(My Sportsbook) - Last week I said the New York Jets should pull the plug on Chad Pennington. This week I am telling you that I was dead wrong.

Pennington is the undeniable leader of this team and as he goes, so go the Jets. That was never more evident than with 6:31 left in the third quarter of Sunday's 26-11 win over the Houston Texans. Pennington had just completed an unbelievable pass to Jerricho Cotchery for a first down, as he was getting taken down by Houston lineman Jason Babin. After releasing the ball, he was crushed again by rookie defensive end Mario Williams.

Pennington was down on the ground writhing in pain, as the close to 77,000 in attendance held their breath. As bad as Pennington has been of late, watching Patrick Ramsey warm up on the sideline was the last thing most Jets fans wanted to see.

"My heart dropped because I heard him making noises, and anytime you hear a player make those kinds of noises - it's frightening," said Cotchery.

Luckily for Pennington and Jets fans, he just had the wind knocked out of him. Pennington received a standing ovation as he walked off the field, then sent the Meadowlands into a frenzy, as he pumped his fist and waved his arms in response to the cheers.

"I wanted to let the crowd know I was okay," Pennington said. "It was a good feeling. It has been a while. It reminded me of 2002. That is one thing about Jets fans - I love Jets fans. They really taught me how to be tough, how to take my licks and keep on going."

Pennington completed 24-of-31 passes for 286 yards with a touchdown, while Laveranues Coles caught nine passes for 111 yards and a touchdown for the Jets (6-5), who have now won two of their last three. Cotchery caught seven passes for 110 yards, and Leon Washington rushed for 17 yards on five carries.

"Well, I think he [Pennington] came out and did an excellent job for us today," Coles said. "Distributing the ball around, gave the guys opportunities to make plays, I mean he made plays, he used his legs, moved around and got people open and I think that's one of the most important things for us."

Pennington reached the 200-yard plateau for the first time in seven games. The Marshall product had been criticized of late because of that, plus the fact that he had thrown six interceptions in his last four games. However, he did not throw a pick in Sunday's win.

"You are going to have your ups and downs," Pennington said. "It is going to be a roller coaster ride. Can you persevere through those tough times and can you continue to believe in the core things and the fundamentals that have gotten you to where you are? I think it is very important that you continue to believe in those things and understand that hard work leads to profit, hard work is what will carry you through the tough times."

NUGENT ON THE MARK

A lot of people were scratching their heads last year when the Jets used a second-round pick in the 2005 draft on kicker Mike Nugent. This year the pick looked even worse, as head coach Eric Mangini had seemingly lost confidence in his second-year kicker from Ohio State and opted to go for it on fourth down a week ago instead of letting Nugent try from 53 yards out.

Nugent, though, had his finest day as a pro on Sunday, as he connected on four field goals, including a career-long 54-yarder.

"We debated a little bit and then decided, 'All right, let's give it a shot,'" Mangini said.

Nugent, who had been 0-for-3 on field goals of 50 yards and beyond, also hit from 23, 34 and 40 yards out. His previous career-long had been 49 yards.

WHO'S HOT

Safety Kerry Rhodes has been incredible this season for the Jets and picked up his third interception of the year in Sunday's win. The second-year pro out of Louisville is poised to make his first Pro Bowl appearance this season and leads the team with 61 solo tackles. He also has four sacks on the year.

WHO'S NOT

The Jets running game was back to its old tricks on Sunday, as the ground game accounted for just 27 net yards. Leon Washington led the abysmal attack with 17 yards on five carries, while Cedric Houston produced 13 yards on 11 carries.

UP NEXT

The Jets will try to make it two in a row this week when they head into Green Bay to face future Hall of Famer Brett Favre and the Packers at Lambeau Field.

New York holds a 7-2 edge in its all-time series with the Packers, including wins in each of its last two meetings with Green Bay. The Jets were 42-17 winners when the teams last met, at the Meadowlands in 2002, and were 20-16 victors when they last visited Lambeau Field in 2000. The Packers last defeated the Jets in 1994, at Lambeau, and also beat them in Milwaukee in 1973.