10/26 — The Jets are off and running — not to mention passing. They move 73 yards to an 18-yard Brett Favre-to-Leon Washington screen pass touchdown on the game's opening drive.

Besides Leon's two-direction-changes run to paydirt, other highlights include Favre hitting six of seven passes for 68 yards, including third-down completions to Jerricho Cotchery and Chansi Stuckey. And 6:10 into the game, it's 7-0, Jets.

The drive marks the first TD on an opening series for the Jets in 11 games, dating to Game 12 at Miami last season. And it's the fifth time in the Mangini era that the Green & White have scored six on their opening drive. In the four previous games the Jets are 3-1.

Good news for the offense is that Laveranues Coles (head/thigh) starts at WR, as does Damien Woody (leg) at RT. But it could be troublesome that the Jets are down to one true TE in rookie Dustin Keller. Bubba Franks was deactivated with his hip injury, and just before the opening kickoff, Chris Baker left the field for unspecified reasons. To make do in two-TE or blocking situations, Robert Turner has gone to the end of the Jets line, bringing an element of truth to tight ends often being just another tackle at the end of the line.

The defense is eager to get after Tyler Thigpen and the KC offense. In their first two series, they hold the Chiefs to one first down and sack Thigpen twice — once by Shaun Ellis out of the dime, his sixth of the season, and the second by blitzing Kerry Rhodes, who brought down Thigpen after Calvin Pace flushed him up in the pocket for his first sack of the season.

As the first quarter comes to a close, Favre comes down hard to the Meadowlands turf, after he heaves a pass downfield that only Chiefs CB Brandon Flowers is waiting for. Favre walks off slowly and Kellen Clemens starts warming up as the Chiefs move into the Jets red zone.

Second Quarter

The Chiefs, who benefited when Jay Feely was wide left on a 36-yard field goal try in the first quarter, pull even with the Jets at 7-7 as Thigpen finds Tony Gonzalez on the left sideline by the pylon and lofts the ball to the big tight end, who plucks it away from two Jets and strides across the goal line.

Favre comes back in without missing a beat, but his only throw on the next series is an off-target laser trying to find Cotchery on a deep crossing pattern and the Jets go three-and-out.

Nice job on the Reggie Hodges punt, which goes 48 yards, Chiefs returner Dantrell Savage loses 3 yards trying to escape speedy Ahmad Carroll, and KC gets nailed for holding Carroll on the way downfield, resulting in a net gain of 61 yards.

The Chiefs move troublingly easily to the Jets 33, with the big play a Thigpen crossing pattern that Dwayne Bowe takes 36 yards. On the drive, ILB David Harris walks off the field slowly after getting banged up, and a few plays later Ellis gets up slowly after a tackle.

But the Jets D rises to the occasion when, on third-and-9 from their 32, they call a safety/corner blitz and Drew Coleman and Kerry Rhodes snow Thigpen under at his 44. Now out of FG range, the Chiefs punt.

Favre gets hammered as he puts up another deep ball that is picked off, this one intended downfield for Laveranues Coles but snared by S Jarrad Page. All Coles can do is bring Page down with a rolling tackle. Some plays are on Favre, some on his protection, but in the last three games he's turned the ball over seven times (six INTs, fumble-return TD vs. CIN).

But the defense holds again and then the Jets mount a 90-yard two-minute drive to retake control.

The big play: Favre hands off to Leon Washington out of the four-WR set. Washington bursts through the front line, zigs past S Bernard Pollard, zags away from Page, and is off to the races for a 60-yard touchdown run and a 14-7 Jets lead.

It is the longest run of Neon Leon's three-year career and one of the longest in the last 10 seasons. Here are the five longest runs by the Jets since 1990:

However, the euphoria is short-lived for the home crowd. The Chiefs drive from their 26 down the field in the final 1:48. On second-and-10 at the Jets 11, Thigpen hits WR Mark Bradley in the end zone but the back judge rules incomplete pass as Bradley doesn't appear to get his second foot down in bounds.

But the replay official calls for a replay, and ref Peter Morelli then rules that Bradley did get his right toe down just inside the end line for the touchdown. After Connor Barth's extra point and Leon Washington's succeeding half-ending kickoff return, the teams leave the field tied at 14-14.