The New England Patriots did not play their best football on Sunday against the New York Jets, but they made enough plays to still win with a final score of 26-19. Those plays came in all shapes and sizes, and all three phases of the game.
And so, here is our Patriots-centric view at some of those key moments from the Week 6 contest.
Moment No. 1: Complementary football
The Patriots started the game slowly on both offense and defense, quickly falling behind 3-0. However, the second drives on both sides of the ball were a lot more successful
— and allowed the team to take the lead in complementary fashion.
First up was the defense, which gave up a short run before back-to-back sacks by Milton Williams and Christian Barmore. The standout defensive tackles forced the Jets to punt from deep in their own territory, which allowed Marcus Jones to give the offense some good field position: his 10-yard return — plus a 5-yard penalty — set the unit up at the Jets’ 42-yard line.
It took Drake Maye two plays to make it count.
The 42-yard touchdown pass to Romeo Doubs, who suffered a shoulder injury on the play that eventually knocked him out of the game, saw the impact of A.J. Brown. The wide receiver, who made his return after four games on injured reserve, helped pull a safety down to free up Doubs over the top.
Moment No. 2: Fourth-down excellence
The second quarter turned into one of fourth downs. In what ended as a one-score game, those turned into critical plays and stolen possessions even early on.
The Patriots got the better of the Jets in that regard, including on a big Robert Spillane tackle to prevent a conversion on 4th-and-1 early in the period.
The Patriots defense later produced another fourth-down stop at its own 39-yard line, whereas the offense managed to move the chains on the subsequent possession. That drive, which saw Rhamondre Stevenson convert a 4th-and-1, ended with a field goal to put New England up 10-3.
Moment No. 3: Closing in style
Facing a 3rd-and goal from the 9-yard line with just 20 seconds to go in the first half, the Patriots had a chance to solidify their lead going into the locker room and set the tone for the second part of the game. The latter did not quite happen, but New England nonetheless managed to put up the necessary points on a Drake Maye throw to DeMario Douglas.
Up 17-3 at the half, New England appeared to be in full control. However, the home team let control of the contest slip away in the third period due to some sloppy football on both offense and defense.
Moment No. 4: Defensive stand
The Patriots defense was in full “bend don’t break” mode on Sunday, as evidenced by the fact that the Jets went 0-for-3 in the red zone. In the third quarter, they found themselves in one of those opportunities and were just 10 yards away from tying the game.
However, New England’s most productive pass rusher had different plans: Elijah Ponder took down Geno Smith on a 3rd-and-5 for a huge sack and stop.
Moment No. 5: Much-needed TD
The Patriots scored a touchdown (but not the ensuing extra point) early in the fourth quarter to increase their lead from 17-13 to 23-13. Drake Maye finding a wide open Hunter Henry for a 7-yard touchdown capped the series on 3rd-and-3.
While that play naturally was a big one, it arguably wasn’t the biggest. That title very well could go to Maye finding Kyle Williams for a 12-yard pickup on 3rd-and-10. If the pair had not managed to keep the series going, the Jets might have had a chance to take a lead into the fourth quarter. That did not happen, with New England instead using the momentum to drive to a touchdown of its own.
Moment No. 6: Statement drive
The Patriots’ final drive of the day was a tour de force. Taking over possession with 7:20 after the Jets made it a 23-16 ball game, the unit marched 56 yards in 13 plays to kick another field goal and extend the lead to 10 points again. Most importantly, New England burned 6:08 off the clock while doing so, leaving New York only 1:12 to play with.
The heavy lifting on that possession was done by third-string running back Corey Kiner, who touched the ball on eight straight plays to move the Patriots from the Jets’ 48-yard line to their 6. The late-August trade acquisition did get a big assist from tight end Hunter Henry, though, who had a massive 15-yard pickup to keep the drive going on a 3rd-and-13 with 6:30 to go.
That play opened the floodgates on that particular drive — one that saw Kiner and the ground game take over despite New England being down three starting offensive linemen. A statement drive.
