Jets vs. Patriots: New England Grades, Notes and Quotes

In a game that had a playoff atmosphere, the New England Patriots survived a bruising contest against the New York Jets on Sunday to remain undefeated at 6-0. Despite a drop-infested offense and a defense that had issues getting off the field on third down all game, a strong fourth quarter enabled the Pats to come back and win, 30-23.

Following a Stephen Gostkowski field goal stemming from a Ryan Fitzpatrick fumble to open the game, the Jets embarked on a 15-play drive that ate up roughly half the first quarter. However, the defense was able to hold at the goal line, with Patrick Chung and Justin Coleman coming up with timely pass deflections in the end zone, to limit New York to a Nick Folk field goal that tied the game at 3-3.

Nevertheless, the Jets had their way in the first quarter, outgaining New England 141-21. New York's second drive also lasted double-digit plays and ended in the end zone, with a Jeremy Kerley five-yard touchdown catch capping off a 14-play drive. However, following a forced punt, the Pats were able to claw their way down the field for the tying touchdown, with Tom Brady using his legs to gain the final 12 yards of the drive, including the scoring quarterback sneak from the half-yard line. Another Gostkowski field goal capped the first-half scoring, as the Patriots took a 13-10 lead into halftime.

Following a third Gostkowski field goal to open the second half, the defense's woes on third downs continued, as New York converted three third downs on its first third-quarter drive to take a 17-16 lead. The Jets controlled the ball nearly the entire third quarter, but on a drive that leaked into the start of the fourth quarter, the Patriots defense held in the red zone to hold New York to three points and contain the lead at 20-16.

The Pats offense rewarded that effort by putting together its best effort of the game. Following the defensive hold, the offense put together a 10-play, 80-yard touchdown drive (which included a 3rd-and-17 conversion) that put New England back up 23-20. On the team's next drive, which started with just over five minutes left, the Patriots put together a gritty touchdown drive to put the game out of reach with just over one minute left. 

The Jets did make things dicey at the end, getting a quick field goal and then recovering the onside kick with 15 seconds remaining. However, an illegal procedure penalty resulted in a 10-second runoff that ended the game, allowing the Pats to hold on in their closest game of the season.

Despite appearing out of sync for long stretches of the game, New England's fourth-quarter surge was enough to keep the Pats undefeated. Read on for full grades and analysis from a critical division victory.

Position Grades for Patriots

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Position	Grade
QB	A
RB	C
WR	C+
TE	A-
OL	B
DL	A-
LB	A-
DB	C
Special Teams	B+
Coaching	A-

Tom Brady didn't receive much help from his skill position players, with the wide receivers having butter fingers all day and the Pats abandoning the run from the get go.  And while we'll delve deeper into the offensive game plan shortly, the shorthanded offensive line deserves credit for largely keeping Brady clean, limiting the Jets to two sacks (excluding one on a Hail Mary at the end of the first half) and none in the second half.

Defensively, the Patriots prioritized Chris Ivory, who was limited after appearing to suffer a hamstring injury on the first drive.  Ivory stayed in the game and had some nice moments in the second half, but the Pats limited him to 41 rushing yards on 2.4 yards per carry (though he did add a receiving touchdown in the third quarter).  Against a player who led the league with 115 rushing yards per game headed into Sunday's contest, that's a clear win for the New England defense.

The edge defenders were excellent against the Jets.  Rob Ninkovich did his best J.J. Watt impression in his finest game of the season, batting down four passes and nearly intercepting another.  Meanwhile, Chandler Jones forced a Ryan Fitzpatrick fumble on the second play of the game.  At linebacker, Dont'a Hightower, after missing last week with a rib injury, was also extremely active against the run in his return to the lineup, racking up a team-high 10 solo tackles. 

Special teams also played a role in earning the Pats the field position advantage in the first half, as New England started three of its first four drives past its own 40-yard line.  Allowing an onside kick recovery at the end of the fourth quarter was a rough gaffe, but apart from that play, the third phase was a definite advantage for the Pats.

Tom Brady Carries Offense in Comeback

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Sunday's contest evoked memories of last January's divisional-round playoff contest against the Baltimore Ravens.  As they did on that evening, the Patriots made a conscious decision to abandon the run and put the game entirely in the hands of Brady, who overcame multiple deficits to reward the coaching staff's faith.

Brady went 34-for-54 for 355 yards with two touchdowns and no picks, a critical error-free performance despite a slightly lower yards per attempt average (6.6).  Most stunningly, Brady led the team in rushing, scampering for 15 yards, including a one-yard touchdown sneak in the second quarter, as the Patriots called just five rushing plays for their running backs.

With stronger pass protection in the second half, Brady was more consistently able to pick apart a New York defense that uncharacteristically chose not to blitz most of the afternoon.  Todd Bowles' pressure-based defense altered its scheme slightly in an attempt to eliminate the in-breaking routes from New England's game plan, a ploy that worked for much of the first and third quarters.

However, New England's last two offensive drives ended in touchdowns, with Brady completing 13 of his 16 passes on those marches.  That the Pats would prefer to rely on Brady's right arm rather than their running game to burn the clock indicates everything one needs to know about this offense.  While unorthodox, Brady proved he could still control the game when it mattered most against his toughest test of the season.

Danny Amendola Rescues Drop-Infested Receivers

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Brady had a strong day against one of the league's elite defenses, but perhaps his line would have looked even stronger with even a modicum of help from his wide receivers.  On a day where Brady tossed 20 incompletions, exactly half of them were actually drops from receivers, according to the CBS broadcast.

In his 2015 debut, Brandon LaFell was the main culprit, dropping a whopping six passes.  LaFell was clearly rusty in his return to the lineup, as most of his drops appeared to result from slight mistimings between his route and Brady's pass.  Additionally, Julian Edelman dropped a would-be touchdown in the third quarter, forcing the Pats to settle for a red-zone field goal.

Fortunately, Danny Amendola bailed out the butterfingered unit with his best game of the season.  Amendola, who took a paycut to stick around this year following a disappointing 2014, accrued eight catches for 86 yards and the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter.  Amendola already has more receiving yards than he did during the entire 2014 season, and he has emerged as an integral third prong of the receiving attack alongside Rob Gronkowski and Edelman.

Amendola has made numerous acrobatic catches this season, with his diving catch along the right sideline on New England's final offensive drive just the latest example.  For someone who was labeled as a free-agent bust, the 30-year-old vet has experienced a strong revival during his third season in Foxborough.

Defense Struggles on 3rd Downs

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The Patriots lost the time of possession battle, 33:03 to 26:57, in large part due to their inability to get off the field on third down.  New York went 8-for-14 in third-down conversions, and was particularly adept at picking up third-and-longs throughout the afternoon.

The front seven did not put much pressure on Ryan Fitzpatrick for most of the game, accruing just two sacks, which certainly did not help.  However, Fitzpatrick repeatedly found Eric Decker, who saw five of his six receptions come on third downs.  Additionally, the play-action bootleg worked well for the Jets throughout the afternoon, as the design was an easy way to get their running backs and tight ends involved in the passing game.

Headed into the game, New England ranked 21st in third-down defense, allowing opponents to convert 40 percent of their third downs.  Moreover, the Pats had actually been a strong unit on long yardage to-go situations.  According to Pro-Football-Reference, New England allowed just a 21.9 percent conversion rate on 3rd-and-7 or more, ninth in the league.

There's not necessarily reason to be alarmed from this single performance, and the Pats did fare well on the first two downs to force the Jets to convert so many third downs.  Nevertheless, with a short week coming up, the defense certainly did not give themselves much time to rest on Sunday.

Malcolm Butler: No Confidence Lost

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If Eric Decker's six-catch, 94-yard day was the catalyst for New England's difficult afternoon on third downs, then Malcolm Butler was his primary victim.  Butler shadowed Decker in a largely man coverage oriented game plan, and was beaten routinely on deep crossing routes.  However, per the Boston Herald's Jeff Howe, Butler expressed no lost confidence after the game:

"

Malcolm Butler was asked if confidence is shaken after today: "Oh no, no, no, no, no, no indeed. You can’t play in this league like that."

— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) October 25, 2015"

The second-year pro has always been extraordinarily confident for a former undrafted free agent, which has generally served him well in an expanded role this season.  The Pats asked a lot from Butler in playing the slot, as they consistently rolled coverage toward Brandon Marshall.  Thus, instead of getting to use his length on the boundary, Butler was often asked to stay with Decker on potential two-way releases (i.e., either in- or out-breaking routes).

That's not really his game, and it highlights how thin the Patriots are in the slot.  Butler should remain a competent starter on the perimeter, but Sunday's game served as an important illustration of his game's limitations.

Brandon LaFell Down on Himself

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After an unexpected setback with offseason foot surgery cost Brandon LaFell the first six games of this season, the veteran wide receiver certainly did not expect such a rough re-indoctrination to the game.  With a startling six drops on the afternoon, LaFell was highly critical of his performance, according to Howe:

"

LaFell: "I expect more out of myself. My teammates expect more from me. I’m just real down on myself right now."

— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) October 25, 2015"

The Pats did stick with LaFell despite his struggles, almost to the detriment of the offense.  He did have a nice leaping 19-yard catch on 2nd-and-20 near the end of the first half, but in running his usual assortment of hook and dig routes, LaFell's timing with Brady seemed consistently a half-second off throughout the game.

Fortunately, repetition should remedy that issue, and LaFell's route running appeared crisp, as he worked himself open numerous times.  The real question is whether LaFell will overtake the resurgent Danny Amendola on the depth chart, or whether LaFell has lost his job as the No. 2 wide receiver and will only remain a staple of "11" personnel (3 WR, 1 RB, 1 TE) packages.

Logan Ryan on Defending Marshall

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While the Patriots may have welcomed back a prominent member of their 2014 secondary on Sunday, it was a young starter on their own team who delivered a strong under-the-radar performance.  Logan Ryan won't make Patriots fans forget about Darrelle Revis, but at least for one afternoon, he did a reasonable job of containing Brandon Marshall.  After the game, Ryan talked about matching Marshall's energy level as a key factor in his strong showing:

"

Logan Ryan on day vs B. Marshall "I had to match his energy level...knew he's not going to get completely shut down. Too good. Too big."

— Michael Giardi (@MikeGiardi) October 25, 2015"

As Bill Belichick often does against top receivers, he had Devin McCourty playing over the top of Ryan throughout the afternoon, with both former Rutgers defensive backs bracketing Marshall throughout the game.  The Jets star consequently finished with four catches for 67 yards, his lowest catch output and second-lowest receiving yardage output of the year.

The Jets still moved the ball well at times, but with their top target erased as a primary weapon, New York was unable to consistently sustain enough offense to keep up.  Ryan played a huge role in executing that critical facet of the game plan, and deserves credit for his steadiness since ascending to the starting lineup.