The New York Jets won their second game of the season Thursday night, dismantling the New England Patriots 24-3. Aaron Rodgers came into his second home and played like it in the first half, connecting for two touchdown passes and Jets fans chanting his name.
These are the key takeaways from Thursday’s game for both teams:
Table of Contents
New York Jets (2-1)
It was a superb comeback of vintage Rodgers, whose second Jets’ home opener was much more triumphant than the first.
This time, Rodgers mesmerized the MetLife Stadium audience with precision and a myriad of throws beyond the structure of the NFL passing game en route to 281 passing yards and two touchdowns in the second straight New York Jets victory.
After the third quarter, the fans were chanting his name. So, first, recall your feelings when you watched the beginning of the last season on 11th September. The stadium seemed dead quiet when, on the fourth snap of the entire season, Rodgers twisted his left Achilles tendon and had to be taken off the field.
Thursday night, Rodgers was 27 for 35 and looked like a point guard feeding the ball to all his teammates. In this match, he made passes to receive eight different players.
Notably, the 40-year-old quarterback showed agility in and out of the pocket much better than in the first two games. That he did this on a short week–only three days’ rest–bears well for the rest of the season.
The pre-season expectations from the Jets were another trip to the Super Bowl. In the Jets’ universe, when Rodgers plays in such a way, all things are possible thanks to his brilliance.
Short speech: Complete hegemony. The Jets also had the ball for 40:04 and outrushed the Patriots 400-139.
Positive line:
The New York Jets pass rush was active, and this was without Jermaine Johnson, who is out for the season with an Achilles tendon injury, and Haason Reddick, who was a holdout. It was led by the defensive end, Will McDonald IV, who now boasts 5.5 sacks with 2. 5 for the season.
The Jets confused and suffocated quarterback Jacoby Brissett. They ended the game with seven sacks, thus making the team’s tally for the season stand at 14.
Does it mean the defense form returned to the last top 5 form?
No.
Some viewpoints:
In the previous two games, they played two terrible offenses against the Patriots and the Tennessee Titans.
Performances of Allen Lazard and Tyler Conklin
Ten months ago, Lazard was irrelevant enough to be benched after enlisting for a four-year, $44 million deal. He looks rejuvenated with Rodgers as his quarterback, and the young man adds another weapon on the perimeters of the offense.
Former Green Bay Packers teammates managed to link up in the first quarter on a 10-yard touchdown pass, Lazard’s third touchdown this season. He finished with three catches for 48 yards.
Conklin, relatively inactive in the first two games, had a near impact with five receptions for ninety-three yards. Even in games where Wilson Garrett is not that active, Conklin and Lazard are fine backups in the passing game.
Gap of the game:
Perhaps we are overly critical, but Rodgers and Wilson still look to be ironing out some wrinkles in their quarterback-receiver relationship. The two were on opposite pages on a few of the routes.
Wilson managed to secure a touchdown with a 2-yard pass, courtesy of Rodgers’ precise throw. But, overall, Wilson did not do much, especially with Gonzalez shading him on the coverage most of the time. With nine targets on Wilson, Rodgers managed to exit that matchup. In his third season, however, Wilson is starting slow. He can get more attention from opponents.
Next game: New York Jets vs Denver Broncos–at 1 p.m. ET, Sunday, 29th September.
New England Patriots (1-2)
All the positive energy the Patriots built playing two hard-fought games in weeks of knocking on the door of 3-0 flew out the window in a New York minute on Thursday night. It was domination, but the score on the scoreboard didn’t show how bad it was.
Meanwhile, Rodgers made it look all too easy for the New York Jets. It was a hard pull for quarterback Jacoby Brissett and the Patriots, who gained four first downs in the first half–the fewest first downs the franchise has had in a half since 2000.
The first half saw the offense of the Patriots achieve only forty yards, while the offense of the opponents had gained 212 yards in the first thirty minutes.
Brissett appeared uneasy in the pocket and was benched five times. A rookie, Caedan Wallace, manned the left tackle because an ankle injury sidelined Vederian Lowe.
He struggled during one drive in the second half. It saw him make two holding fouls, which seemed to be more like a slugfest every once in a while.
Short speech: Outgunned. The outcome was noticeable in the opening minutes, even from the first kickoff.
Gap of the game:
Simple blocking and tackling. It sounds easy, but head coach Jerod Mayo says Thursday games are generally decided by whose side plays with dominant foundations. That had been a strength in the first two games, but too many free rushers allowed on offense, too many missed tackles, and poor angles on defense.
Breakdown of QB:
Because of the unstable protection, Brissett frequently had to flee for his life. When he attempted to toss tight end Austin Hooper down the field near the left sideline in the first quarter, he misfired and should have recovered.
With 4:24 remaining in the fourth quarter and trailing 24-3, rookie quarterback Drake Maye made his NFL regular-season debut. He was sacked twice and finished 4–8 for 22 yards.
Negative Line:
In two consecutive weeks, the Patriot’s defense has failed to provide the answers in the soft tissue coverage against the pass. Rodgers’ ability to get rid of the ball quickly and throw in the right spot made it almost impossible to make blitzes for a front seven playing without linebacker Ja’ Whaun Bentley, who is out for the season because of a torn pectoral muscle.
But the coverage in the secondary, which had every starter available, was not up to the usual standard set. Mayo had realized the need for challenging quarterbacks in the pocket after Week 2, and the same was true for the Patriots against Rodgers.
Next game: in San Francisco 49ers at 4:05 p.m. ET, Sunday, 29th September.
For more, follow Sports Dribble on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
My name is Krishanu Das the founder of the Sports Dribble.
I am Accountant by profession but a Sports Blogger by passion.
I am passionate about sharing my all knowledge and experiences of sports, with my readers and every sports enthusiast.
Discover more from SPORTS DRIBBLE
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
