New York Jets Leave Points on Field in Loss to Patriots

The New York Jets put up a good fight on Sunday in New England, but fell short, losing to their rivals by the score of 30-23. The game dropped their record to 4-2, and improved the Patriots to a perfect 6-0, widening their lead in the AFC East.

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The Jets lost this one by leaving points on the field. There were two drives in particular where the Jets let the Patriots off the hook. They fumbled on the second play of the game, but stiffened on defense, holding the Patriots to a field goal. On the ensuing drive, the Jets started from the 20, and drove the ball down the field on 15 plays. But, the drive stalled at the two yard line, and the Jets had to settle for a field goal. They couldn’t punch it in from the two.

The second occurred late in the third quarter into the fourth quarter. Following the Ivory touchdown that gave the Jets a 17-16 lead, the Patriots went three and out. The Jets took over with 2:02 remaining in the third quarter from their own 17. Had the Jets scored a touchdown, they would have been able to go up by eight, leaving the Patriots needing two scores to win. The Jets had a touchdown right in Brandon Marshall‘s hands, but he dropped the pass. 99 times out of 100 he makes the catch. Sunday was the 100th time.

The third field goal of the game gave the Jets a mere 20-16 lead, and left Brady more than enough time to get the one score he needed to win. Of course, in Tom Brady fashion, he did just that.

If you have the chance to get down deep against the New England Patriots, you have to score touchdowns. Field goals are just not good enough. Love him or hate him, Tom Brady is going to get you if you give him the chance. That is exactly why the Jets fell. They played well, but just not well enough.

A couple of other thoughts…

Oct 25, 2015; Foxborough, MA, USA; New York Jets quarterback

Ryan Fitzpatrick

(14) hands the ball off to running back

Chris Ivory

(L) during the second half of a game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

It was very surprising to see Chris Ivory get as many carries as he did, based on how he looked. Clearly his hamstring was bothering him, you could see it in how he was running. He just wasn’t attacking the line of scrimmage. There were plays where Ivory got out to the edge, but just couldn’t accelerate like normal, and they were working on his legs on the sideline. He finished the game with 17 rushes for 41 yards, and just wasn’t himself.

More use of Zac Stacy might have been a fresh set of legs that could have gotten the running game going. As it was, the Jets only rushed for 89 yards.

The Jets defense actually played quite good, which was to be expected. The Patriots netted a mere 17 yards on the ground, and Tom Brady led the way with 15. That’s a pretty successful game. Yes, Brady threw for over 350 yards, but there weren’t a lot of yards after the catch. For the most part, the tackling was very good, which is a good sign as the Jets move ahead.

One aside point on the offensive line, did Rob Ninkovich always jump like that? After the second tipped pass, could someone take a lower angle on him, so he couldn’t elevate on the pass, please? I felt like I was the only one who noticed.

Ryan Fitzpatrick not throwing an interception was very encouraging. Sunday was his first of the year without an interception, as he was previously forcing passes to Brandon Marshall. He really made no terrible decisions, and played quite efficiently, going 22-of-39 for 295 yards and two touchdowns. At this time, the Jets are in the right hands with Fitzpatrick.

Jeremy Kerley having a role in the offense should be encouraging to all Jets’ fans, as he has been a solid contributor and a fan favorite.

Nick Mangold took a shot to the head late in the game, and ended up being carted to the locker room. We hope that he isn’t seriously injured and will monitor his situation closely.

Sheldon Richardson has played well since returning from suspension, recording 1.5 sacks in two games.

All in all, there were encouraging signs for the Jets against the Patriots. Like coach Bowles said during the week, this loss will not break their season.

The Jets head to Oakland to face the Raiders next week.

Next: Browns Lose to the Rams: Manziel Time?

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