Live Blog: Patriots at Jets
As I continued to mention throughout the game, the Jets' defense deserves a ton of credit for frustrating Brady and the offensive line, but Brady missed a handful of targets.
Randy Moss was never a factor, and that left a brunt of the responsibilities to Julian Edelman (eight catches, 98 yards) and Joey Galloway (five catches, 53 yards). Edelman showed up to play, but he missed some catches and routes that Wes Welker probably would have handled — that's not a knock on the rookie, Edelman, but he's just not the caliber of player that Welker is. Galloway, though, isn't anywhere close to being on the same page as Brady. Heck, those two aren't even in the same library at this point. If Welker's knee continues to be an issue, Galloway really needs to be able to fill in and come up with some difficult receptions. To this point, Galloway hasn't shown that ability yet.
It's hard to believe the Patriots surrendered 16 points and lost this game. With that said, the Patriots allowed 13 points in the second half, and they looked utterly confused once the Jets opened the playbook and allowed Mark Sanchez to throw the ball more.
Things won't get any easier for the struggling Patriots, who host the explosive Falcons next week before playing the Ravens and Titans. Brady will improve as the season rolls on, but this has got to be a collective effort in the next few weeks. Brady has won this team plenty of games in his career. His teammates have to show up and win a couple for him now.
Final: Jets 16, Patriots 9: The Jets have improved to 2-0 (1-0, AFC East), while the Patriots have fallen to 1-1 (1-1).
Fourth quarter, 1:02: The Patriots just got flat-out beaten in New York. Tom Brady's fourth-down pass to Joey Galloway fell to the turf at the Meadowlands, and the Jets are a couple of kneel-downs from putting this game in the books.
Fourth quarter, 2:35: To address a few more of the comments, I think the Jets deserve more credit than anyone is giving them for their defense. On the other side, the Patriots' defense is allowing Mark Sanchez to march with too much ease, but the Jets' defense is good enough to get this team into the playoffs.
As for replacing Jerod Mayo with a playmaker, trust me, if there was a play-making linebacker out there in free agency, the Patriots would have signed him long before Mayo went down.
Fourth quarter, 3:36: I wonder if there is anyone on the defense who will step into a huddle and declare that the Patriots can still win this game. To this point, I can't believe anyone could take themselves serious enough to make that proclamation, like Tom Brady did last week against the Bills.
Fourth quarter, 5:10: Mark Sanchez finally looks like a rookie and sails a pass to a wide-open Dustin Keller. Granted, it's tough completing an out-route to the blind side of your body, but Sanchez could have eaten up a few more minutes with a completion there.
Fourth quarter, 7:30: Fred Taylor is stuffed like a turkey in the backfield on third-and-short. The Patriots had attempted 36 passes leading up to that play, and their running backs had 18 combined carries. And they were stopped without defensive tackle Kris Jenkins on the field. Need more proof this team lacks a running game?
Fourth quarter, 9:09: Also, take into account the absence of Wes Welker, who is the best underneath route runner in the NFL. His ability to catch everything in sight while adjusting to coverages and blitzes would have been of immeasurable importance for the Patriots in this game.
Jets 16, Patriots 9. Fourth quarter, 9:48: Jay Feely just split the uprights from 40 yards, and the Jets have increased their lead to seven points. As well as the Jets are moving the ball here in the second half, they're committing the same sins as the Patriots did in the first half, with drives stalling and settling for field goals. And the Bills saw exactly what happens when you let a team like the Patriots stay within striking distance.
End of third quarter: This is looking similar to the Patriots-Bills game from last Monday night. The Jets have the ball with a four-point lead and can really stick their heel into the Patriots' throats on this possession. The Pats' defense hasn't shown any ability to slow down the Jets now that they've added a passing dynamic to their offense.
Third quarter, 2:17: In response, to Joe B's comment, give much of the credit to the Jets' defense. Of course, Tom Brady doesn't look very good against the Jets — he's missed a touchdown pass, as well as a few sure completions, and those delay-of-game penalties are inexcusable — but New York's defense has been relentless.
The blitz is throwing off the timing of the Patriots' passing game, and Brady has had no choice but to get rid of the ball before his receivers have completed their routes. For this timing-based offense, that is more than enough to uncover the Patriots' major weakness on that side of the ball.
As for Moss, he's been blanketed by Darrelle Revis. Taking the blitzes into account, Brady can't afford to just loft one up toward Moss because Revis is too dangerous out there. As you saw in the first half, he'll make a difficult interception look easy.
Third quarter, 3:18: Patriots special teams captain Sam Aiken just committed his second significant penalty on special teams of the day.
The Jets said they wanted to embarrass the Patriots, and with the way the third quarter is unfolding, they've got their chance to back it up.
Jets 13, Patriots 9. Third quarter, 8:22: Jay Feely kicked a 24-yard field goal to push the Jets' lead to four points, as the Jets have scored the game's last 10 points.
The Patriots' defense is playing with fire right now, and it doesn't look like they're nearly as comfortable in the second half with Mark Sanchez throwing the ball so much. This is a really important drive coming up for Tom Brady and the offense, which was stagnant on their first possession of the third quarter.
Third quarter, 8:31: It was originally ruled on the field that Mark Sanchez hit wide receiver Chansi Stuckey for a touchdown pass on the right side of the field, but based on replays, Stuckey's right foot clearly came down at least a foot out of the end zone. Bill Belichick has challenged the ruling, and it will be overturned.
Jets 10, Patriots 9. Third quarter, 14:20: If you keep kicking field goals, it'll come back to bite you. Mark Sanchez hit Dustin Keller in the back of the end zone, and the Jets have taken their first lead of the day with the game's first touchdown.
Halftime: This will be the final half of regular-season football the Patriots ever play at Giants Stadium. Last week, I asked Patriots tight end Chris Baker, who played for the Jets for seven years, if he'd miss the stadium. Well, not so much.
"Not really, not for me, not at all," said Baker, a Jets third-round pick in 2002. "When I say I moved on, I moved on in March, and I haven't looked back. I'm more happy to be here. Everything that goes on there, it really holds no significance for me."
When asked if the Meadowlands was unique in any way, Baker responded, "It's just older. That's about it really, to be honest with you. It's just a little bit older."
End of the second quarter: Defense ruled in the first half, as the Patriots have a 9-3 lead heading into the locker room. Like last week against the Bills, the Patriots have moved the ball well across the middle of the field, but they're not finishing drives with touchdowns. Two of Stephen Gostkowski's three field goals have come from within 30 yards.
The Patriots aren't even attempting to run the ball against the Jets, which is a little concerning. Laurence Maroney (five carries, 19 yards), Fred Taylor (three carries, 15 yards) and Sammy Morris (one carry, three yards) are getting minimal work. After attempting just six rushes in the second half against the Bills, the Patriots ran it nine times for 37 yards in the first half against the Jets. I don't care how effective a team's passing game can be (Tom Brady has completed 15-of-27 passes for 150 yards, no touchdowns and one interception); they've got to figure out some way to get the running game going.
Patriots 9, Jets 3. Second quarter, 0:17: Stephen Gostkowski got back to work and hit a 29-yard field goal to push the Patriots' lead to six points before the half.
The Jets answered my question about Randy Moss lining up in the slot. Darrelle Revis has followed him inside, and when Moss moves to the slot, he's also getting triple-teamed by Revis, a linebacker and a safety. Moss is only facing double-teams on the outside.
Second quarter, 2:00: The Jets announced cornerback Lito Sheppard injured his quad, and his return is questionable. Their backup cornerbacks are Donald Strickland and Dwight Lowery, who are each serious downgrades from Sheppard. It's no coincidence Tom Brady has targeted Joey Galloway so frequently on this drive.
Patriots 6, Jets 3. Second quarter, 5:59: Jay Feely kicked a 33-yard field goal to cut into the Patriots' lead. It was the first time all game the Jets have moved the ball on the ground, and I think it's been telling that Mark Sanchez will not have the opportunity to throw the ball unless it's completely necessary. Sanchez got away with some serious mistakes last week against the Texans, and he won't be so fortunate against the Patriots if he drops back and throws it as often Sunday.
Second quarter, 7:00: The Patriots announced safety Brandon Meriweather has an ankle injury, and his return is questionable. Meriweather injured the ankle in the first quarter.
Patriots 6, Jets 0. Second quarter, 11:30. Stephen Gostkowski hit a 25-yard field goal to extend the Patriots' lead, but that drive will leave a sour taste in Tom Brady's mouth. The quarterback missed Julian Edelman on a sure touchdown pass on third down, and the Patriots had to settle for three points.
Two interesting notes I took from that drive. One, the Patriots' receivers are wearing the play sheets on their wrists, which is a sign of how much no-huddle the Patriots plan to run Sunday. Two, when Randy Moss lined up in the slot, cornerback Darrelle Revis stayed outside on the opposite side of the field. I wonder if the Patriots will do that more often to keep Moss away from Revis, and if so, I wonder how long Rex Ryan will keep Revis away from the middle of the field.
End of the first quarter: The Jets couldn't capitalize on Darrelle Revis's amazing interception while blanketing Randy Moss down the right sideline, and they just punted the ball away on the last play of the first quarter.
The opening 15 minutes were ruled by the defenses, with New York's relentless blitzes frustrating the Patriots' rhythm. The Jets have constantly pressured Tom Brady and the offensive line, and the Pats' offense is making mistakes as a result.
On the other side, the Patriots' defense is playing great assignment football. They've contained rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez, and the Jets' running game isn't doing anything to assist Sanchez, either.
The Jets' defense is putting on more of a show, but the Patriots have been more effective with their discipline. Give cornerback Jonathan Wilhite some credit for a good quarter, too.
Patriots 3, Jets 0. First quarter, 6:50: Stephen Gostkowski just split the uprights on a 45-yard field goal to give the Patriots the lead. The Pats had two big plays wiped out because of holding penalties, which were undoubtedly created because of the Jets' ferocious defensive pressure.
The good news for the Patriots is they're able to move the ball when Tom Brady has the opportunity to get the ball out of his hands. The bad news is that's not happening with much efficiency at this point.
First quarter, 8:36: Jets running back Leon Washington fumbled the ball while trying to gain extra yardage in a scrum, and Rex Ryan is challenging the ruling. According to the replays, it looks like it might be difficult to overturn the call because of the shadows in the pileup. (Update: The ruling held up. Patriots ball at the Jets' 17)
On a side note, this is the second consecutive play in which a Patriots opponent has fumbled the ball away while trying to forge ahead for extra yardage. Bills cornerback Leodis McKelvin fumbled a kickoff return in a similar circumstance last week.
First quarter, 8:47: The Jets just got away with a running-into-the-kicker penalty during Chris Hanson's punt. Seemed to be a pretty cut-and-dry call for the refs, who kept the laundry in their pockets.
Darrelle Revis was doing a quality job on Randy Moss on the Patriots' last possession. Tom Brady didn't have much time in the pocket because of the pressure, but he didn't even appear to look in Moss's direction.
First quarter, 11:00: The Jets' offensive line, which returns all five starters from last season and is one of the best units in the NFL, didn't allow a sack last week against the Texans. That streak ended quickly, as Mike Wright sacked Mark Sanchez on the Jets' first offensive play of the game.
First quarter, 12:50: Rookie wide receiver Julian Edelman, who is playing in his first career regular-season game, just lined up on the wrong side of Tom Brady in the no-huddle offense. The quarterback called Edelman over to him and got in his ear a little bit before redirecting him to the slot on the left side of the offense. Tough start for the rook.
First quarter, 14:56: They have kicked off in New York, and the Patriots started the game's opening drive from their own 21-yard line.
12:49 p.m.: Oh, captain, my captain. Just four days after Jets head coach Rex Ryan joked he was going to release quarterback Kevin O'Connell after Sunday's game against the Patriots, Ryan has named O'Connell — the former Patriot — a captain for the game.
What does that mean, you ask? Well, not really anything. O'Connell will be out for the coin toss, which will undoubtedly draw some laughs from his former Patriots teammates, but if you think starting quarterback Mark Sanchez will be looking to O'Connell for leadership advice, you're crazy.
More or less, this is just another attempt for Ryan to fire up his team.
12:13 p.m.: The Patriots announced their eight inactive players for the game, and wide receiver Wes Welker is the biggest surprise on the list. He's been bothered by a knee injury throughout the summer that has limited his time on the field in practice and during preseason games, but Welker came out strong with 12 catches against the Bills last week.
Welker's second-half performance was a huge reason why the Patriots finally started to get into an offensive rhythm against Buffalo, especially since they only ran the ball six times after the break. With that, it's going to be of utmost importance for wideout Joey Galloway to step up and prove his worth in the offense. Galloway was inconsistent in the preseason, and he didn't have any receptions against the Bills (although Tom Brady, Nick Caserio and others in the locker room all said Galloway was open and played well, but he just didn't get much thrown in his direction). The Patriots will also need a big encore performance from tight end Ben Watson.
The other inactives are linebacker Jerod Mayo, special teamer Matthew Slater, cornerback Terrence Wheatley, offensive linemen Dan Connolly, Rich Ohrnberger and Kendall Simmons, and tight end Michael Matthews.
9:05 a.m.: A week's worth of talking will soon be condensed to three hours of on-field action. Twitter accounts and news conferences won't do the Jets or Patriots any good this afternoon at Giants Stadium, where the division rivals will meet in a Week 2 showdown.
The Patriots (1-0, 1-0 AFC East) are trying to put together a more well-rounded performance after barely escaping against the Bills last week, while the Jets (1-0, 0-0) will aim to build on the momentum of their dominant victory against the Texans. Sole possession of first place in the AFC East is on the line, so stay with NESN.com's live blog throughout the day to get all of the information you need as these two teams square off for the 100th time.
