Patriots Rally, Stun Jets 25-22 With Last Minute TD

Quick Observations From the Patriots Win

The Patriots capped off a 70-yard drive with a game-winning touchdown with 22 seconds left in a see-saw contest with the Jets to win 25-22.

It was just what the doctor ordered. The win, their first at home in over a year, snapped a six-game losing streak and drove the Jets to their fifth-straight defeat. They haven’t won since beating the Patriots in the Meadowlands in Week 3.

An added bonus was that they just about hammered home a death knell for the Jets’ playoff hopes. The Jets and the Patriots are now 2-6. After a spring and summer of being bombarded with Jets Super Bowl talk, they can just about put that one to bed again.

The Jets, with that uber-talented roster, came up small in a big moment once again this season. The Patriots, led by Jacoby Brissett, drove for two scoring drives in the fourth quarter, both of which were lead-changing drives.

After a tumultuous week, the Patriots held a players’ meeting to urge them to do more on and off the football field. There have been rumors of players having too much fun in London before the game, but none of that is confirmed. However, there are many UK Patriots fans there, and they see what goes on in the city. However, I digress.

Drake Maye Hurt, In Concussion Protocol:

The Patriots rookie quarterback was off to another good start in the game. Although he was only 3-6 for 23 yards passing, he also suffered from his WRs dropping passes twice. Overall, the wide receivers dropped six passes today. They weren’t helping their QBs out there. The social media posts should be silent from this group this week.

Maye did, however, scramble with the ball effectively, rushing three times for 46 yards, including a 17-yard scamper for a touchdown that put the Patriots up 7-0. His final carry, an 18-yard scramble, was a highlight reel play, but he went into his slide a tad late and was hit by Jets LB Jamien Sherwood. It could have been called for a blow to Maye’s head, but the officials remain awful this season.

The clip from the game was copied from Henry McKenna

Jerod Mayo said after the game that Maye was ready to return when he went into the locker room at halftime. “I walked in at halftime and saw him. The competitor he is, obviously, he wanted to go back out there and play. But there’s a protocol that he has to go through. Again, can’t wait to get him back,” Mayo said.

Which led to this…

Jacoby Brissett Shows Toughness, Resilience:

Brissett was benched after five games and going 1-4. But after Maye’s head injury, he stepped up and played like the established veteran he is. He wasn’t spectacular, just steady and tough like he has always been.

But in the final drive, he scrambled for 14 yards and a first down and threw a dime to Kayshon Boutte on 3rd and ten from the Jets’ 43-yard line for 34 yards, giving the Patriots a first and goal. Even better, Brissett stayed focused, knowing he was going to get drilled, which he did.

Front Seven Contained Rogers, Man Coverage Holds up:

The Patriots did a much better job of containing Rodgers this time around. There wasn’t the off-script plays by Rodgers that burned them so badly last month. They switched the coverage from the two-deep safety look to more of a one-deep safety with man coverage.

The secondary was also better at holding up this time. The Patriots had muffled all of the receivers, and with Rodgers holding the ball too long, trying to make a play, it allowed Christian Ellis to come on and get a key sack.

Christian Gonzalez looked like he held up very well against Devante Adams, while Marcus Jones had a rough afternoon trying to cover Garrett Wilson. Jaylin Hawkins dropped an easy interception from Rogers. Those don’t happen often.

Was it perfect? Hardly, but it was much better. The Jets’ first touchdown drive was aided by an awful DPI call against Gonzalez, followed by another interference call against Ellis at the goal line.

Run Defense Is Better, But Still Needs Work:

Like the pass defense, the run defense improved this week, not drastically so, but after allowing an average of 185 yards per game for the past three weeks, this was a step in the right direction.

Breece Hall and Braelon Allen combined for 112 yards on 28 carries, good for a 4.0-yard average. Allen added a three-yard touchdown carry as well. While defensively, those aren’t great numbers, they are much better, and there were no large chunk runs other than Hall’s 16-yarder.

The front seven did a much better job this week. Ellis, despite the pass interference call on him, had a strong game, leading the Patriots with nine tackles, a sack, two QB hits, a TFL, and a pass defensed.

Marcus Jones With The Play of the Day:

The Patriots STs had an uneven day, giving up a 40-yard punt return, but Marcus Jones turned in the Play of the Day with a scintillating 62-yard punt return of his own. This was the shot-in-the-arm that the Patriots needed in the second half.

This play effectively turned the game around. While the score would continue to seesaw back and forth, the Patriots’ offense seemed stuck in neutral, this gave them life and led to three scores in the second half.

Jones fielded the ball at the 12-yard line and was sprung down the sideline by excellent blocks by JaMycal Hasty and rookie Marcellus Dial. He then cut back to the middle of the field where he was eventually brought down from behind. But instead of being pinned deep in their own end, they began the drive at the Jets’ 26-yard line.

Five plays later, Rhamondre Stevenson punched it in from the three-yard line and the Patriots took the lead 14-13. This is Jones’s second time with a dynamic punt return against the Jets.

Other Observations:

The Patriots’ running game was led by Stevenson, who had 48 yards on 20 carries but only averaged 2.4 yards per carry. Maye had 46 yards on three carries. Overall, the Patriots’ running game gained 111 yards on 31 carries for a 3.6-yard average. Again, it was better than they’ve had going for a while, but not where it needs to be.

Hunter Henry deserves kudos as well, his numbers weren’t eye-popping, but his consistency and strong play is. At least he was supporting his QBs with some strong play.

It wasn’t pretty, but the Patriots’ gritty, resilient effort earned them their first come-from-behind win of the season.

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Look for our positional report card asap.

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About Steve Balestrieri

A former US Army Special Forces NCO and Officer, Steve has been following the Patriots since their days at Fenway Park. Steve has worked in the film industry and wrote as an Military Editor at SpecialOperations.com, 1945.com as a reporter for the Millbury Daily Voice, Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, and the Grafton News. He's also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA)

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