Re: Flying Through the Big Apple - RoundingThird's New York Jets (M17)
Gameday Recap: Jets 24, Patriots 21
Gurley's legs get Jets into win column
He's back! Todd Gurley had plenty of running room on this day, breaking free for a 70 yard touchdown on the second play of the third quarter to pull the Jets within one.
Something about Gillette Stadium and the sheer sight of the Patriots brings out the worst in the Jets, at least for the first half. But, on this day, the Patriots didn't blow them out of the water when they were down. Brad Kaaya, at times, played worse than anybody on the Jets. I'm not placing the blame on Mariota, and you'll see why shortly. I don't know if it is the start of a sophomore slump for Kaaya, or if this performance can be attributed to the plethora of injuries the Patriots have on the offensive side. But, either way, New England's offensive ineptitude kept the Jets in the game, even during the time they were as inept, if not more so.
Kaaya's kids took the ball first, got a first down through the air to Eric Decker, before the Jets forced a punt. Pretty routine. Out came the Jets offense, looking to prove something after last week's weak performance. Gurley found a couple of big holes early, getting the Jets across midfield and into field goal range despite a couple key drops, one (of many) by Devin Smith, and one by Vincent Jackson. But, on a play action roll out, Mariota got into trouble. The Patriots had Gronk covered, the first option, and the ground ahead of Mariota covered, the second option. Mariota could've set himself to throw it to Vincent Jackson cutting over the middle, but he would have risked being hammered by Terrance Knighton, so he threw it on the run instead, right to Logan Ryan. But, the Jets were getting stops on defense, something that was foreign to them in past trips to Foxboro. They completely shut down Jonathan Stewart, holding him under 20 yards, not just in the 1st quarter, but for the game. One particular stuff at the line led to a lazy throw by Kaaya over the middle, right to David Harris, setting the Jets up for their second drive inside New England territory. But, then, as I like to say, things got a little cheesy. A couple plays, and Gurley runs, later, it was 3rd and long in field goal range, not a time to do anything really aggressive. The Jets didn't, but it still ended miserably. Vincent Jackson was in one-on-one coverage with Devin McCourty running straight down the middle of the field. Mariota threw it up to him at the goal line, and Jackson had position, but McCourty somehow picked it off. That brought a loud end to a scoreless first half.
Look at this. You tell me how McCourty comes down with the ball instead of Jackson. See that left arm of McCourty? Looks like pass interference to me.
After MarMar had thrown 2 picks in 7 pass attempts, the Patriots finally got something together. After a butt-kicking from Bill Belichick, Brad Kaaya and the Pats offense woke up. Kaaya led the short-handed offense right down the field on his arm, since we already told how many rushing yards New England ended up with. The Jets couldn't get off the field playing zone, so they switched to man, and the rookie 1st round pick DeMarcus Ellerbe instantly broke off of Darqueze Dennard on an in-cut, and dove to catch his second career touchdown. 7-0. The Jets had plenty of time to recover, but after a hold by Will Holden that wiped out a first down run by Gurley, the Jets had to air it out a little bit. Perhaps shaken by that pesky third down fog horn, which I absolutely love by the way, Mike Wallace ran one way while Mariota threw it the other way, right back to Logan Ryan. A couple plays later, Ellerbe made Dennard look silly again, and took it in from a little farther out to make it 14-0 Pats.
DeMarcus Ellerbe sheds Darqueze Dennard's pitiful arm tackle to make it 14-0. Don't worry though. Keep reading to see how Dennard redeemed himself.
Now, if you remember, the Jets were in a very similar position when they played here last year. Down 21-0 at the half, they pulled off a comeback for the ages, with Mariota relying on the services of Jace Amaro. The two ended up being responsible for all 4 of the Jets' touchdowns in the second half, capping the comeback. My point here is, if there's one thing we learned from that game, it's that it is okay to rely on one guy if he's the only guy you trust. And, eager to get on the board before the break, Mariota had to turn to Gronk. Devin Smith's drops were a liability, Vincent Jackson was just having a bad day, and Logan Ryan was gobbling up Mike Williams. Plus, Gurley's legs could only go so far. He was already over 100 yards, and when Matt Forte came in to give Gurley a breather, Mariota turned to Gronk, and threw it into a tight window, but Gronk being Gronk, he took care of the rest, and Gang Green was on the board just before the break. The Pats ran out the clock, taking with them a 14-7 lead into halftime.
It's the first Gronk spike in Gillette Stadium as a visitor, and it was much needed, making the Jets look like they were actually competitive in the first half. Meanwhile, Patrick Chung (23) knows he blew it.
So, as crazy as it might seem, that Gronk spike might have changed momentum permanently. The Jets did the classic Bill Belichick: scoring right before halftime, then getting the ball first out of the half, and scoring again. Two plays in, Todd Gurley's rushing total went from just over 100 to almost 200 when he broke open a hole on New England's left side, before launching a career ending spin on Devin McCourty's knees, and taking it the rest of the way. The Jets thought they had tied it, but no, it was the perfect time for Geno Smith to screw up the hold, leading Nick Folk to push the extra point to the right. No good, keeping it at 14-13 New England.
It looks like Gurley is leaping over McCourty, but rather, he is completing his spin move as McCourty drops to his knees in shame and failure.
But, it was time for Kaaya to have the first half that Mariota had. Three straight incompletions to start his third quarter led to a quick Ryan Allen punt, but the Pats got the ball right back when Marcus Mariota threw one off Devin Smith's hands, and right into Devin McCourty's hands, proving once again that Devin Smith is a liability to this Jets offense. The Patriots started in field goal range, halfway through the third up one, but Lenny and Mo brought pressure from both sides on Kaaya. Kaaya just kept running backwards, and who could blame him, until Williams smothered him for a loss of 16. On the very next play, it was Wilkerson's turn, roughing up Kaaya and knocking the ball free, something that happened to the Jets at least once a game last year it seemed. As a rugby scrum broke out, one man fell on the ball and held on for dear life. That man? Jets rookie DT Diamond Chamberlin, making his first ever fumble recovery, before he gets credit for his first tackle. But, hey, we'll take it. After a mix of running and passing got the Jets in the neighborhood, since the Patriots had buckled down to contain Gurley after the long touchdown, Mariota recognized a full front seven blitz being sent by Belichick and Matty Patricia. He also saw, or knew, that they were in man coverage, meaning that Gronk would probably be open on his post route over the middle of the field. He was. Mariota rushed the throw, with seven Patriots hot on his tracks, but Gronk stabbed at it with one hand to catch it, boxing out Patrick Chung, then turning quickly up field and leaving him in his dust, officially giving the Jets the lead. As a reward, MarMar hit him again for two to make it a 7 point game, 21-14.
For those of you thinking Muhammad Wilkerson got away with a facemask here on Kaaya, think again. He made "incidental contact" with Kaaya's face, and never grabbed hold of it, the reason why no flag was thrown.
And on the back half of that play.... Who's that man holding the football at the bottom of the pile? Is it Diamond Chamberlin? It is.
All around, a very impressive play by Gronk. The catch was fantastic, but the move he made to get open was even better. He earned a second Gronk spike.
So, that 21-14 score held until the end of the quarter, but as the quarter came to a close, the Patriots were driving. A couple plays into the 4th, Jonathan Stewart broke free for the only time all day, taking it to the house from midfield, breaking a Jalen Adams tackle attempt in the process. But, wait, there's a flag! Illegal block in the back on Nate Solder? Hell yeah! Bring 'em back! But, the banged up Pats offense wasn't done kicking. They methodically got down inside the 10, but when Martellus dove out of bounds for extra yardage at the 5, they found themselves a half yard short of the first down. Even with plenty of time left, the Patriots went for it. Brad Kaaya looked for DeMarcus Ellerbe, since he'd had his way against Darqueze Dennard in that part of the field all day. But, it was one too many. In came Dennard. The pass was short, and Dennard jumped all over it, before diving to the ground to avoid getting mobbed by Jalen Adams and Calvin Pryor. Unfortunately though, the Jets couldn't capitalize, as the Patriots were now stopping Gurley completely.
The Patriots got the ball back, with just over 9 minutes left, and went to work, needing one score to tie. Eric Decker, who had been very quiet since the first drive of the game, made a huge 3rd down conversion to put New England in field goal range. Obviously, though, they wanted a touchdown. Two plays later, another third down, the Jets' 4 man pass rush broke down, giving Kaaya days upon days upon days to throw. Usually, that's when the Jets get beat, because it's hard for any secondary, especially the Jets', to keep receivers locked down for so long. Knowing this, Kaaya took a deep shot, trying to find Decker, but Jalen Adams, playing a perfect centerfield, closed on it, stepped in front, elevated, and pulled in his first INT as a Jet. Deflated, (pun INTENDED), the Patriots let the Jets have their way through the air for the first time all day, before the drive fizzled out in range for a Nick Folk field goal. He nailed it home, making it a two score game, at 24-14, halfway through the quarter.
The first INT as a Jet for Jamal Adams, taking the ball away from a former Jet, Eric Decker.
That was basically it though. The Patriots had one of those cheese touchdown drives that the Jets had late in the game last week. I will give kudos to Kaaya for floating one perfectly over Calvin Pryor and into the lunging grasp of Eric Decker, cutting the Jets lead to 24-21, but the decision to kick it deep with just under two minutes to play is what ended up costing the Patriots. After a horrible start, again, the Jets fought back, eventually making the Patriots pull even with them in the turnover department. 4 turnovers? That's seldom happened under the Belichick and Kraft regime. Oh well. The Jets are in the win column in 2018.
Nice throw, Brad Kaaya, and nice catch, Eric Decker. It didn't mean anything, but it was still a very nice play. Calvin Pryor thought he had a pick.
Gameday Recap: Jets 24, Patriots 21
Gurley's legs get Jets into win column
He's back! Todd Gurley had plenty of running room on this day, breaking free for a 70 yard touchdown on the second play of the third quarter to pull the Jets within one.
Something about Gillette Stadium and the sheer sight of the Patriots brings out the worst in the Jets, at least for the first half. But, on this day, the Patriots didn't blow them out of the water when they were down. Brad Kaaya, at times, played worse than anybody on the Jets. I'm not placing the blame on Mariota, and you'll see why shortly. I don't know if it is the start of a sophomore slump for Kaaya, or if this performance can be attributed to the plethora of injuries the Patriots have on the offensive side. But, either way, New England's offensive ineptitude kept the Jets in the game, even during the time they were as inept, if not more so.
Kaaya's kids took the ball first, got a first down through the air to Eric Decker, before the Jets forced a punt. Pretty routine. Out came the Jets offense, looking to prove something after last week's weak performance. Gurley found a couple of big holes early, getting the Jets across midfield and into field goal range despite a couple key drops, one (of many) by Devin Smith, and one by Vincent Jackson. But, on a play action roll out, Mariota got into trouble. The Patriots had Gronk covered, the first option, and the ground ahead of Mariota covered, the second option. Mariota could've set himself to throw it to Vincent Jackson cutting over the middle, but he would have risked being hammered by Terrance Knighton, so he threw it on the run instead, right to Logan Ryan. But, the Jets were getting stops on defense, something that was foreign to them in past trips to Foxboro. They completely shut down Jonathan Stewart, holding him under 20 yards, not just in the 1st quarter, but for the game. One particular stuff at the line led to a lazy throw by Kaaya over the middle, right to David Harris, setting the Jets up for their second drive inside New England territory. But, then, as I like to say, things got a little cheesy. A couple plays, and Gurley runs, later, it was 3rd and long in field goal range, not a time to do anything really aggressive. The Jets didn't, but it still ended miserably. Vincent Jackson was in one-on-one coverage with Devin McCourty running straight down the middle of the field. Mariota threw it up to him at the goal line, and Jackson had position, but McCourty somehow picked it off. That brought a loud end to a scoreless first half.
Look at this. You tell me how McCourty comes down with the ball instead of Jackson. See that left arm of McCourty? Looks like pass interference to me.
After MarMar had thrown 2 picks in 7 pass attempts, the Patriots finally got something together. After a butt-kicking from Bill Belichick, Brad Kaaya and the Pats offense woke up. Kaaya led the short-handed offense right down the field on his arm, since we already told how many rushing yards New England ended up with. The Jets couldn't get off the field playing zone, so they switched to man, and the rookie 1st round pick DeMarcus Ellerbe instantly broke off of Darqueze Dennard on an in-cut, and dove to catch his second career touchdown. 7-0. The Jets had plenty of time to recover, but after a hold by Will Holden that wiped out a first down run by Gurley, the Jets had to air it out a little bit. Perhaps shaken by that pesky third down fog horn, which I absolutely love by the way, Mike Wallace ran one way while Mariota threw it the other way, right back to Logan Ryan. A couple plays later, Ellerbe made Dennard look silly again, and took it in from a little farther out to make it 14-0 Pats.
DeMarcus Ellerbe sheds Darqueze Dennard's pitiful arm tackle to make it 14-0. Don't worry though. Keep reading to see how Dennard redeemed himself.
Now, if you remember, the Jets were in a very similar position when they played here last year. Down 21-0 at the half, they pulled off a comeback for the ages, with Mariota relying on the services of Jace Amaro. The two ended up being responsible for all 4 of the Jets' touchdowns in the second half, capping the comeback. My point here is, if there's one thing we learned from that game, it's that it is okay to rely on one guy if he's the only guy you trust. And, eager to get on the board before the break, Mariota had to turn to Gronk. Devin Smith's drops were a liability, Vincent Jackson was just having a bad day, and Logan Ryan was gobbling up Mike Williams. Plus, Gurley's legs could only go so far. He was already over 100 yards, and when Matt Forte came in to give Gurley a breather, Mariota turned to Gronk, and threw it into a tight window, but Gronk being Gronk, he took care of the rest, and Gang Green was on the board just before the break. The Pats ran out the clock, taking with them a 14-7 lead into halftime.
It's the first Gronk spike in Gillette Stadium as a visitor, and it was much needed, making the Jets look like they were actually competitive in the first half. Meanwhile, Patrick Chung (23) knows he blew it.
So, as crazy as it might seem, that Gronk spike might have changed momentum permanently. The Jets did the classic Bill Belichick: scoring right before halftime, then getting the ball first out of the half, and scoring again. Two plays in, Todd Gurley's rushing total went from just over 100 to almost 200 when he broke open a hole on New England's left side, before launching a career ending spin on Devin McCourty's knees, and taking it the rest of the way. The Jets thought they had tied it, but no, it was the perfect time for Geno Smith to screw up the hold, leading Nick Folk to push the extra point to the right. No good, keeping it at 14-13 New England.
It looks like Gurley is leaping over McCourty, but rather, he is completing his spin move as McCourty drops to his knees in shame and failure.
But, it was time for Kaaya to have the first half that Mariota had. Three straight incompletions to start his third quarter led to a quick Ryan Allen punt, but the Pats got the ball right back when Marcus Mariota threw one off Devin Smith's hands, and right into Devin McCourty's hands, proving once again that Devin Smith is a liability to this Jets offense. The Patriots started in field goal range, halfway through the third up one, but Lenny and Mo brought pressure from both sides on Kaaya. Kaaya just kept running backwards, and who could blame him, until Williams smothered him for a loss of 16. On the very next play, it was Wilkerson's turn, roughing up Kaaya and knocking the ball free, something that happened to the Jets at least once a game last year it seemed. As a rugby scrum broke out, one man fell on the ball and held on for dear life. That man? Jets rookie DT Diamond Chamberlin, making his first ever fumble recovery, before he gets credit for his first tackle. But, hey, we'll take it. After a mix of running and passing got the Jets in the neighborhood, since the Patriots had buckled down to contain Gurley after the long touchdown, Mariota recognized a full front seven blitz being sent by Belichick and Matty Patricia. He also saw, or knew, that they were in man coverage, meaning that Gronk would probably be open on his post route over the middle of the field. He was. Mariota rushed the throw, with seven Patriots hot on his tracks, but Gronk stabbed at it with one hand to catch it, boxing out Patrick Chung, then turning quickly up field and leaving him in his dust, officially giving the Jets the lead. As a reward, MarMar hit him again for two to make it a 7 point game, 21-14.
For those of you thinking Muhammad Wilkerson got away with a facemask here on Kaaya, think again. He made "incidental contact" with Kaaya's face, and never grabbed hold of it, the reason why no flag was thrown.
And on the back half of that play.... Who's that man holding the football at the bottom of the pile? Is it Diamond Chamberlin? It is.
All around, a very impressive play by Gronk. The catch was fantastic, but the move he made to get open was even better. He earned a second Gronk spike.
So, that 21-14 score held until the end of the quarter, but as the quarter came to a close, the Patriots were driving. A couple plays into the 4th, Jonathan Stewart broke free for the only time all day, taking it to the house from midfield, breaking a Jalen Adams tackle attempt in the process. But, wait, there's a flag! Illegal block in the back on Nate Solder? Hell yeah! Bring 'em back! But, the banged up Pats offense wasn't done kicking. They methodically got down inside the 10, but when Martellus dove out of bounds for extra yardage at the 5, they found themselves a half yard short of the first down. Even with plenty of time left, the Patriots went for it. Brad Kaaya looked for DeMarcus Ellerbe, since he'd had his way against Darqueze Dennard in that part of the field all day. But, it was one too many. In came Dennard. The pass was short, and Dennard jumped all over it, before diving to the ground to avoid getting mobbed by Jalen Adams and Calvin Pryor. Unfortunately though, the Jets couldn't capitalize, as the Patriots were now stopping Gurley completely.
The Patriots got the ball back, with just over 9 minutes left, and went to work, needing one score to tie. Eric Decker, who had been very quiet since the first drive of the game, made a huge 3rd down conversion to put New England in field goal range. Obviously, though, they wanted a touchdown. Two plays later, another third down, the Jets' 4 man pass rush broke down, giving Kaaya days upon days upon days to throw. Usually, that's when the Jets get beat, because it's hard for any secondary, especially the Jets', to keep receivers locked down for so long. Knowing this, Kaaya took a deep shot, trying to find Decker, but Jalen Adams, playing a perfect centerfield, closed on it, stepped in front, elevated, and pulled in his first INT as a Jet. Deflated, (pun INTENDED), the Patriots let the Jets have their way through the air for the first time all day, before the drive fizzled out in range for a Nick Folk field goal. He nailed it home, making it a two score game, at 24-14, halfway through the quarter.
The first INT as a Jet for Jamal Adams, taking the ball away from a former Jet, Eric Decker.
That was basically it though. The Patriots had one of those cheese touchdown drives that the Jets had late in the game last week. I will give kudos to Kaaya for floating one perfectly over Calvin Pryor and into the lunging grasp of Eric Decker, cutting the Jets lead to 24-21, but the decision to kick it deep with just under two minutes to play is what ended up costing the Patriots. After a horrible start, again, the Jets fought back, eventually making the Patriots pull even with them in the turnover department. 4 turnovers? That's seldom happened under the Belichick and Kraft regime. Oh well. The Jets are in the win column in 2018.
Nice throw, Brad Kaaya, and nice catch, Eric Decker. It didn't mean anything, but it was still a very nice play. Calvin Pryor thought he had a pick.
| New York Jets at New England Patriots | |||||
| Sep 16, 2018 | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| New York Jets (1-1) | 0 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 24 |
| New England Patriots (1-1) | 0 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Team Stats Comparison | ||
| NYJ | NWE | |
| Total Offense | 339 | 255 |
| Rushing Yards | 202 | 14 |
| Passing Yards | 137 | 241 |
| First Downs | 13 | 13 |
| Punt Return Yards | 27 | 30 |
| Kick Return Yards | 107 | 69 |
| Total Yards | 473 | 354 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 4 |
| 3rd Down Conversion | 5-11 (45%) | 4-9 (44%) |
| 4th Down Conversion | 0-0 | 0-1 |
| 2-Point Conversion | 1-1 | 0-0 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals | 1-1-0 (100%) | 4-3-0 (75%) |
| Penalties | 5-45 | 1-10 |
| Posession Time | 23:41 | 24:19 |
| Scoring Summary | |||
| SECOND QUARTER SCORING | NYJ | NWE | |
| 6:24 | (NWE) D. Ellerbe 6 yard pass from B. Kaaya (S. Gostkowski kick) | 0 | 7 |
| 4:05 | (NWE) D. Ellerbe 13 yard pass from B. Kaaya (S. Gostkowski kick) | 0 | 14 |
| 0:28 | (NYJ) R. Gronkowski 7 yard pass from M. Mariota (N. Folk kick) | 7 | 14 |
| THIRD QUARTER SCORING | NYJ | NWE | |
| 11:10 | (NYJ) T. Gurley 70 yard run (PAT missed) | 13 | 14 |
| 4:34 | (NYJ) R. Gronkowski 38 yard pass from M. Mariota (2 pt conv) | 21 | 14 |
| FOURTH QUARTER SCORING | NYJ | NWE | |
| 6:04 | (NYJ) N. Folk 48 yard FG | 24 | 14 |
| 1:52 | (NWE) E. Decker 5 yard pass from B. Kaaya (S. Gostkowski kick) | 24 | 21 |
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| New York Jets 2018 Schedule | ||||
| DATE | OPPONENT | RESULT | ||
| Sep 6 | vs Pittsburgh Steelers (TNF) | Lost, 20-17 | ||
| Sep 16 | at New England Patriots | Won, 24-21 | ||
| Sep 23 | at Houston Texans | |||
| Sep 30 | vs Tennessee Titans | |||
| Oct 7 | at Chicago Bears (SNF) | |||
| Oct 14 | at Miami Dolphins | |||
| Oct 28 | vs New England Patriots | |||
| Nov 4 | vs Indianapolis Colts | |||
| Nov 11 | vs Miami Dolphins | |||
| Nov 18 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | |||
| Nov 22 | at Detroit Lions (Thanksgiving) | |||
| Dec 2 | vs Buffalo Bills | |||
| Dec 9 | vs Green Bay Packers (SNF) | |||
| Dec 16 | at Buffalo Bills | |||
| Dec 23 | vs Minnesota Vikings | |||
| Dec 30 | at Kansas City Chiefs | |||
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