Patriots @ Jets
Final Score: Patriots 22, Jets 17
Writer: Ryan McDonough (@RyanTalksFF on Twitter)
In a matchup that had garnered a lot of attention for being the one where the Jets might finally break out of the status quo and snap their 12-game losing streak to New England, the Patriot way ultimately persevered in a relatively ugly game on Sunday afternoon.
The Jets definitely had the makings of pulling the upset (?) with an explosive first-half performance by rookie receiver Garett Wilson and two touchdowns by Tyler Conklin, but the three interceptions thrown by Zach Wilson proved to be too much for the Jets to overcome in the pursuit of their fifth straight victory.
Standout performances by Jakobi Meyers and Rhamondre Stevenson and a near-perfect second half from the Patriots’ defense gave Bill Belichick sole possession of the number two spot in all-time victories by a head coach, only trailing the legendary Don Shula for the all-time record.
While this game was much closer than last year’s matchups, the Jets continued to have their weaknesses exposed by an overall more poised and determined Patriots team, who came in especially angry after being embarrassed by the lowly Bears on Monday Night Football. The margin between the two has definitely decreased, but the Belichick regime continued to find a way.
This is mad impressive pic.twitter.com/cxol8Bkmfy
— Ben Brown 🌻 (@BenBrownPL) October 30, 2022
New England Patriots
Quarterback
Mac Jones: 24/35, 194 Yards, TD, INT | 7 Carries, 19 Yards
It was certainly not the prettiest of performances from Mac Jones, who was undoubtedly doing what he could to once again fully grasp the reigns of this offense from upstart rookie Bailey Zappe. The interception that Mac threw came by way of what was basically a strip that led to the ball being popped up vertically in the air. Jones threw what would have been a pick-six late in the second quarter, but the ball was brought back due to a roughing the passer penalty on the Jets’ pass rush.
Mac Jones is the luckiest man on the planet https://t.co/MhUIGe8b0w
— Nico (@elitetakes_) October 30, 2022
One of the more interesting developments that we have seen in Mac’s game has been his sudden willingness to just take off and run with the football. Over the past season and a half of watching him play, it was fairly common to see Mac get out of the pocket just to toss the ball out of bounds and get ready for the next play. With an offensive line that was missing center David Andrews and opted to start Marcus Cannon over Isaiah Wynn, Mac’s willingness to sacrifice his body for the extra hidden yardage has been key to getting the New England offense going.
Mac Jones' performance vs. the #NYJ 👀
Presented by A.I.M. Mutual Insurance Companies pic.twitter.com/EdV1xQIFJe
— NBC Sports Boston's Patriots Coverage (@NBCSPatriots) October 30, 2022
Running Back
Rhamondre Stevenson: 16 Carries, 71 Yards | 8 Targets, 7 Receptions, 72 Yards
Damien Harris: 11 Carries, 37 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 15 Yards
Rhamondre Stevenson was one half of the duo that made the New England offense look remotely competent. He constantly had to fight through extra yards on his runs up the middle and continued to display his enhanced ability to make tacklers miss in tight space.
Rhamondre Stevenson is the Patriots best offensive player right now.
What a run to start the second half and it leads to a Patriots touchdown.
pic.twitter.com/qbhX8xWw9N— Pats Buzz (@PatsBuzz) October 30, 2022
Where Stevenson was probably his most impressive was in his work in the check-down game. With the New York pass rush constantly generating a lot of pressure on Jones, having chemistry with Stevenson on his quick flares yielded successful results in the game’s crucial moments.
Damien Harris looked fine in his limited touches, putting together a nice rush on a stretch attempt, but it is rather obvious that this is Stevenson’s offense now. Harris will continue to get reasonable playing time, but the touchdown upside that came with last season is no longer there.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Jakobi Meyers: 12 Targets, 9 Receptions, 60 Yards, TD
Hunter Henry: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 22 Yards
Tyquan Thornton: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 13 Yards
Jonnu Smith: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 10 Yards
Nelson Agholor: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 2 Yards
In a game where DeVante Parker left after the team’s first offensive snap, it was the Jakobi Meyers show. This should come as a surprise to no one who watches Patriots football, as it has become a common trend for Meyers to receive the lion share of targets in these ugly, defensive-oriented matchups. I have stated more than once that Meyers is probably the best “security blanket” in football right now, with his ability to find space and become available on late downs and critical plays. If Belichick brings out the money to pay Meyers this offseason, he very well could be put in the company of Julian Edelman and Wes Welker in terms of the flawless execution of the slot role.
Jakobi Meyers dives for the pylon and somehow the Patriots are on top!!! #ForeverNE https://t.co/HkdcU0zGRS
— Boston Sports Gordo (@BOSSportsGordo) October 30, 2022
The struggles of the offensive line are much to blame for the lack of production from these other receivers, but it will be interesting to see whether Jonnu Smith will be able to overtake Hunter Henry as the TE1 in this offense and get the volume that seemed to be coming his way earlier this season. Nelson Agholor hardly saw the field and he is clearly not in the offensive gameplan anymore after his early season turnover struggles.
New York Jets
Quarterback
Zach Wilson: 20/41, 355 Yards, 2 TD, 3 INT | 1 Carry, 2 Yards
The duality of Zach Wilson continues. There were moments in this game where Wilson gave flashes that left many wondering whether this could be a guy who propels his team into playoff contention status. He was evading tacklers, making pretty cross-body throws, and making the Patriots’ secondary look like a high school junior varsity squad running for their lives.
.@ZachWilson to @GarrettWilson_V.
PRETTY.#NEvsNYJ on CBS pic.twitter.com/uqFUvmY4EL
— New York Jets (@nyjets) October 30, 2022
Everything was looking good for Wilson…until the last minute of the second quarter came around. From that point forward, Wilson was intercepted three times, had a drive end in a missed field goal, and punted the ball every time besides their last drive where he threw a garbage time interception. There was more than one instance where Wilson just threw the ball up hoping someone would come down with it. One of the uglier moments of the game came when Wilson was intercepted by Devin McCourty in what appeared to be an attempt to throw the ball away out of bounds.
💌 Zach Wilson airmailing it to Devin McCourty. pic.twitter.com/yq4P159yDf
— Pats Pulpit (@patspulpit) October 30, 2022
Wilson has it in him, but the consistency has to be there for me to believe.
This three-play sequence by Zach Wilson was truly remarkable pic.twitter.com/GRtIjRm0Bu
— Ben Brown 🌻 (@BenBrownPL) October 30, 2022
Running Back
Michael Carter: 7 Carries, 26 Yards | 7 Targets, 4 Receptions, 35 Yards
James Robinson: 5 Carries, 17 Yards | 1 Target
Ty Johnson: 2 Carries, 6 Yards | 2 Targets
Being that James Robinson was dealt to New York earlier this week, it was fairly reasonable to expect Michael Carter to have the larger usage for this matchup. None of these guys were really able to get anything going on the ground against what is proving to be a fairly stout Patriots’ defensive line. Robinson figures to be the guy who will take over the lead-back position in the absence of Breece Hall but don’t be surprised to see Carter get a solid workload as well. This was proving to be one of the better rushing attacks in football before this week, and it is hard to imagine that they won’t find some way to return to form.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Garrett Wilson: 7 Targets, 6 Receptions, 115 Yards
Tyler Conklin: 10 Targets, 6 Receptions, 79 Yards, 2 TD
Denzel Mims: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 76 Yards
C.J. Uzomah: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 27 Yards
Jeff Smith: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 23 Yards
As I mentioned in the opening of this article, Garrett Wilson and Tyler Conklin looked great in today’s action. Wilson is really living up to the hype that came with being a part of what is shaping up to be an elite 2022 Jets draft class. While we have seen Wilson excel on deep and intermediate routes, I was most surprised to see him used on jet touch pass concepts and have him essentially run draws based on defensive alignments. Wilson’s slender frame was undoubtedly misguiding in respect to how tough of a runner he is.
Off to the races @GarrettWilson_V
(via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/x451PNQu5Q
— Jets Videos (@snyjets) October 30, 2022
Denzel Mims put together a pretty good day, but we will likely see a lot of his playing time evaporate with the returns of Elijah Moore and Corey Davis. Most of his yardage total came on a 63 yard catch and run when the game was essentially out of reach.
.@ZachWilson to @Zel5Zelly for 63#NEvsNYJ on CBS pic.twitter.com/TdYoay7BA7
— New York Jets (@nyjets) October 30, 2022
Conklin having such a high usage rate came as a surprise to me, especially with the hefty contract the Jets gave to C.J. Uzomah after the year he had with the Bengals in 2021. Success at the tight end position is typically very dependent on chemistry with the quarterback with the number of option routes and check downs they run, so if Conklin is the guy who is working better for the sophomore quarterback, they are more than likely going to stick with him for now.
Debbie Downer masterclass.