Jets vs. Falcons 2013: Geno Smith, New York win in Atlanta on Monday Night Football

The future has suddenly become very, very, very bleak for Geno Smith.

The Jets rookie had an amazing Monday night -- 16-for-20, three touchdowns, and a drive in the two-minute drill that allowed the Jets to take a 30-28 victory.

All hope is not lost for the Falcons, though. Nine teams in the history of the league have made the playoffs after a 1-4 start to the season. The Bengals even made the playoffs after starting 1-6 in 1970. Most recently, the 2008 Chargers fell to 4-8 before storming to the postseason.

Maybe the expectations have been too much for Atlanta to handle. But the Falcons will show what they are really made of in the coming weeks.

White has been limited all season by an ankle injury he suffered during the preseason. He appeared to be moving better on Monday, even if he still wasn’t 100 percent. He left the game with a hamstring injury after Atlanta’s first possession of the fourth quarter and did not return. Hamstring injuries can be especially detrimental for wide receivers. It wasn’t obvious when White suffered the injury. He was called for offensive pass interference and the Falcons punted two plays later. White did not come back in the game on Atlanta’s next possession.

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But low and behold, five games into his NFL career, Smith has looked more like a future star than the bust many were expecting. Against the Falcons, he threw for three touchdowns and was poised throughout the close win.

Like the first four games of the season, Smith had his rough moments. That’s to be expected of a rookie quarterback. One of his main flaws at West Virginia was his tendency to hang onto the ball too long. That reared its head against the Falcons. Unlike in recent weeks, however, Smith took care of the football. He made that his priority after the turnover-prone start to the season.

Geno Smith played an amazing game Monday night. 16-for-20, three touchdowns, and a late drive in the two-minute drill to give the Jets a 30-28 win after relinquishing the lead late.

Even Mark Sanchez was able to be happy for the guy who’s taken his starting spot, as you can see reaction to Nick Folk’s game-winning field goal.

Atlanta wasn’t able to muster much of a rushing attack against the Jets. Snelling carried the ball seven times for 13 yards before he exited. Rodgers had more success and was getting the bulk of the carries, including a pair of touchdown runs.

Jackson missed his third straight game due to a hamstring injury.

The Atlanta Falcons punter is Matt Bosher.

Matt Bosher went to the U, so even though he’s a punter, he’s not shy about reacting when he makes a tackle. Here he is with the patented enthusiastic chinstrap unbuttoning after making a tackle in the second quarter. The gumption:

White has been hampered all season by an ankle injury. He’s been limited in practice and noticeably affected during games. His numbers have been down as a result and now he’ll have to deal with the hamstring injury too.

It wasn’t apparent when White suffered the injury. He was flagged for offensive pass interference on the first play of the fourth quarter and Atlanta punted two plays later. When the Falcons got the ball back, White remained on the sidelines.

The Jets got off to a good start, driving their opening possession deep into Atlanta territory. They lined up to go for a 4th-and-1 attempt, but opted for a field goal instead. New York scored touchdowns on its next two possessions and did so efficiently. It needed just three plays to cover 66 yards for its second touchdown.

The Jets will receive the second-half kickoff with a chance to increase their lead.

The same things that always happen to the Jets are continuing to happen to the Jets, but, somehow, they’re actually doing good things with it.

First, they made a great special teams play to block a punt on the Falcons’ first possession ... but Atlanta nearly made something out of it when safety Shann Schillinger tried running and passing lefty to a receiver with blockers.

Monday, Oct. 7, 8:30 p.m. ET

Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Ga.