That is something you don't measure. It's something that is inside. The guys just kept fighting."

Elsewhere in the league, the Washington Redskins beat the Arizona Cardinals 31-23; the Carolina Panthers snapped a 15 game losing streak dating back to the second game of the 2001 season with a 10-7 win over the Baltimore Ravens; the Tennessee Titans rallied with two fourth quarter touchdowns to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles 27-24; the Chicago Bears won in their usual manner, rallying from a 23-13 deficit in the final six minutes to defeat the Minnesota Vikings 27-23; while in Cincinnati, the San Diego Chargers roughed up the Bengals 34-6.

In a thriller in Cleveland, the Kansas City Chiefs put up 23 fourth quarter points to pull out a 40-39 win over the Browns. In another overtime game, the heavily favoured Packers won by just three points, 37-34 over the Atlanta Falcons, while the Indianapolis Colts made new coach Tony Dungy's debut a winning one, edging the Jaguars 28-25.

In Miami, the Dolphins opened up a 28-7 half time lead and coasted to a 49-21 victory over the hapless Detroit Lions and, in Denver, quarterback Brian Griese bounced back from a mid-game lapse to lead the Broncos to a 23-16 win over the St. Louis Rams.

In Tampa, the New Orleans Saints won 26-20 in overtime and, in Oakland, the Raiders routed the Seattle Seahawks 31-17. In Houston, first year Texans beat Dallas Cowboys 19-10.