The wins for the Patriots (1-2) this season will probably be few and far between so we have to celebrate them-albeit briefly-no matter how ugly they are, including today's 15-10 tractor pull at MetLife Stadium against the hapless Jets (1-2). In the wind and rain, the Jets' offense was non-existent (171 total yards) while the Patriots never made it into the red zone and missed two field goals. Did I mention that the only touchdowns of the game were scored by New England's third tight end-Pharaoh Brown-and New York's fullback-Nick Bawden? Yeah, it was that kind of extremely forgettable and ugly game just as you knew that it would be but at least the Pats are not 0-3 and talks of firing head coach Bill Belichick will calm down for a few days. New England almost gagged it away too as it came down to the final play: Jets quarterback Zach Wilson's (18-of-36 for 157 yards, 3 sacks) hail mary attempt was knocked down at the goal-line but receiver Randall Cobb dropped the ball that was deflected right to him. Yeesh, never in doubt for the Patriots who have now won 15th straight contests against New York-the longest current streak in the NFL-dating back to 2016.
Other than not losing, it is hard to feel that great about this hollow victory for the Pats since if they faced a competent quarterback, let alone an elite one, we realize that this would have surely resulted in another loss. Instead, thanks to Aaron Rodgers' season-ending injury in Week 1, they got to face Wilson who appears on the fast track to being one of the great busts of his generation. What a clown, only the Jets would refuse to sign a veteran QB to help them or at least give backup Tim Boyle a shot. Can he really be worse than Wilson who is the worst starting quarterback in the league (and I am sure that many backups are better than him as well)? By comparison Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (15-for-29, 201 yards, TD) who is the definition of average at this level looks like a future Hall of Famer.
It is scary that this game was not decided until the final play. Pats rookie kicker Chad Ryland hit two long field goals-from 48 yards in the first quarter and from 51 yards in the third quarter-but he also missed two others after a pair of bad snaps from Joe Cardona. New England's lack of explosive players and chunk plays is pathetic. Brown's 58-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter came solely because New York somehow left him wide open down the seam. Ryland's PAT made it 10-0 and the only thing that saved New York from getting shut out in the first half was a 52-yard field goal by veteran kicker Greg Zuerlein late in the second quarter.
If you thought that the first half was dull (and boy was it ever!), the second half was even more unwatchable as the lone points came from that Ryland field goal, Bawden's one-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter and then the requisite safety allowed by Wilson who could not get rid of the ball before Patriots defensive end Matthew Judon sacked him in the end zone. The win gets New England out of the basement of the AFC East although Miami (3-0) and Buffalo (2-1) each looked infinitely better than these sorry clubs this afternoon as the Dolphins beat the Broncos (0-3) 70-20 (yes, that is a real NFL score) and the Bills (2-1) nearly shut out the Commanders (2-1) in DC 37-3. Next Sunday's matchup (4:25, Fox) in Dallas (2-1) looks a little less hopeless as the Cowboys clearly did not take the Cardinals (1-2) seriously in Arizona and paid for it by losing 28-16 in a surprising yet very Dallas like choke job.
Despite what happened today, the Cowboys still have an excellent defense so it is hard to imagine that the Pats will be able to move the ball and more importantly, score many points against them. Perhaps it will be a revenge game for ex-Cowboy Ezekiel Elliott (16 carries, 80 yards)? You will remember that New England has not even topped 20 points so far this season in their first three games which is a recipe for disaster. They should be a double-digit underdog and it feels like a bounce back spot for Dallas (if they are a true contender) after that no-show. The Pats' only real advantage is Belichick vs. the Cowboys' buffoon head coach Mike McCarthy but that can only get you so far when your roster is not in the same area code in terms of depth and talent. An upset in Dallas would be one of New England's best wins in the post-Tom Brady era but I cannot see it happening in real life unless something truly crazy occurs deep in the heart of Texas at Jerry World.
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