The New England Patriots dispatched the New York Jets 22-17 on Sunday. Here's a closer look at how each position group fared in that Week 8 matchup:
QUARTERBACK: C+
The Patriots' offensive line issues (more on those below) made it difficult to properly evaluate Jones' performance in his first full game in over a month. He was sacked six times Sunday, and five resulted in stalled drives, with the Patriots punting or kicking a field goal shortly thereafter. Jones accepted partial blame for these sacks -- he should have gotten the ball out earlier on at least two -- but he was not helped by his blockers in this game.
Overall, it was a step forward for the second-year QB after he sat out three games and most of another with a high ankle sprain, but he has yet to eliminate the ball security issues that have plagued him throughout the season. His lone interception was not his fault, but had a pick-six wiped out by a roughing the passer penalty and had another would-be INT bounce off linebacker C.J. Mosley's chest (after pinging off an O-lineman's helmet).
Head coach Bill Belichick complimented Jones for his play under pressure and said he played "great," seemingly sparing us all from another week of quarterback questions. But the Patriots still need cleaner, more responsible play from Jones, whose 5.8% interception rate this season ranks last among qualified passers.
RUNNING BACK: A
What a game this was for Rhamondre Stevenson, who's beginning to look like one of the NFL's best all-around backs. He averaged 4.4 yards per carry despite suspect run blocking in front of him, igniting the Patriots' lone touchdown drive with a 35-yard rumble on the opening play of the second half. Remarkably, he finished with more rushing yards after contact (83) than actual rushing yards (71), according to Pro Football Focus, a testament to his rare elusiveness and tackle-breaking ability.
Stevenson also continued to impress as a pass-catcher, finishing with seven receptions on eight targets for a team-high 72 yards. Twenty-two of those came on a well-executed angle route that moved the chains on third-and-8. Kendrick Bourne compared Stevenson to James White after the game, and recently, he's been putting up White-esque numbers: 15 catches on 16 targets for 131 yards over the last two games.
He even chipped in as a blocker, taking out two Jets defenders on a Jakobi Meyers third-down conversion.
Damien Harris started the game and played 32 snaps to Stevenson's 49, finishing with 37 yards on 11 carries and 15 yards on two catches. He had a nice 11-yard pickup after initially being met in the backfield, and he ran well after halftime, with four of his final five carries going for 5 or more yards.
The Patriots' lack of trustworthy depth behind these two likely will dissuade them from moving Harris ahead of Tuesday's NFL trade deadline, but Stevenson clearly has surpassed him as their top backfield option. If a team calls with a compelling offer for the impending free agent, would they listen?
TIGHT END: C+
Nondescript afternoon for New England's tight end duo. Hunter Henry was on the receiving end of Jones' best pass of the game -- a well-placed 22-yarder off play-action -- but that was his only target. Jones had him open on a failed fourth-and-1 attempt but didn't throw his way. Jonnu Smith totaled just 10 yards on his three receptions (four targets). His longest play was a 16-yard return on a bungled Jets kickoff. Both received mediocre run-blocking grades from PFF.
After combining for 122 yards in the Patriots' Week 6 win at Cleveland, Henry and Smith have just 48 yards on six catches between them over the last two games. They haven't been a major part of the passing game in any of Jones' five starts.
WIDE RECEIVER: C+
The Patriots' receiving corps was a one-man show Sunday. Jakobi Meyers saw 12 targets, caught nine passes for 60 yards and scored New England's only touchdown, on a well-designed fourth-and-1 play from the Jets' 5-yard line. Meyers also converted third downs of 10 and 11 yards on the Patriots' second offensive possession, which ended in a field goal.
The rest of New England's wideouts were nearly nonexistent from a statistical perspective. DeVante Parker suffered a knee injury one play in and didn't return. Tyquan Thornton played 61 snaps and caught one pass for 13 yards, dropping his only other target. Bourne finished without a catch in 54 snaps, seeing just one target. Nelson Agholor lagged behind the other three in playing time, logging 19 snaps. His lone target was a screen pass that was snuffed out for a 2-yard gain.
And even the Meyers connection faltered at times. Jones said the two had a "miscommunication" on the nullified pick-six, and there may have been another on the aforementioned fourth-and-1, on which Meyers ran an awkward route after initially setting up to block a defensive back.
The question now: With Parker reportedly avoiding serious injury, will the Patriots consider trading Agholor or Bourne?
OFFENSIVE LINE: D+
The Jets have a formidable front seven, and they gave the Patriots' O-line all kinds of problems in this one.
Isaiah Wynn, Marcus Cannon, James Ferentz and Cole Strange all allowed sacks, with Strange, in particular, struggling through his worst game as a pro to date. The first-round rookie was flagged for two holding penalties and benched for a stretch in the second half, with Wynn taking over at left guard. Ferentz, starting at center in place of the injured David Andrews, unsurprisingly had a tough go against standout defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, who was disruptive against the run and pass. Cannon also was beaten around the edge on Jones' interception, which defensive end Bryce Huff caused by smacking the QB's hand as he threw.
With both Wynn and Cannon struggling in this game, it'll be interesting to see how the Patriots proceed at right tackle. Cannon replaced Wynn in the starting lineup, but both saw ample playing time, with the latter playing tackle and guard. The Patriots reportedly are open to trading Wynn before the deadline to unload his $10.4 million contract, but doing so would leave them light at both positions.
New England will need to hope this unit, which hadn't been a liability since early in the season, rebounds once Andrews returns and it's not facing D-lines as talented as New York's.
DEFENSIVE LINE: B+
The Patriots got a team-high eight pressures from Deatrich Wise, per PFF, another three from Daniel Ekuale and a late sack from Lawrence Guy. The Jets' run game, which was operating without lead back Breece Hall and O-line standout Alijah Vera-Tucker, managed just 51 yards and averaged 3.4 yards per carry. New York was in pass mode for most of the second half, but this was a solid bounce-back game for a unit that was gashed by Justin Fields and the Bears the week prior.
LINEBACKERS: A-
Zach Wilson will see Matthew Judon in his nightmares this week. The Pro Bowl edge rusher, in his own words, "boogie-oogied" the overwhelmed Jets quarterback throughout the game, meaning he provided near-constant pressure that caused Wilson to scramble and forced him into mistakes. PFF credited Judon with seven pressures, including one that led to fellow 'backer Ja'Whaun Bentley's second-quarter interception and another that created the first of Devin McCourty's two second-half picks.
On one two-play stretch, with the Jets backed up in their own end, Judon tipped a pass at the line, then knocked down one wideout, diverted another and charged down Wilson to force a throwaway and a New York punt. On the opening play of the next Jets drive, he came after a scrambling Wilson, causing him to loft a bone-headed ball that McCourty intercepted along the sideline. Judon also helped create Guy's sack by pressuring Wilson off a stunt.
Mack Wilson flushed Wilson out of the pocked on the second McCourty INT and later pressured him as a QB spy to force a third-and-10 throwaway. Josh Uche jumped offsides on a fourth-and-10 (Wilson fired incomplete on the next play) but bagged a late-game sack.
Two apparent misplays by Raekwon McMillan -- one on a 23-yard pop pass to Garrett Wilson and one on a 17-yard completion to Michael Carter -- drop this grade a tad.
SECONDARY: B+
Zach Wilson was able to find some seams in New England's zone coverage as he racked up 355 passing yards, and tight end Tyler Conklin beat inexperienced safety Joshuah Bledsoe for a pair of touchdowns. But McCourty grabbed the two interceptions; Adrian Phillips, Jabrill Peppers and Jack Jones had standout moments as run defenders; and Wilson completed just 48.8% of his passes. Peppers and Bledsoe both saw their roles increase with Kyle Dugger sidelined with an ankle injury.
Phillips also had a diving pass breakup at the goal line early in the game, and Jones forced the Jets to burn an extra minute off the clock on their final drive when he brought receiver Jeff Smith down at the 2. That tackle came two plays after the rookie corner -- who's still PFF's highest-graded-player at his position, bounced off Denzel Mims as the wideout raced downfield for a 63-yard gain.
SPECIAL TEAMS: A-
The Patriots have been uncharacteristically sloppy in the kicking game dating back to last season, but this was a banner day for that unit.
Nick Folk went 5-for-5 on field goals. Jack Jones appeared to partially block a Jets field-goal try that sailed wide left. Marcus Jones had a 43-yard punt return, with Peppers laying a devastating block to help spring him. The Patriots also dropped Jets return man Braxton Berrios at his own 17- and 18-yard line on his two kick returns and got a much-needed bounce-back performance from Jake Bailey, who'd been one of the NFL's worst statistical punters through the first seven weeks. The Jets didn't start a single drive outside their own 25-yard line.
This would have been a straight "A" had rookie DaMarcus Mitchell not botched an attempt to down one of Bailey's punts, rolling into the end zone for an inadvertent touchback. Pierre Strong also was flagged for an illegal block on a Jets punt.
