The New England Patriots silences the critics as they construct a game winning drive to defeat the New Jets 25-22 on Sunday at Gilette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

New England trailed 13-7 entering halftime, but after forcing a 3-and-out on New York’s opening 2^nd half possession, Rhamondre Stevenson punched into the endzone from 3 yards out to take the lead.

The Jets would quickly respond by marching 59 yards downfield to set up a 29-yard field goal from Greg Zuerlein to retake the lead at 16-14.

Both teams then traded three consecutive punts and after traveling 29 yards up field, the Jets set Zuerlein up for another field goal, but the veteran would miss from 44-yards out.

Afterwards, the New England offense charged 61 yards down field and Joey Slye hit a 23-yard field goal to take a 17-16 lead. Following the score, the Jets would respond yet again as Braelen Allen rushed up the middle for a 2-yard touchdown to the lead at with 2:57 remaining.

However, New York would fail to score the 2-point conversion keeping the score set at 22-17 and leaving the door open for New England.

With the game on the line, Jacoby Brissett conducted the New England offense into scoring position and after a 4-yard completion to Kayshon Boutte, the Patriots were at New York’s one yard line.

Then, on 4^th down, Rhamondre Stevenson would squeeze into the endzone and catch the proceeding 2-point conversion to give the Patriots a 25-22 win over the Jets.

In this win, the New England Patriots were led by Jacoby Brissett, who came in after Drake Maye left the game in the 2^nd quarter due to a concussion. Brissett recorded 132 yards on 15/24 and orchestrated the game winning drive.

Rhamondre Stevenson added 48 yards on the ground on 20 attempts and reached the endzone twice.

Tight end, Hunter Henry, continues to be a reliable safety blanket as he caught 5 of his 6 targets for 25 yards.

On the defensive side, Christian Elliss made an impact all over the field compiling 9 total tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 pass deflection, and 2 QB hits.

Jalani Tavai and Anfernee Jennings also added 6 total tackles each.

Christian Gonzalez gathered 6 total tackles and a pass deflection.

Though in a loss, Aaron Rodgers led the way for the Jets by recording 233 yards and 2 touchdowns on 17/28 passing attempts.

New York received a good performance from their talented wide receiver duo of Devante Adams and Garrett Wilson. Wilson compiled 5 receptions for 113, while Adams caught 4 passes for 54 yards.

Breece Hall added 80 yards on the ground on 16 carries.

Jamien Sherwood was disruptive force for the Jets defense against New England. Sherwood completed 11 total tackles including 1 TFL.

Quincy Williams added 8 total tackles and a TFL.

Quinnen Williams kept the Patriots’ QBs under pressure by recording 3 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 TFL, and 2 QB hits.

With this win, New England moved to 2-6 and earned their first win since the first week of the season. For the Jets, they dropped to 2-6, 0-2 since trading for Adams, and their chances of making the playoffs continue to fall.

New England Responds After Being Called “Soft”

After their disappointing performance last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, New England head coach, Jerod Mayo, referred to the team as “soft”. Though the comment came with much criticism, the Patriots took up for their coach and responded on the field.

With several players out with injury on both sides of the ball, New England was able to rally and earn a hard-fought win against the motivated Jets.

“I thought the guys showed the resilience that they’ve developed over the past few weeks,” said Mayo. “Really proud of the guys. There was a lot of noise and a lot of chatter; and I’m very appreciative of their attitude and professionalism on an everyday basis”.

In the previous weeks, the New England defense struggled with tackling and stopping the run. They allowed 192 rushing yards against the Texans and 171 yards on the ground versus the Jaguars.

However, against the Jets this week, the Patriots held the Jets rushing offense to 112 yards.

“It means a lot when you preach something and it shows up in the game,” said Mayo. “There comes a point and time where everyone in the stadium knows you got to run the ball, whether we’re on defense or on offense. There comes a point and time when everyone knows, the fans know, it’s a run play and you have to really defeat the man across from you”.

New England’s defense looked to play with a chip on their shoulder after the underwhelming performance versus Jacksonville and being without multiple starters.

Last week, Christian Gonzalez had an uncharacteristic showing but bounced back against the Jets. Gonzalez, who drew the Devante Adams assignment for much of the game, held the star receiver to 0 yards and o completed catches on 4 targets.

“[Mayo referred to the team’s performance as soft], but that wasn’t something he didn’t say to us first. Nobody took it personal. It’s a challenge, so we came out and did what we had to do,” said Christian Gonzalez.

New England’s offense also had to respond to a challenge once uprising rookie QB, Drake Maye, exited the game. Jacoby Brissett entered the game down a score and managed to lead the Patriots to a gutsy win.

“I think it was a good win. Fighting through adversity,” said Jacoby Brissett. “We got challenged earlier this week. The guys came out and responded well”.

Up Next

Next week, the New England Patriots go back on the road to challenge the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. Meanwhile, the New York Jets return home and welcome the Houston Texans on a short week this Thursday.