New York Jets vs. New England Patriots: Full Report Card Grades for New York
It was another close game, but the New York Jets once again fell short of the upset on Thursday night.
This was without a doubt the most heartbreaking loss of the season for Rex Ryan and his troops, as they outplayed the New England Patriots for most of the night.
The running game was dominant, Geno Smith was efficient and the defense got the better of the Patriots offense for most of the night.
However, missed opportunities in the red zone, a few crucial mistakes and a last-second blocked field goal cost the team.
The Jets are now 1-6 on the season, and Rex Ryan's job is still in serious jeopardy, despite the team improving tremendously in recent weeks.
Click through for complete grades for each of New York's positional units in the heartbreaking loss.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Geno Smith was far from amazing, but he was pretty darn efficient throughout the night.
The second-year quarterback avoided committing any turnovers, completed 20 of his 34 passes for 226 yards and a touchdown and contributed 37 yards rushing.
Smith led the Jets to scoring drives on the majority of their possessions, and he set the team up for the game-winning score in the final minute of the game.
Yes, the offense failed to convert in the red zone on multiple occasions, but Smith put together one of his best performances of the year in the loss.
Grade: B+
Running Back
2 of 10
Well, that was surprising.
After a subpar couple of weeks, the Jets rushing attack bounced back in a major way on Thursday night, dominating the Patriots defensive front from start to finish.
Chris Ivory rushed for 107 yards and a touchdown on just 21 carries, Chris Johnson notched 61 rushing yards on 13 touches and Bilal Powell ran for seven yards on just one carry.
All together, New York managed 218 yards on the night on a superb 5.1 yards per carry.
Ivory and Johnson bounced off tacklers and led the offense down the field all night, and they all contributed six catches in the passing game.
Gang Green have one of the best one-two rushing punches in the league, and they played like it tonight.
Grade: A+
Wide Receiver/Tight End
3 of 10
The receiving corps was far from spectacular, but it was certainly serviceable against the Patriots.
Eric Decker was once again the standout, registering four catches for 65 yards while being guarded by Darrelle Revis all night. Decker managed a couple huge receptions, and he had his way with Revis throughout the night.
Jeff Cumberland also stepped up big time after a quiet start to the season, recording 50 yards and a touchdown.
However, Jace Amaro took a step back after a huge game against the Denver Broncos, Jeremy Kerley once again pulled a disappearing act and David Nelson caught just one ball.
The Jets are yet to get a complete effort from their receiving corps, but a couple of guys have stepped up most weeks.
Grade: B-
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
After a horrid last couple weeks, the offensive line bounced back in a major way in Foxborough.
The unit had its way New England's defensive front and was the main reason why Chris Johnson and Chris Ivory found so many holes.
The line did allow three sacks and seven quarterback hits, but most of those were a result of bull rushes by the Patriots as opposed to poor blocking.
Make no mistake: The Jets offensive line made a statement tonight. It's fully capable of being one of the team's best units, and after weeks of criticism, it answered the call.
Grade: A-
Defensive Line
5 of 10
The Jets defensive line didn't make much of an impact on Thursday night.
The unit didn't record a single sack, but it did manage four quarterback hits. Three of those hits were by Muhammad Wilkerson, who continues to cement himself as one of the most disruptive defensive players in the league.
The unit's lack of a pass rush was made up for with a significant improvement in run defense.
The line had struggled to defend the run in recent weeks, but it stepped up big time in this game, holding the Patriots to just 63 rushing yards.
The "Sons of Anarchy," Sheldon Richardson, Wilkerson and Damon Harrison, were also terrific when it mattered, as they shut down the Patriots' rushing attack in the final few moments of the game.
Grade: C+
Linebacker
6 of 10
The linebacker corps took a step back after nearly a month of dominant production.
The unit failed to register much of a pass rush on Tom Brady, and it struggled when it was asked to drop back in coverage.
Rob Gronkowski had another big game, while Shane Vereen proved to be a major thorn in New York's side throughout the night.
David Harris and Demario Davis recorded just eight combined tackles, while they usually register around 20 stops.
The middle of the defense might have been the Jets' weakest link against Tom Brady and Co.
Grade: C+
Secondary
7 of 10
The secondary was far from terrible, but it still let up a number of big plays that ultimately cost the team the game.
A miscommunication early in the game resulted in a 50-yard touchdown by Shane Vereen, and a pass interference by Antonio Allen led to another score.
Allen had a downright terrible game, committing several big penalties, while being dominated in coverage throughout the night.
Perhaps most importantly, the secondary failed to make any big plays on the night, as it once again couldn't force a turnover.
Tom Brady finished the game with 261 yards and three touchdowns.
Grade: C-
Special Teams
8 of 10
The special teams were phenomenal for 59 minutes.
Nick Folk nailed his first four field-goal attempts, Walt Powell returned one kick for over 60 yards to put the offense in great scoring position and the return defense was terrific.
However, a blocked 58-yard field goal in the final seconds will come to define this game. Granted, Nick Folk had to put the kick low to make it from that distance, but it was still a downright heartbreaking play from the special teams unit.
Grade: B-
Coaching
9 of 10
Rex Ryan couldn't have coached a much better game on Thursday.
Ryan dropped multiple defensive backs in coverage to force Brady to throw into tight holes, and he got the best out of his team despite its current record.
Marty Mornhinweg also called his best game of the season. He did a great job switching runs and passes, and he wasn't afraid to let Geno Smith sling it when it was necessary.
Mornhinweg's play-calling has been questionable at best in recent weeks, but he stepped up his game Thursday night. Even on the last drive, he managed to call a number of terrific plays.
Grade: B+
Cumulative Grade
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Grade |
| QB | B+ |
| RB | A+ |
| WR/TE | B- |
| OL | A- |
| DL | C+ |
| LB | C+ |
| Secondary | C- |
| Special Teams | B- |
| Coaching | B+ |
Cumulative Grade: B+
The Jets played a great game on Thursday, but they fell just short of pulling off the major upset.
New York dominated the time of possession, committed no key mistakes and got great production out of a number of units, but it still couldn't get the victory, largely because of the lack of conversions in the red zone.
Gang Green won't make the playoffs this year, but they are far better than their 1-6 record suggests. Expect them to register a winning record down the stretch.
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