I have to admit, for a game that pitted two mostly wretched teams who entered with a combined record of 2-13, tonight's special edition of Dollar Store Monday Night Football was way more entertaining than it should have been. In the end, there was actually a winner (no overtime needed!) when Nick Folk hit a 51-yard field goal as time expired for a dare I say ironically thrilling 30-27 win by the Patriots (3-5 overall, 1-3 away) vs. the Tank for Trevor Lawrence Jets (0-9 overall, 0-5 home). For Pats fans, it served as a painful exercise that showed just how hard it is to win a single game in the NFL, even against the league's worst team. This snapped a four-game losing streak for New England while also extending their win streak vs. New York to nine games. It is the first time in Jets franchise history that they have started a campaign 0-9 and they now have a bye week before their last seven games. PS Week 17 is at Gillette Stadium vs. the Pats. Haha imagine the possibilities for that must-see turd sandwich!
After failing in all three previous chances this season (at Seattle, vs. Denver and last week in Buffalo) to put together a game-winning drive, Patriots quarterback Cam Newton (27-of-35 for 274 yards; 2 rushing TDs) was finally able to make it happen. Any other opponent would have put this to bed since the Jets led by 10 points not only at halftime (20-10) but also after three quarters (27-17). Luckily for Pats head coach Bill Belichick, Adam Gase somehow is still the Jets head coach and his truly miserable team managed to run four total plays in the final 15 minutes, good for three yards and 1:24 on the clock. Did I mention that Sam Darnold was out with a shoulder injury so former Ravens great and Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco (18-of-25 for 262 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT) was left to shred the Pats secondary for most of the night?
2020 continues to be the scariest and strangest year of our collective lives so naturally we are all here to witness Jakobi Meyers (12 catches, 169 yards on 14 targets) become the promising young wide receiver that New England has lacked for years. On his 24th birthday no less, the former NC State quarterback had his third solid outing in a row culminating in the best performance of his brief NFL career. Damiere Byrd (5 catches, 65 yards on 9 targets) also made some plays in the passing game including a clutch 31-yard catch-and-run which led to Newton's one-yard touchdown run that coupled with Folk's PAT tied it at 27 with 1:57 left in regulation.
The Patriots' running game was a positive as well with Damien Harris (14 carries, 71 yards) showing some more nice burst before he left late with a chest injury after absorbing a big hit. Rex Burkhead (12 carries, 56 yards, TD) kept finding holes as well when he got the ball. Another former Raven-wide receiver Breshad Perriman (5 catches, 101 yards, 2 TDs on 7 targets)-toyed with J.C. Jackson for much of the evening but thankfully, the Pats cornerback had the last laugh as he picked off Flacco's stupid deep ball that led to Newton's tying touchdown run. He now leads the NFL with five interceptions and in the process, he set a Patriots record by notching a pick in four straight contests. For the first time as a Patriot, Newton was not sacked and Deatrich Wise Jr. (4 tackles, 2 assists) had New England's lone sack which was very timely: on the second play of New York's last drive that turned out to be a 3-and-out which stupidly stopped the clock and saved a timeout for the Pats.
Not surprisingly given the halftime score, the Jets led for most of the game before the fourth quarter. Sergio Castillo hit a 35-yard field goal in the first quarter to open the scoring before Newton had a five-yard touchdown run later in the frame. Believe it or not, that was the first touchdown for the Patriots in any first quarter this season. Oof. The second quarter was much more of a Jets affair as Perriman caught a 50-yard bomb against Jackson for a 10-7 lead. Castillo added a 50-yard field goal, answered by Folk's 45-yard kick with 1:03 left in the first half. Going into the break down 13-10 wouldn't have been that awful all things considered (shoutout to NPR) but that wasn't enough of a deficit for the Pats. Nope, instead they allowed a touchdown drive that went 77 yards in two plays. Flacco hit rookie Denzel Mims (4 catches, 62 yards on 8 targets) with a 15-yard pass before Jason McCourty was called for pass interference on Perriman that went for 42 yards. On the next play, Flacco threw his best pass in years as Jamison Crowder used great footwork to drag both feet in the end zone before his momentum took him out of bounds. Initially it was called incomplete but then it was rightfully overturned on replay for a 20-yard touchdown with 25 seconds left in the half.
New England got the ball to start the third quarter and they had an awesome drive that took more than half (7:33) of the frame. They went 78 yards in 13 plays culminating in a one-yard touchdown plunge by Burkhead. Unfortunately, New York wasn't fazed by it as they responded with a nearly identical drive of their own (11 plays for 75 yards in 6:57). Their touchdown came on a 15-yard catch by Perriman after Jackson had slipped And-1 Mixtape style (remember those?!). With any sliver of hope for a playoff spot fading away in Tony Soprano Land aka North Jersey, the Patriots finally woke up and outscored the Jets 13-0 in the fourth quarter. All of their points actually came in the final 6:04 of regulation: Folk hit a 29-yard field goal, Newton powered his way in for the one-yard score and then Folk crushed his most important kick in years.
Nothing about this victory for New England was easy but needless to say, they will have to play infinitely better on Sunday night (8:20, NBC) to have any chance to begin their first win streak of the season as they host superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Ravens (6-2 overall, 4-0 away) at Gillette Stadium. Miami (5-3) looks like a playoff team and they are two games ahead of the Patriots in the AFC East while the Bills (7-2) are setting the pace with their best start since 1993. I despise cliches but it really is a game-by-game type of focus for the Pats who aren't nearly talented enough to assume anything (for example: witness tonight where they came in as a 9.5-point favorite). Losing always sucks and multiply that during a pandemic where every low seems like it'll never end. Not to get too cheesy but it was refreshing to see the players and coaches on New England look genuinely happy and excited after this win. We all have been dealing with plenty of serious issues more important than football since mid-March but imagine on top of that, everyone in the region and around the country was also dumping on you non-stop for failing at your job. Good times!
No comments:
Post a Comment