That didn’t go the way many expected it to go, but the Patriots came away with a win.
It came down to the final play of the game and Nick Folk kicked a game-winning 51-yard field goal to give the Patriots a 30-27 win over the winless Jets.
New England scored the final 13 points of the game.
After a Cam Newton touchdown run with 1:57 left, the Patriots forced their first three-and-out of the game and then the Patriots successfully managed the clock to get off the field goal with three seconds remaining.
It wasn’t pretty by any means, but a win is a win especially when the team had lost four straight entering the game.
Here are 10 quick thoughts on the game.
1. This may have been Newton’s most efficient game of the season as he seemed more comfortable than in any other game. He finished 27-for-35 with 274 yards, while adding 16 yards on the ground and two touchdowns. The quarterback made a number of impressive plays, both as a pure passer and then using his athletic ability to make a play. This was the Patriots first turnover free game of the year and Newton’s improved play had a lot to do with it.
2. New England’s game plan from the beginning seemed to be control the clock on offense and that is what they did. They had a ton of long, sustained drives and the Jets only ran four plays in the fourth quarter. That is when the Patriots are at their best, when they control the clock and are in control of the game.
3. Jakobi Meyers continues to make the most of his playing time. He finished with 12 catches for 168 yards, both of which were career highs. He now has more yards than N’Keal Harry in roughly 100 less snaps. His playing time should not be decreased when Harry returns from his concussion.
4. Damien Harris once again had a strong game, finishing with 14 carries for 71 yards, but was shaken up late in the fourth quarter when he took a hard hit on a strong run. The Alabama product certainly runs hard and that may have contributed to the violent collision.
5. The Patriots had yet again another poor sequence to end a first half when they kicked a field goal with 1:03 to play and then allowed the Jets to score a touchdown in just four plays and 38 seconds. This was similar to Week 3 against the Raiders when the Patriots scored with 34 seconds left and then allowed them to kick a field goal before halftime. That is not only poor execution, but some of it has to be on the coaching staff as well.
6. Josh McDaniels continues to be conservative with his play calls on third down. Like last week against Buffalo, he kept the ball out of Newton’s hands and opted for running plays. This did work on a number of plays thanks to Rex Burkhead. This isn’t a criticism on the play calls, more so just acknowledging how things have changed from past years when that would always be a passing play.
7. Jason McCourty was a liability on defense as he was beaten a number of times and committed a big penalty on the Jets’ final drive of the first half. JC Jackson wasn’t all that much better as he was beaten by Breshad Perriman for a 50-yard touchdown in the first half and beaten for another one late in the third quarter. The game wasn’t good for the narrative that Jackson can be a No. 1 NFL corner. Jackson did have a pick in the fourth quarter. The trickle down effect of being without Stephon Gilmore was clearly noticeable.
8. Terez Hall got the start at middle linebacker with Ja’Whaun Bentley out with a groin injury. This was his first NFL game after spending all of last year and this year on the practice squad. He played significantly more than rookies Josh Uche and Anfernee Jennings, which could be because of experience in the system, but the Patriots did use high picks on both players. And yes, both Uche and Jennings have played in the middle following being mostly edge players in college.
9. After not seeing much playing time at all in recent weeks, Chase Winovich was back to a somewhat normal snap count in the game. His decrease in playing time was puzzling to say the least as it’s still unclear what the exact reason for it was.
10. Injuries were obviously a major part of the story for the Patriots on both sides of the ball. Defensively, only six of the 11 starters were Week 1 starters and that included a few players who began the season on the practice squad. And then on offense it was another game where the Patriots did not dress a single drafted wide receiver.
Jackson recorded an interception for the fourth straight game, which ties a Patriots franchise record.
