Three Studs, (More Than) Three Duds From Patriots’ One-Sided Loss To Jets

The positive performances from the New England Patriots were few and far between during their 24-3 loss to the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Thursday night.

The offense scored three points and registered 2.9 yards per play. It’s clear they don’t have enough talent on that side of the ball. Meanwhile, the Patriots’ defense missed 14 tackles and gifted the Jets 100 yards of added offense on those uncharacteristic miscues.

Anyway, here are three studs and (more than) three duds from Patriots-Jets:

Seven Takeaways From Patriots’ Ugly Primetime Loss To Jets

Sep 19, 2024

STUDS
DeMario Douglas, WR
The Patriots needed to get Douglas more involved in Week 3 after three combined targets in two games. Well, they did that. Douglas caught seven of the nine balls thrown his way for a team-leading 69 yards. Douglas also took one first-half handoff for nine yards as Alex Van Pelt got the ball in the playmaker’s hands out of the backfield. The small-bodied Douglas also drew a pass interference, which allowed the Patriots not to lose yardage after a holding penalty on the same snap.

Christian Gonzalez, CB
Yes, the second-year cornerback allowed a third-quarter touchdown to Jets star wideout Garrett Wilson. But in a game where New England’s defense greatly underwhelmed, Gonzalez was its best player. Gonzalez followed Wilson on 17 of his 19 first-half routes (89.5%) and allowed just two catches on four targets for 15 yards, per ESPN’s Benjamin Solak.

Bryce Barringer, P
Uhh a punter? Yes, a punter. Because not only was it difficult to come up with three positive performances from the Patriots, but Barringer also was very good. He recorded five punts for 245 yards (49.0 average) and pinned the Jets inside the 20-yard line three times, including a 57-yard boot.

Honorable mentions: Keion White

DUDS
Ja’Whaun Bentley replacements
Jahlani Tavai and Raekwon McMillan started in place of injured linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley. Tavai, specifically, was frequently targeted by the Jets. He was the closest defender when Aaron Rodgers found tight end Tyler Conklin for a 22-yard gain on New York’s 13-play, 91-yard scoring drive. Tavai also was whistled for a brutal unnecessary roughness call during Gang Green’s eight-play, 73-yard scoring drive. McMillan wasn’t much better, either. The veteran missed a few tackles, which proved to be common theme for the defense.

Patriots (lack of) passing attack
It felt like the game was over as soon as the Jets took a two-score lead midway through the second quarter. That’s because the Patriots had yet to show anything resembling a legitimate passing attack during their previous two games. It wasn’t much better against the Jets. New England recorded 1.8 yards per pass. The reasoning, as it has been, is multi-fold: New England’s offensive line can’t block and receivers struggle to get open given they have such a quick window. The Patriots allowed seven sacks and 15 quarterback hits.

Caedan Wallace, LT
Wallace was thrust into the starting lineup with left tackle Vederian Lowe ruled out, marking the team’s third starting left tackle in as many games. Unfortunately for the third-round rookie it was a tough outing against New York’s defensive front. Wallace was whistled for back-to-back holding penalties to take the Patriots out of field goal range in the third quarter. He also was flagged for an illegal formation earlier in the contest, the second time in as many games. Wallace certainly was not the only offensive linemen to struggle — the Jets recorded three quarterback hits and two sacks on unblocked rushers just three series into the game.

Alex Austin, CB
Austin elevated up the depth chart in place of Marco Wilson, but did not bring much to the table in his first snaps of the season. Austin was targeted immediately when he rotated in for Jonathan Jones on New York’s first scoring drive. Austin allowed a touchdown to Jets receiver Allen Lazard after a missed tackle. He came up on the wrong end of an internet meme in the process.