Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
NFL: New York Jets at New England Patriots
The Jets fell to the Patriots in heartbreak fashion yesterday by a score of 10-3 at Gillette stadium. It was an absolutely abysmal offensive performance capped off by a special teams debacle.
There were 26 seconds left on the clock and the Jets were set to punt it away. Jets punter Braden Mann booted the ball to return Marcus Jones at the 16 yard line. In the blink of an eye, Jones took it 84 yards to the house with five seconds remaining and crushed the Jets hopes at taking first place in the AFC East. However, this loss did not fall solely on that single play.
The Jets offense, for the second time this season against the Patriots, went missing in action. Quarterback Zach Wilson and company produced a grand total of 103 total net yards of offense on the day. That right there is enough to tell you how the contest fared for the rest of the afternoon. The offense moved the sticks a grand total of six times. Two out of the six were automatic due to a penalty.
The Patriots defense for a second week in a row put together a six sack performance with linebacker Matthew Judon tacking on two more to his season total (now up to 13). This performance was a combination of Zach Wilson holding on to the ball for far too long and the offensive line failing to do its job. Wilson finished the day going nine for 22, passing for just 77 yards passing and zero touchdowns. The Jets punted on six straight possessions in the second half including the punt that they lost the game on.
Wilson told the media following the game: “It was super frustrating. It was a frustrating day of course, I feel like I had some balls that got away from me…we gotta find a way as an offense, we gotta do some digging, watch some film, and see what we can do better”.
The bright spot of this game for the Jets? Their defense played even better than they did the first time around against New England. The Jets defensive front had six sacks of their own and made some key stops on third down and a fourth down stop as well at the end of the third quarter. The defense has been the heart and soul of this team for a majority of the season but in this day and age you also need a competent offense. Compiling just two total yards in the second half will not get that done by any means.
The Jets are now tied with the Patriots at 6-4 in the AFC East. Gang Green will look to bounce back as they play the Chicago Bears at Metlife Stadium next Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
Things to Note:
- The Jets have now lost 14 straight against the Patriots which is currently now the longest losing streak against one team in the entire the league.
