David Tyree.

While not lost in the Jets' 34-31 overtime victory over the Patriots Thursday night, Jerricho Cotchery's second-quarter reception was overshadowed a bit by the craziness of the second half.

With the Jets leading 17-6 and facing a second-and-3 from their 38-yard line, Brett Favre lofted a deep ball down the left sideline for Cotchery, covered tightly by cornerback Ellis Hobbs. Both players had to adjust to the slightly underthrown pass, and as they did, Hobbs interfered with Cotchery. With the players' bodies still pressed together, Cotchery, beginning to fall, slipped his left arm outward and grabbed the ball. Like Tyree, Cotchery pinned the ball to his helmet and maintained possession as he crashed to the ground, accompanied by the yellow flag thrown by the sideline official.

The one-handed 46-yard reception most certainly wasn't on par with Tyree's Super Bowl grab in terms of importance, but it was - easily - in degree of difficulty.

"Yeah, I started early in the week," Cotchery said with a laugh during a conference call Friday when he was asked if he had practiced catching the ball against his helmet. "No, it is something where you are given the opportunity to make a play, you want to do everything in your power to make that play at that time when you are given that opportunity. I am thankful that I was able to make that play at that time."

The catch came during a five-play, 87-yard drive that Cotchery capped with a 15-yard TD reception that gave the Jets a 24-6 lead. Cotchery, who has been battling a sore shoulder for weeks, caught three passes for 79 yards on the drive.

The fifth-year receiver was relatively nonchalant about the catch less than 24 hours after making it, but he was the only one taking that approach.

"It was pretty amazing," coach Eric Mangini said. "Jerricho has unbelievable hands, and some of the things that he comes down with are amazing. He's such an understated guy that you lose track of how gifted he is as a receiver."

Leon Washington, who contributed his own electrifying play earlier in the quarter by returning a kickoff 92 yards for a TD, called Cotchery's receptions, "one of the best catches I've seen in my young career."

Cotchery has taken the plaudits in stride. He's more interested in discussing what his teammates accomplished Thursday night in Foxborough, not the least of which was beating a team that had won 13 of the previous 15 meetings between the franchises. And, most important, taking over first place in the AFC East.

"We understood before the game the magnitude of the game," Cotchery said. "[Thursday] night we understood what it meant, period. We wanted to be ready for everything [so we could] come out with a victory, to make that next step."

Which Cotchery helped make possible with his hands.

Make that "hand."

Next Sunday

Jets at Tennessee

1 p.m.

TV: Ch. 2

Radio: WEPN (1050)