Four Ups, Four Downs from Patriots' defensive-fueled victory over Jets
FOXBORO -- Was it a rough game for the Patriots' offense? Yes. Was it a difficult game to watch for Patriots fans? Sure.
But a win is a win, and a win over the Jets to prevent them from reaching first place and simultaneously sending them to last place is something that the Patriots are very happy to have picked up on Sunday.
It was, obviously, not perfect, as the Patriots scored just three points all game before Marcus Jones' last-minute punt return for a touchdown. As such, the team has a fair number of Ups and Downs from the 10-3 victory. Considering it wasn't the greatest game of all time, we'll try to keep it brief.
FOUR UPS
Marcus Jones
The most obvious choice, Jones finally got a great chance to return a punt in the final minute of the game, and he made the most of his opportunity.
Jones, if you didn't know, was an incredible returner in college, and he returned a kickoff 100 yards in the final minute to beat SMU last year. But this was a real breakout moment for him as he tries to join a long line of tremendous returners in Patriots lore. A play like that will go a long way toward that end.
If it weren't for that play, there was a very real chance that this game ended in a 3-3 tie. And nobody wanted to see that.
Everybody On Defense
Kind of a broad brush, sure, but the Patriots' team defense was ridiculous. They held the Jets to just two yards of offense in the entire second half. That's not a typo. Two yards in 30 minutes of football.
The run defense was imposing, limiting the three Jets running backs to 33 yards on 19 carries. That was huge, as the Jets' game plan likely hinged on a running game to take the pressure off Zach Wilson.
That's because the quarterback is downright terrible against the Patriots, and that trend continued on Sunday. Wilson was limited to just 9-for-22 as a passer for 77 yards. He also took four sacks for a loss of 33 yards. He didn't have any touchdowns or picks, but he did throw a pass directly to Devin McCourty (yet again).
Matthew Judon had 1.5 sacks to maintain his NFL lead. That split sack was with Mack Wilson, while Deatrich Wise also had a sack. Kyle Dugger came off the edge on one play to record a sack, too. Ja'Whaun Bentley had a team-high nine total tackles (eight solo).
The Jets entered the game with a chance to take first place in the division. Instead, they gained just 103 yards in the entire game and left Gillette Stadium in disarray. The Patriots' defense put them in a blender.
Michael Palardy
Stepping in to replace Jake Bailey was a rather large task for the veteran journeyman punter who was activated from the practice squad. The fact that Michael Palardy had to do that on an exceptionally windy day in a game where the Patriots had to punt seven times made it all the more challenging.
But Palardy was good. He had one punt downed at the 5, and unlike his counterpart on the Jets, he never sent a boomer down the middle of the field to allow for a punt return for a touchdown.
Rhamondre Stevenson and Damien Harris
Moving the football right now is exceptionally difficult for the Patriots' offense. The exceptions remain the two running backs.
Rhamondre Stevenson continued his excellent year with 82 yards from scrimmage -- 26 on the ground and 56 on six receptions. Stevenson showed his unique skill set on one reception, when he juked one defender to the turf and then bulldozed through three others.
That's some rare ability.
Damien Harris only had 10 touches, but he made the most of them. He ran eight times for 65 yards, including a 30-yard run that was the Patriots' longest offensive play of the game. He also picked up 28 yards on two receptions.
Together, Harris and Stevenson accounted for 91 of the Patriots' 99 rushing yards and 84 of the team's 246 receiving yards.
Four Downs
The Offense
The boo birds were out in full effect on multiple occasions on Sunday, because the Patriots' offense was legitimately difficult to watch at times.
The overall numbers might look passable at a glance, but they're a bit deceiving. The Patriots had just one drive that actually went more than 50 yards, and that was their lone field goal drive. Twice, they gained more than 50 yards, only to move backward before missing field goals. Outside of that, they had five drives in which they gained fewer than 10 yards, and they punted seven times while turning it over on downs once on a failed fourth-and-3 run.
They were a grisly 4-for-15 on third down (27 percent) and were 0-for-2 in red zone trips getting to the end zone.
Anyone hoping that Matt Patricia spent his bye week coming up with some genius new game plans was sorely disappointed. The Patriots' offense is just not making any progress at all this year.
The Offensive Line
Technically, the O-line was included in the last group, but they do require some further detail after that game.
Mac Jones was sacked six times, which is kind of the recipe for how he got injured earlier this season. More games like that, and Jones will be hurt again soon.
The run game was struggling too. Outside of Harris' 30-yard run (which came after Harris cut it back and found open space on his own), the team ran for 66 yards on 25 carries. Plays like this had no chance of success:
David Andrews left the game in the first quarter with a thigh injury that reportedly might end his season. Isaiah Wynn got the start over Trent Brown at left tackle, but Wynn left with a foot injury. Brown got pushed backward into Jones for one sack. Yodny Cajuste -- the starter at right tackle, had this happen to him:
The offensive line coach is Matt Patricia, who hasn't done anything to convince his spring and summer doubters that they were wrong.
Devin McCourty, Jonnu Smith and nearly Tyquan Thornton
It was cold and windy on Sunday, so holding on to the football was difficult.
That was evident when Devin McCourty dropped what should have been his fourth interception in four games against Zach Wilson.
His twin brother was not impressed.
Jonnu Smith also fumbled on his own, after taking a jet sweep and picking up a first down. It could have been a large game, but it was limited to just three yards after he had to recover his own unforced fumble, which he made while switching the hand in which he was holding the ball.
And Tyquan Thornton was about a half-step away from committing the biggest ball-handling gaffe of the game, as he was stripped of the ball by Sauce Gardner just after making a catch. Gardner scooped up the loose ball and returned it to the 1-yard line, but officials ruled after a brief huddle that Thornton had not completed the catch.
That was the right call ... but it was also a close call. The Patriots definitely could have been better when it came to handling the football in the cold.
Nick Folk
Nick Folk has been a regular in the Ups for the better part of three years. But on Sunday, with a new holder and some windy conditions, Folk was a net negative for the Patriots.
The veteran kicker did hit a chip shot 24-yard field goal to cap off the only scoring drive of the day, but he missed two other field goals -- one from 44 yards, another from 43 yards. One hit the crossbar, while the other started left and drifted farther away as it sailed toward the uprights. Both were into the open end of the stadium.
Notably, Folk handled kickoff duties with Jake Bailey being out. The Patriots hadn't been using him for kickoffs, but Palardy's experience in that department was limited. It'll be interesting to note how that shakes out going forward.
After the game, Bill Belichick volunteered the excuse of wind for Folk without even being asked, so it doesn't seem like the head coach has any issues with the kicker's performance. Nevertheless, in a game where one more field goal could have won it, Folk's kick could have used one more foot of carry.
BONUS: Penalties
Once again, the Patriots were the more penalized team on Sunday, to the tune of eight penalties for 55 yards. (Mack Wilson also could have been called for a block in the back or for making a helmet-to-helmet block on the game-winning return, but a flag did not fly.)
An illegal formation penalty turned a second-and-5 into a first-and-15. A Matthew Judon neutral zone infraction gave the Jets a free first down on what would have been a third-and-4. A Yodny Cajuste holding penalty on a third-and-2 scramble gave the Patriots a third-and-12, which preceded a sack, which preceded a missed 44-yard field goal. A James Ferentz holding penalty gave the Patriots a second-and-27. A Jonathan Jones penalty on a punt return ended up costing New England 13 yards of field position. Another Jones holding penalty gave the Jets a free first down after a failed third-and-10 in the game's final minutes, when the score was still tied 3-3.
The Patriots aren't going to beat many good teams (that don't employ Zach Wilson at quarterback) with an undisciplined game like that.
