The New York Jets were supposed to be competitive Monday night against the New England Patriots. Spoiler alert in case you missed the game: They weren’t.
The Patriots trounced the Jets 33-0, improving their record to 7-0.
The Jets were coming off of an impressive 24-22 win over the Dallas Cowboys in quarterback Sam Darnold’s Week 6 return from mononucleosis. Darnold was the AFC Offensive Player of the Week after that performance in which he completed 23-of-32 passes for 338 yards with three touchdowns and an interception.
We found out Monday night the Patriots’ defense is on another level. Darnold went 11-of-32 for 86 yards with no touchdowns, four interceptions, a lost fumble and a safety.
The Patriots have now won 23 straight games against first- or second-year quarterbacks, a streak that dates back to 2013. They’re still set to face three more first- or second-year QBs this season. Not only that, the Patriots have a 28-game winning streak against first-, second- or third-year quarterbacks dating back to the 2014 season with two more third-year signal-callers on the schedule, too.
So, expect the Patriots’ defensive success to continue this season.
All advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus.
PASS RUSH
S Terrence Brooks: QB hit, two hurries
LB Kyle Van Noy: two hurries
LB Dont’a Hightower: two hurries
LB Jamie Collins: two hurries
LB Chase Winnovich: two hurries
LB Ja’Whaun Bentley: two hurries
DE John Simon: sack
DE Deatrich Wise: hurry
LB Elandon Roberts: hurry
S Devin McCourty: hurry
LB Shilique Calhoun: hurry
— The Patriots generated pressure on 48.5 percent of Jets dropbacks. Two of Jets quarterback Sam Darnold’s four interceptions came when he was under pressure.
— The Patriots blitzed on 16-of-33 Jets dropbacks. All but four Patriots defenders rushed the passer at some point in the game. Only cornerbacks Stephon Gilmore, JC Jackson, Joejuan Williams and Jonathan Jones stayed in coverage for the entire contest.
— Darnold went 3-of-17 for 20 yards with two interceptions when the Patriots didn’t blitz. He was 8-of-15 for 66 yards with two interceptions when the Patriots did blitz. Pretty dismal either way.
— Brooks brought pressure on three of his six pass-rush snaps. Bentley brought pressure on two of his five pass-rush snaps.
PASS COVERAGE
CB Jason McCourty: four catches on six targets, 32 yards
CB Joejuan Williams: 1-2, 20 yards
CB Jonathan Jones: 3-4, 17 yards
CB Stephon Gilmore: 1-4, 10 yards, INT
S Duron Harmon: 1-2, 6 yards, INT
S Devin McCourty: 1-3, 1 yard, INT
LB Kyle Van Noy: 0-1
DE John Simon: 0-1
LB Dont’a Hightower: 0-2
CB JC Jackson: 0-3
S Terrence Brooks: 0-1, INT
— Jackson was flagged twice for defensive pass interference and once for holding.
— Gilmore shut down Robby Anderson again. The Jets receiver now has just five catches for 32 yards on 17 targets against Gilmore. Gilmore also has two interceptions and four pass breakups against Anderson.
— It says something when Jason McCourty allows the most passing yards, and he only lets up 5.3 yards per target.
TACKLING
CB Jason McCourty: three stops
S Devin McCourty: two stops
DT Lawrence Guy: two stops, missed tackle
DE Deatrich Wise: stop
LB Kyle Van Noy: stop
LB Elandon Roberts: stop
CB Jonathan Jones: stop
LB Ja’Whaun Bentley: stop
LB Chase Winovich: stop
DE John Simon: stop
LB Dont’a Hightower: stop, missed tackle
— It’s nearly impossible to pass against the Patriots. Jets’ running backs, however, did average 4.6 yards per carry against the Patriots. Le’Veon Bell rushed 16 times for 70 yards.
PASSING GAME
QB Tom Brady went 31-of-45, but three of those incompletions were dropped, three were thrown away, one was batted and one came while he was hit while throwing. His adjusted accuracy rate was 83.8 percent.
Brady was 2-of-4 with one touchdown and one interception on deep passes.
He let go of the ball in 2.53 seconds, on average, up from his yearly average of 2.43 seconds,
WR Julian Edelman, TE Ben Watson and RB Sony Michel dropped passes. Edelman shares the NFL lead with Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Gallup with seven drops and has the 13th-highest drop rate among wide receivers.
PASS PROTECTION
RT Marcus Cannon: QB hit, three hurries
QB Tom Brady: QB hit, three hurries
LT Marshall Newhouse: four hurries
C Ted Karras: two hurries
RG Shaq Mason: two hurries
LG Joe Thuney: hurry
TE Eric Tomlinson: hurry
— RBs James White, Sony Michel, Brandon Bolden and Damien Harris, TE Ben Watson and WR Julian Edelman didn’t allow any pressure despite pass-blocking snaps.
— Brady was under pressure on 42.2 percent of dropbacks. That’s up from 28.6 percent on the season.
RUSHING ATTACK
RB Damien Harris: 2.25 yards after contact per attempt
RB Sony Michel: 1.47 yards after contact per attempt, two forced missed tackles
RB James White: 1.2 yards after contact per attempt
RB Brandon Bolden: 1 yard after contact per attempt, one forced missed tackle
— Harris ripped off a 13-yard run on his first NFL carry but combined for just -1 yard on his next three carries.
— Michel was effective near the goal line with three touchdowns, but he only gained 42 yards on 19 carries.
HIDDEN STARS
S Terrence Brooks: Brooks not only contributed three pressures, but he also had an interception and didn’t allow a reception. Brooks was on the field for 39 defensive snaps, helping to fill in for Patrick Chung, who was out with heel and chest injuries. Brooks played for the Jets in 2017 and 2018 and barely saw any time on defense, primarily being used as a special teamer. Brooks is seeing the most defensive snaps since his rookie season. The Patriots are looking smart for counting on him at safety.
LG Joe Thuney: The Patriots starting left guard was the only offensive lineman who PFF graded out positively. He’s been the Patriots’ best offensive lineman all season.
For more grades, advanced statistics and more at Pro Football Focus, go to ProFootballFocus.com.
