Thank goodness there's only one more game this season because it's getting harder and harder to watch this.

The Jets defense came to play and Jerricho Cotchery picked up over 150 yards receiving, but the offensive line continued to be exposed and a killer turnover in the red zone helped the Titans squeak out a 10-6 win in Nashville.

Oh sure, the games don't "mean anything" anymore, but it's frustrating to watch the Jets hang tough with teams that are supposedly more talented than they are only to lose in the end because of missed opportunities.  Then again, I guess that's why the Jets stand at 3-12 on the year.

REASONS TO GET UP ON MONDAY:

Spirited D.  The Jets had one of the worst defensive units in the league through the first half of the season, but they have really turned it around in the second half.  Since their bye in Week 10, only the Dallas Cowboys have put up more than 24 points against the now rejuvenated defense.  The Titans did finish with 127 yards rushing, but the Jets held them to a 3.5 average and the longest run went for only 14 yards.  The Green and White registered three sacks and held quarterback Vince Young to 166 yards passing and one stinking rushing yard.  Cornerback David Barrett picked off a pass early in the second quarter that led to the Jets lone score and linebacker David Harris had a pretty strip-sack that was recovered by nose tackle Dewayne Robertson near the end of the first half.  Limiting a team to 10 points should be enough to earn a win in this league.  I stress "should be."

Two 1,000 yard campaigns.  The Jets definitely need more explosiveness on the offensive side of the ball, but Jerricho Cotchery continues to show that he's a legitimate No. 2 receiver in the NFL.  Cotchery was all over the field on Sunday and finished the afternoon with 8 catches for 152 yards and a touchdown.  It was only the second score of the season for No. 89 and the first one came on a "Hail Mary" pass at the end of regulation at Cincinnati.  Cotchery registered his first career 1,000 yard receiving season (1,054 to be exact) with his performance.  Running back Thomas Jones also passed the 1,000 yard barrier in rushing on Sunday.  Jones hasn't had a spectacular season by any stretch and his numbers against the Titans weren't good (21 carries, 58 yards, 2.8 average), but it was enough for him to become the fifth player in Jets history to crack the 1,000 rushing barometer (*Can you name the others?  Answer at the bottom of the post).  All in all, it's pretty impressive (maybe shocking is a better word) for an offensively-challenged team like the Jets to have a 1,000 receiver and 1,000 rusher in the same season.

REASONS TO SLEEP IN ON MONDAY:

Swiss cheese offensive line.  Eric Mangini decided to use the "shuffle" method for the offensive line on Sunday.  Will Montgomery, who had been spelling the much maligned Adrien Clarke at left guard for series during the last month or so, got the start at guard.  The Jets also employed a rotation along the line that included rookies Robert Turner and Clint Oldenburg.  Rotating players in and out is a way of life in the NFL, but the one place it doesn't work is along the offensive line.  That group needs cohesion to be successful.  The mix-and-match unit looked overwhelmed and gave up six sacks on the day.  The Jets have a lot of holes to fill in the off-season, but a major priority has to be solidifying the offensive line. Alan Faneca anyone?

Red zone debacles.  Even when the Jets do something positive this season, it inevitably turns into a negative.  Chad Pennington flipped a 9-yard touchdown pass that seemingly tied the score at 7-7 early in the second quarter.  Seemingly.  Unfortunately the extra point was blocked.  Blocked!  It's bad enough when a kicker misses an extra point, but it's almost impossible to have it blocked.  Then again, nothing is impossible for the Jets this season.  Later in the second quarter, Mike Nugent booted a 36-yard field goal that gave the Jets a 9-7 lead, but the Titans were called for an unsportsmanlike penalty that gave Gang Green a first-and-goal at the Tennessee 9-yard line.  However, on a 3rd-and-goal from the 8-yard line, a Pennington pass intended for Brad Smith was intercepted by linebacker Keith Bullock.  The Jets came away with nothing.  Hard to win games when you can't cash in on scoring opportunities.

Nashville jinx?  Mike Nugent missed an extra point that almost killed the Jets last season at Tennessee and his blocked extra point didn't help the Gotham Green's cause on Sunday.  Nugent also missed badly on a 51-yard field goal attempt at the end of the first half.  It was a goose egg day for Cat Scratch Fever.

New punter.  I guess it was just a matter of time before the Jets used rookie punter Jeremy Kapinos in a game.  Mangini made the surprising and even puzzling move by adding the free agent out of Penn State to the practice squad about a month ago.  Looks like incumbent punter Ben Graham's time in the Green and White is nearly up, but why bring in the rookie now?  The timing makes no sense to me.

So, the Jets finish 2007 with a putrid 1-7 mark on the road.  Up next for Gang Green is their last home date with another struggling squad, the 4-11 Kansas City Chiefs.

I'm sure the Meadowlands is going to be packed for that one.

*Here are the other four players to rush for 1,000 yards as a New York Jet:

• John Riggins (1975)
• Freeman McNeil (1984, '85)
• Adrian Murrell (1996, '97)
• Curtis Martin (1998-2004)