Credit Rex Ryan and his New York Jets for making a game out of it, at least. After Tom Brady found the end zone just 89 seconds into Thursday night's game, the red-hot New England Patriots looked to be on their way to a blowout of their struggling division foes. But thanks to a punishing performance from Chris Ivory and a stingy effort from the defense, the Jets kept it close into the fourth quarter, eventually falling 27-25.
Jets vs. Patriots 2014 final score: 3 things we learned from New England’s 27-25 win
New England overcame a surprisingly competitive New York team to take firm command of the AFC East.
Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
The Jets moved downfield in the game's final minute to set up a 58-yard field goal attempt, but Chris Jones blocked Nick Folk's attempt with no time remaining.
The Pats trailed late in the third quarter and entered the fourth clinging to a 20-19 lead. It took a 19-yard touchdown connection from Brady to Danny Amendola with just under eight minutes remaining to give New England breathing room.
But the Jets wouldn't go quietly, responding with an 86-yard touchdown drive. Geno Smith led them downfield in just over five minutes, eventually finding Jeff Cumberland on a 10-yard scoring pass. With 2:36 remaining in the game, Smith's two-point conversion pass floated just past the outstretched hand of his receiver. The Jets were able to force New England to punt back to them with 1:16 remaining, but couldn't connect on the game-winning field goal.
Shane Vereen, taking on extra work in the wake of Stevan Ridley's ACL tear, served as New England's primary offensive weapon. On just the fourth play from scrimmage, he got behind a Jets cover 3 look and Brady found him for a 49-yard touchdown reception. He added a second scoring grab with just over four minutes remaining in the second quarter to push New England out in front, 14-9.
1) The Jets’ red zone struggles continue.
The Jets’ offense was able to string together long drives for a change, averaging over 10 plays and 47 yards on each of their first four possessions. But not being able to turn those trips into seven points in the first half burned them. Four times in a row they traveled inside the Patriots’ 30-yard line ... and four times they walked away without a touchdown. In what’s becoming an increasingly problematic issue, the Jets stalled as soon as they sniffed the end zone, settling for four field goals to start the game.
Given that the Jets have a 6'3 starter at wide receiver in Eric Decker, an athletic tight end in Jace Amaro and a bulldozer of a running back in Chris Ivory, you would think they'd be a proficient red zone team. Yet they came into the game having scored touchdowns on just 39 percent of their trips inside the 20, the third-worst rate in the league.
The Jets ran 18 plays inside the Patriots’ 30 on Thursday night before finally finding the end zone -- a 1-yard touchdown run by Ivory midway through the third quarter to grab a 19-17 lead.
2) The Jets’ offense isn’t that bad when it gets to use Chris Ivory.
After Ivory bludgeoned the Pats' defense with 107 yards on 21 carries, the Jets came up just short of improving to 2-0 when he goes over the century mark in rushing (the other win coming in a 102-yard effort in Week 1 against the Raiders).
The Jets' offense is clearly a tougher and more consistent unit when Ivory is rolling, so why is that he had just eight and nine carries over the last two weeks in losses to the Chargers and Broncos? Primarily because large deficits effectively forced them away from the running game. The Jets trailed by at least three scores by the middle of the third quarter in both of those games.
The key for the Jets’ offense, therefore, is its defense. Smith and Co. have to be able to rely on Ivory and the run game, which means the defense has to make sure they’re not playing from behind.
3) The Pats are in command of the AFC East.
Two weeks ago, New England was 2-2, coming off an ugly loss in Kansas City and Bill Belichick was having to scoff at suggestions that Tom Brady was on the decline. Three games later, the Patriots are 5-2 and hold a 1.5-game lead in the division. The 3-3 Bills can pull back to within one game with a win over the lowly Vikings this weekend, but the Pats hold the tiebreaker after their 37-22 win in Buffalo last week. The Bills get another crack at it in Week 17, but they’ll have to travel to New England in the dead of winter to get it done.
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