The Patriots earned their first win of the season thanks in part to four interceptions thrown by Jets rookie QB Zach Wilson on the way to the New England 25-6 victory at MetLife Stadium.
Here’s a look at some of the personnel highs and lows from the win in New York that pulled the Patriots (1-1) into a three-way tie atop the AFC East standings:
Thumbs up
J.C. Jackson – New England’s No. 1 cornerback with Stephon Gilmore on PUP, Jackson continues to prove his worth. After notching one interception in the opener against Miami, Jackson picked off a pair from the rookie Wilson. His first came on New York’s opening drive when he blanketed Corey Davis over the middle and deflected the ball to himself for the turnover. His second pick came in the second quarter, a much easier play on a poorly thrown sideline ball by Wilson. After finishing second in the NFL with nine interceptions last season, Jackson already has three in two games, not bad for a guy set to be a free agent after the season.
James White – The veteran running back is coming off down season and got limited interest on the free agent market, but reports of his losing a step seem to be very much off base. White had a nice 28-yard screen early in the game. Then he had consecutive 7-yard runs to close a first-quarter drive with a touchdown, a possession set up by Adrian Philips’ interception.
White finished with 5 carries for 20 yards on the ground and 6 catches (on 6 targets) for 45 yards through the air.
Nick Folk – Now officially New England’s kicker with undrafted rookie Quinn Nordin on IR, the veteran Folk continued to be money on his field goals. Folk hit all four field goals attempted (46, 49, 32, 26), third of which was his 32nd straight dating back to last season, establishing a new Patriots franchise record, moving past Stephen Gostkowski’s previous mark. We will overlook the fact that Folk missed a PAT.
Damien Harris – A week after fumbling the game and an otherwise decent 100-yard day away against the Dolphins, Harris got back to work against the Jets in New York. Harris’ 26-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, running through and over most of the Jets defense, was one of the more impressive effort runs you’ll ever see. Harris finished the win with 16 carries for 62 yards, but the one truly special TD effort gets him the nod here.
Thumbs down
Yasir Durant/Tackle depth – A week after making his Patriots debut in reserve action coming on for a struggling Justin Herron against Miami, Durant made his second NFL start and first at tackle in New York. Durant struggled in pass protection early, allowing a sack of Mac Jones that pushed the Patriots out of field goal range on the opening drive. Durant actually got pulled and replaced by Herron against the Jets, both players scrambling to fill the void left by starter Trent Brown’s calf injury. The Patriots lack of tackle depth and need to get Brown healthy and keep Isaiah Wynn in the lineup has been magnified through the first two weeks of the season.
Kickoff team – While the game was never in jeopardy, the Patriots kickoff unit left something to be desired. Usually reliable kickoff man Jake Bailey kicked one out of bounds on his second of the game, giving New York possession at the 40. The Patriots coverage unit then allowed Braxton Berrios to pop off a 38-yard return on their next kickoff attempt. Two possessions at the 38 or better is not ideal, and might have been more critical in a more tightly-fought game.
Run Defense – It didn’t matter in a game where their quarterback threw four interceptions, but the Jets ran the ball very effectively against New England’s supposedly rebuilt front. After picking up just 45 yards on the ground against the Panthers in Week 1, New York churned out 31 carries for 152 yards on the ground for a 4.9-yard average.