Patriots Take Care Of The Jets, 30-21

When you live in or around a place that has four pro sports teams (that are all usually playoff-bound), sometimes games don't get the proper hype or buildup that they deserve.

I'll admit that for once, the New England Patriots-New York Jets game that occurred this afternoon at Gillette Stadium wasn't filled with the usual garbage during the week but after watching the Pats (4-1) hold off the Jets (2-3) 31-20, I'm also going to say that I don't really care and it was refreshing not to hear Rex Ryan and Co. have verbal diarrhea over and over again.

Due to the Red Sox' upheaval and the Bruins' first couple games of the new season, this contest somehow was on the backburner until it snuck right up on this Columbus Day weekend. The result was very satisfying, especially since the New England defense and running game were the units that made the most contributions to the win. However, call me back when the Pats can do this in New Jersey (Sun. Nov. 13) in the rematch or more importantly, in the playoffs.

The Jets are currently a mess so the fact that Bill Belichick moved to 3-3 in his last six games against Ryan wasn't as sweet as it would normally seem. New York's defense can only take it so far. Quarterback Mark Sanchez (16 for 26, 166 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INT) still can't carry the offense and the running game is usually non-existent although Shonn Greene (21 carries, 83 yards, TD) came out of hiding today to have a nice performance.

The last two games, rookie running back Stevan Ridley had pushed for more playing time and more touches. I guess it shouldn't come as a surprise that he was completely shut down by the Jets' physical defense. Ridley carried the ball seven times for 13 yards. Luckily, BenJarvus Green-Ellis picked the right time to have a career day as he rushed for a career-high 136 yards on 27 carries with two touchdowns.

Pats quarterback Tom Brady (24 for 33, 321 yards, TD, INT) had another nice day thanks to New England's relentless no-huddle attack. However, New York's pressure (four sacks) coupled with a bad break (Aaron Hernandez dropped a sure touchdown right before halftime) meant that Brady's numbers weren't as smooth as flawless as they should have been.

Wes Welker (5 catches, 124 yards) and Deion Branch (7 catches, 74 yards) were the best wide receivers on the field, proving that contrary to popular belief Jets All-World cornerback Darrelle Revis can only cover one guy at a time, not five or six. One of my favorite parts of the win was when CBS announcer Phil Simms had just gotten done with about his tenth tongue bath of Revis when Welker caught a 73-yard bomb on him to start the second half. Truth be told, it wasn't really Revis' fault since the safety blew the coverage (zone) but still, sometimes it's nice to be reminded that as good as Revis is, he's human.

Santonio Holmes (4 catches, 60 yards, TD) and Plaxico Burress (3 catches, 42 yards) were relatively quiet but that was nothing compared to tight end Dustin Keller (1 catch, 7 yards) who didn't do anything for the Jets in their third straight loss.

New York didn't record a first down until the second quarter and New England took advantage as BJGE had a 3-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter (Stephen Gostkowski PAT) for a 7-0 Patriots lead.

Gostkowski's 44-yard field goal made it 10-0 early in the second quarter but Greene answered with a 3-yard touchdown run of his own late in the first half. As mentioned before, the Pats left points on the board as Hernandez (5 catches, 56 yards) bobbled an easy catch right to Jets cornerback/father of the year Antonio Cromartie.

Branch's 2-yard touchdown catch to start the second half gave New England some breathing room (17-7) but Sanchez and rookie wide receiver Jeremy Kerley responded with a 9-yard strike.

Green-Ellis did everything on a late third quarter drive, including his second 3-yard touchdown run. It felt like New England would put it away with another touchdown to start the fourth quarter but Gostkowski had to settle for a 24-yard field goal (27-14).

Yet again, Sanchez made some plays when he had to as he found Holmes for a pretty 21-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter. Thanks to New England's determined running game, they were basically able to keep the ball away from the Jets and Gostkowski ended the comeback attempt with a 28-yard kick.

This was the 13th straight time that New England has scored 30+ points, that's only one behind the NFL record set by the Rams' Greatest Show on Turf (1999-2000).

New England will try to win its third consecutive game next Sunday afternoon as they host the Dallas Cowboys (2-2). Not to underestimate Tony Romo and his teammates but they're exactly the type of squad that the Patriots almost always defeat. You can count on Romo to make a couple outrageous mistakes and I'd be shocked if Dallas' defense (coached by Rob Ryan) can do much to stop Brady and this prolific offense.

The Buffalo Bills (4-1) won again today, beating the Eagles, so they're tied atop the AFC East with the Patriots and they hold the tiebreaker. New York is in third place and Miami (0-4) had a bye week so at least they can say they didn't lose today.

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When did the New England Patriots turn into the Indianapolis Colts?

If the NFL playoffs have taught us anything, especially this season, being a top seed or favorite doesn't mean anything these days. Last week, the New Orleans Saints lost to the Seattle Seahawks, the Indianapolis Colts lost to the New York Jets and on Saturday, the Atlanta Falcons got creamed by the Green Bay Packers.

Those were all trumped by the epic no-show, choke job pulled off yesterday by the New England Patriots who lost 28-21 to the Jets in the AFC Divisional Round at Gillette Stadium.

New York took the rubber game of the season series with New England and advances to its second straight AFC Championship game, on Sunday in Pittsburgh.

Everything was falling the Patriots' way before the loss; all they had to do was win two games at home (against teams they had already beaten this season) and then top an NFC team that they would be favored over and they'd have their fourth Super Bowl title of the decade.

However, unbeknownest to myself and most of the fan base, we have become the Colts or San Diego Chargers, team built to rack up mostly meaningless regular season games and then turtle in the playoffs.

It's time to face facts: the Patriots haven't won a playoff game since the 2007 AFC Championship. Bill Belichick and Tom Brady have lost their last three playoff games and each has been in horrific fashion: losing the perfect season to the New York Giants in Super Bowl 42, getting crushed by the Baltimore Ravens last season at Gillette and then yesterday, losing to your most bitter rival.

While we're dealing with some real talk, can we also admit that Rex Ryan despite all his ridiculousness (foot fetish videos, diahrea of the mouth, etc.) can coach a football team and his method works. All week leading up to the game, it was endless trash talk from the Jets and you had to hope that the Pats would let their play on the field do the talking. Who knows if it had any effect but clearly, there's more than one way (Belichick's no fun model) to win in this NFL.

Patriots honks are the most delusional fan base around here so it'll be interesting to see if this makes them admit the truth, that Belichick and Brady aren't perfect. What is the excuse for yesterday? There is none not that it will necessarily stop them from whining.

I hate the Jets but I have to admire the way they play loose and back up their big talk. They still have to win two games to capture a Super Bowl but this was the biggest win for them in a long, long time.

I want to be really bitter about this defeat but what can you say if you're a Patriots fan? They didn't get screwed by the refs (a loser's excuse) or a random play (tuck rule), they simply didn't execute as well as New York and they seemed rattled from the beginning of the miserable game until the end.

Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez (16 for 25, 194 yards, 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions) played better than Patriots icon Tom Brady (29 for 45, 299 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception) and that was supposed to be the one area where New England had the biggest advantage.

All day, the Patriots receivers were covered by the Jets' outstanding secondary or simply thrown off their routes. Whatever the case, Brady had to wait too long and getting sacked five times didn't help his confidence either.

Shayne Graham had the only points of the first quarter, a 34-yard field goal. Brady threw a terrible pick, on a screen pass but New England's defense held the Jets to a field goal attempt which Nick Folk promptly missed.

New York got on the board in the second quarter when LaDainian Tomlinson scored on a 7-yard pass from Sanchez.

Braylon Edwards gave the Jets a 14-3 lead with 33 seconds left in the half when he fought through tackle attempts by Patriots cornerback Devin McCourty and safety Brandon Meriweather to reach the end zone.

That late score was the biggest one of the game and it came as a result of a bizarre call which will go down in Patriots' lore as one of the worst in history. Apparently, Patrick Chung called for a direct snap on a punt. The problem was he fumbled it then couldn't get a first down and that gave New York prime field position deep in New England territory. Why would you ever make that choice in that spot? Mystifying.

Alge Crumpler got the Patriots back into the game with a 2-yard touchdown catch from Brady late in the third quarter, the frame's only points. Sammy Morris took a direct snap on the two-point conversion and ran it in to cut it to 14-11 Jets.

In the biggest quarter of the season, New York made the plays. Santonio Holmes, one of the most clutch players in the NFL, made an absurd 7-yard touchdown catch and Shonn Greene had a 16-yard touchdown run when the Jets were running out the clock.

Shayne Graham's field goal in between those New York touchdowns had made it 21-14 but there was only 1:57 left. Deion Branch (5 catches, 59 yards) caught one last touchdown with 24 seconds left but New England couldn't recover an onside kick (it couldn't get the one after Graham's kick either) and the upset was official.

This one will take a while to get over. The Patriots overachieved all season with a collection of young players and no-names that combined to go 14-2 in the regular season. Still, when it mattered not enough of them showed up to beat a team they knew very well. And I hate to be a realist but the window on Belichick and particularly Brady closes a little more since they'll both be a year older when the team gets back together for training camp in August.