11/09 — Can't beat a start like this. The Jets march down the field for 80 yards on eight plays to take a 7-0 lead, and it's all Thomas Jones.

TJ opens the game with a 20-yard bounceout left off a Brett Favre draw and carries five times for 53 yards on the drive, getting to the second level on almost each run. And Jones scores the TD by following FB Tony Richardson off the Jets' right side and bouncing out to the right behind Laveranues Coles' downfield block for the 13-yard TD.

It's the fourth consecutive games the Jets have scored on their opening drive, after going their previous nine games without scoring on the opener. And it's the second straight home game that they began the festivities with a TD run.

In short order the Green & White defense pitches a three-and-out at the Rams, then Favre hits a wide-open Dustin Keller off a pump-fake/play-action for 54 yards to set up Jay Feely's 22-yard field goal as the Jets open a 10-0 advantage with 6:55 left in the opening quarter.

It is the longest pass play to a Jets tight end since Brooks Bollinger hit Doug Jolley for 60 yards in the 14th game of 2005 at Miami.

The Rams convert a third down to give the appearance of momentum, but then the Jets defense strikes again. And as last week, S Abram Elam produces a first-quarter gem.

Elam, who returned an interception of Trent Edwards 92 yards to end the first quarter and give the Jets a lead they never lost at Buffalo, this time is blitzing from off the line. He isn't picked up and he has a shot at Bulger's blind side. Elam applies the hit, Bulger's "pass" goes backward, bounces and is picked up by Calvin Pace in stride for a 50-yard fumble-return TD and a 17-0 margin.

That's the longest fumble-return TD by a Jet since (drum roll, please) Jerome Henderson, the Jets secondary coach took a Steve DeBerg strip-sack executed by Victor Green 53 yards against Atlanta at the Meadowlands in 1998, a little more than a decade ago.

It is also the first sack of Elam's career, the first TD of Pace's, and it gives the Jets a 17-0 lead with 4:45 to go.

The first quarter ends with the Jets' 17-0 lead the largest first-quarter advantage in a home game in franchise history. The other four 17-point first-quarter leads all came on the road, and the most recent of those was in the 1997 season opener at Seattle:

Second Quarter

Everything continues to come up roses in the Meadowlands. The Jets throw another three-and-out at the Rams' beleaguered offense, then go on their third offensive series of the game, a six-minute possession that grinds away for 12 plays and 58 yards to Jones' second TD of the game, a barge up the middle from 2 yards out.

The Jets' 24-0 lead is their largest in a game since ... well, it wasn't that long ago, Week 4 to be exact, that they ran up a 34-0 lead over the Cardinals right here. But the quarter is young.

Finally, a Jets drive stalls on a couple of loss/no gains by Leon Washington. But on third down Favre hits Brad Smith for 8 yards on third-and-14 to the Rams 31. And the home team calls a timeout to debate: Do we punt? Pooch? Go for it? Try a 49-yard field goal?

There is wind in the area — the American flags high over the New Jets Stadium are flapping straight out to the east. But typical of the Meadowlands, there seems to be no wind heading toward the West end zone. So head coach Eric Mangini calls for a Feely 49-yard field goal — and Feely hits it more than solidly and the count rises to 27-0.

And then the visitors try to move the ball, Bulger hits first-year WR Derek Stanley, CB Dwight Lowery gets his hand in there et voila! Fumble, recovered by S Kerry Rhodes and returned 15 yards to the Rams 31. Soon enough Feely comes on for a 46-yard FG and that's good. The score is up to 30-0.

And then Bulger gets hit in the pocket by Eric Barton, his throw for Stanley is off target — and Rhodes comes up with the pick, his first of the year. This sets up third-and-goal-from-the-1 play-action and Favre finds Keller in the back of the end zone for a 37-0 advantage.

And then the Rams try to run out the last 28 seconds of this nightmare first half. But first-year RB Kenneth Darby fumbles when Bryan Thomas hits his arm and the ball. Another fumble, another Green & White recovery, this one by Eric Barton. One more play, then Feely comes on for a 55-yard try. And he hits it. That ups the score to 40-0. It's the largest first-half lead in franchise history and one of the largest in recent NFL annals.

St. Louis is not a good football team today. And the Jets are very good. Because of the Cardinals experience five weeks ago — Arizona came back from 34-0 to make it 34-21 after three quarters — let's not start getting out the postage stamps. But the Jets are coming up big in a spot that everyone knew they needed to come up big in if they indeed are going to be factors in the second half of this season.