The New England Patriots avoided falling to 0-3 by defeating the New Jets 15-10 Sunday at MetLife Stadium in Rutherford, New Jersey.

New England’s defense forced five straight scoreless drives on the Jets first five possessions. Meanwhile, the Patriots offense was able to score a field goal and a 58-yard touchdown pass from Mac Jones to Pharoah Brown. The Jets were able to score a field goal on their last possession of the 1^st half but trailed going into half time 10-3.

The Patriots would open the 2^nd half by traveling 42 yards downfield to score another field goal to extend the lead to 13-3.

Both teams would trade six consecutive punts, until Zach Wilson led the Jets offense 87 yards down the field, with the drive being capped off when Nick Bawden scored a 1-yard touchdown rush to set the score at 13-10.

New England would punt on the following drive, giving the Jets offense a chance to take the lead, but the efforts were cut short when Matthew Judon sacked Wilson in the endzone for a safety to extend the Patriots lead to 15-10.

The teams again traded drives where they failed to get a 1^st down, but the Jets had yet another opportunity to win the game.

On 1^st down at the Jets 17 with 0:16 remaining in the game, Zach Wilson dropped back and threw a 29-yard pass to Garrett Wilson and quickly ran to the line to spike the ball at 0:01. With the game on the line now at the Jets 46, Wilson threw a Hail Mary that was batted down by Kyle Dugger and almost caught by Randall Cobb ending the game.

Patriots’ Defense Continues to Thrive

This win for the Patriots was largely impacted by their stellar defensive performance. They held the Jets offense to their lowest total yardage thus far this season, with 171 total yards. The Patriots defense forced the Jets offense to punt a total of 8 times and turn the ball over on downs late in the game.

Patriots’ rookie cornerback, Christian Gonzalez, continued to showcase his potential as he shadowed Garret Wilson for most of the game only allowing two catches for five yards on three targets. Gonzalez also recorded 3 total tackles and a pass deflection.

Matthew Judon and Jabril Peppers also played great for the Pats defense. Judon complied 4 tackles, 2 sacks, and a safety late in the game. Peppers added 7 total tackles and a tackle for loss.

The Patriot’s defense was without three of their top defensive backs with Marcus Jones, Jonathan Jones, and Jack Jones all out. Though the defense were without three playmakers in the secondary, they remained steady only allowing 10 points in route to the Patriots 15^th straight victory against the Jets.

“You have to be multi-facetted back there, especially in this system,” said Jabril Peppers. “We have a lot of guys that can play different positions, different spots and play them well. High IQ guys, it’s just about communication, playing your technique, being sound on your fundamentals and make them beat you don’t beat ourselves”.

New England’s’ Offense Slowly Putting the Pieces Together

New England’s offense struggled at moments of the game but did enough to walk away victorious. The Patriots had their best game rushing the ball, as Ezekiel Elliot ran for 80 yards on 16 carries and Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for 59 yards on 19 carries.

Mac Jones played another solid game conducting the Pats’ offense to a win. He had 201 passing yards while completing 15/29 attempts. He also threw a 58-yard TD to Pharoah Brown in the 2^nd quarter.

For the 1^st time this season, the Patriots managed to play turnover free, which they struggled to do the past two weeks as mistakes early in game cost them.

“That was our goal, no turnovers, so we definitely did that”, said Mac Jones. “Offensive line did a good job keeping me upright, really proud of those guys and the backs for running hard”.

New England’s offense managed to take care of the football but could not take advantage of the good field position that their defense helped them earn. The Patriots offense only scored one touchdown and two field goals, so capping off drives were an issue for them this game.

“We’re definitely close. I thought the play calling was really good, coach O’Brien did a great job calling a great game”, said Mac Jones. “We just got to execute better and I just got to let them touch the ball, but in a day like today with the wind and the rain you just got to be really smart and play smart football”.

Jets’ Impactful Players

Though in defeat, the Jets starting QB, Zach Wilson, showed flashes of his ability in the 2^nd half. Wilson had 157 passing yards on 18/36 passes and marched the Jets downfield when they scored their only touchdown of the` game in the 4^th quarter.

Jordan Whitehead and C.J. Mosely had huge efforts for the Jets defense, both recording ten total tackles. Quinnen Williams added one tackle, a pass deflection, and three QB hits.

Up Next

After earning their 1^st victory of the season, New England travels to Arlington, TX to take on the Dallas Cowboys in AT&T Stadium. Meanwhile, the Jets stay at home in MetLife Stadium to take on Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.