The New England Patriots survived a 4th quarter comeback attempt to defeat the Jets in a 15-10 Sept. 24 victory. This win not only gave the Patriots their first win of the season, but also their fifteenth victory in a row over the Jets, spanning back to 2015.
Pharaoh Brown and Ezekiel Elliot were the bright spots for the Patriots offense. Elliot was able to bend the Jets defense at his will, rushing for 80 yards on 16 attempts, a whopping five yards per carry. Brown was able to capitalize on a miscommunication by the Jets, catching a 58 yard touchdown pass early in the 2nd quarter.
Outside of Brown and Elliot, the offense left a lot to be desired on the field. Mac Jones threw for 201 yards, and notched just over a 50 percent completion percentage. Multiple balls went in and out of the hands of Jets defensive backs, but Jones survived the day without committing a turnover.
Despite the mediocre offensive play, it was the defense that rallied the Patriots to victory. Coming into the game as the main threat to the Patriots defense was the Jets run game, which averaged a league leading 5.4 yards per rush entering the game. They found no such luck Sunday, being held to a measly 1.7 yards per rush.
The Patriots knew that the key to victory would be forcing Zach Wilson to beat them through the air. That plan proved successful, as Wilson threw for only 157 yards on 18 completions.
Loading the box on what felt like every play, the Patriots brought Wilson down three times in the backfield, and notched seven tackles for a loss. They did this in spite of losing two of their defensive tackles, Davon Godchaux and Daniel Ekaule, who both went down in the second quarter.
Patriots first-round pick Christian Gonzalez traveled well with Jets number one receiver Garrett Wilson for the majority of the game. Along with the Jets lack of passing attack, this helped in bottling up Wilson, who only had 48 yards receiving.
Matthew Judon was the hero of the Patriots defense. Judon tallied two sacks, including one for a safety late in the fourth quarter that seemed to shut the door on the Jets comeback.
The Patriots were in a cornerback carousel this week, with Jack Jones and Marcus Jones landing on IR, and Jonathan Jones out with an ankle injury. The team is already looking ahead to next Sunday, where they will travel to Dallas to take on the Cowboys at 4:25 p.m.
