Patriots beat the Jets for the 15th straight time, 15-10
A win is a win at this point. The Patriots came into their matchup with the Jets 0-2 this season, and with only two wins in their last nine games overall. Weather conditions were poor. The Patriots were playing on the road after losing their first two games at home. As crazy as it sounds, the Patriots needed a victory against the Jets to save any post-season hopes they may have.
The Patriots flipped the script on the first two games. The Patriots fell behind early in both games against Philadelphia and Miami, and ended up coming within inches of winning both games.
The Patriots dominated the Jets for three quarters, leading 13-3, going into the fourth quarter. At one point midway through the second quarter, the Jets had -1 total yards. Zach Wilson came as advertised, holding on to the ball too long and taking a safety (which I predicted in my pregame post), making poor decisions like checking down on a two-yard pass on 4th and 10, chucking the ball out of bounds every time he got flushed out of the pocket. To his credit, he didn’t turn the ball over which was a shocker.
Having said all that, the Jets managed to get three possessions with under three minutes remaining in the game needing a touchdown to take the lead or win. The Patriots offense couldn’t get a first down on their final three possessions which could have sealed the victory. Patriots’ fans had to hold their breath right up to the point where the game clock read triple zeros. Zach Wilson threw the ball 65 years in the air on the last play and almost completed a Hail Mary pass when Kyle Duggar tried a two-handed spike (“knock it down!”), but instead directed the ball to the Jets’ Randall Cobb who was trailing the play. Cobb got a hand on the ball, but couldn’t bring it in. After the game, Cobb said he should have caught it.
A win is a win. Keep telling yourself that and move on. It is hard to draw any solid conclusions from this game due to the weather conditions. It is frustrating because the Patriots offense has faced difficult weather conditions in two of their first three games. It is difficult to gauge how good or bad they are.
What was promising was the Patriots had their offensive line together for the first time all year. Mac Jones wasn’t sacked once. The running game showed signs of life, totaling 157 yards on the ground, led, surprisingly, by Ezekiel Elliott with 80 yards.
A couple of other things stood out to me. Pharaoh Brown played 35% of the Patriots’ offensive snaps. A month ago, Brown wasn’t even on the team. Wide receivers Kayshon Boutte was a healthy scratch and missed his second straight game, and Jalen Reagor wasn’t activated for Sunday's game like he was last week. The Patriots went with only four wide receivers against the Jets, with Brown being the beneficiary of the Patriots going to a three tight end game plan. It was interesting to see Brown lined up at the full back position and serving as a lead blocker on a few runs. It is something to keep an eye on. We haven't seen a fullback formation here since the days of Jakob Johnson.
The other thing that stood out for me was the Patriots’ usage of Demario Douglas. The benching of Douglas against Miami after he fumbled was a lightning rod for fans’ angst at Bill Belichick for his in-game decision making last week. Douglas didn’t play much against the Jets, only 17 plays, but he was on the field at wide receiver and as a punt returner. More telling for me was that Belichick trusted Douglas carrying the ball on an end-the-round deep in their own territory with just over two minutes to go in the game and the Patriots up by less than a touchdown. It was a head-scratcher for me. How would Belichick explain that if Douglas fumbled there and cost the Patriots the game?
Some other observations were the continuing struggles of the Patriots' veteran receivers, particularly JuJu Smith-Schuster and DeVante Parker. Schuster hasn’t been much of a part of the Patriots’ game plan the first three games, but with the game on the line, Mac Jones threw the ball twice in the fourth quarter in the direction of Schuster on third downs to prolong drives. Both had no chance. It is notable to me that Kendrick Bourne continues to get less snap than those two washed up veterans.
Defensively, I like the fact that the Patriots looked more aggressive on defense, blitzing a lot more. Again, the reason obviously was that the Patriots didn’t fear Zach Wilson. But it was fun to watch.
Bottom line was the Patriots did not turn the ball over, didn't get sacked, and there were no real big coaching mistakes. They could still look to clean up their penalties. The defense looked great, and it has been fun to watch Christian Gonzalez blossom into a star. Injuries to Davon Godchaux, Daniel Ekuale, and Cole Strange are worth monitoring.
Also notable is that the Patriots’ next opponent, the Dallas Cowboys, were upset by the Arizona Cardinals, the worst team in the NFL. The Cowboys will be looking to avenge that humiliation on Sunday.