3 Takeaways from New England Patriots' Week 9 Win

On Monday night, the New England Patriots won 30-27 on a last-second Nick Folk field goal as time expired. They got the victory and improved to 3-5 on the season, and as quarterback Cam Newton stated after the game, that's the important takeaway.

"It wasn't pretty, but it was a win," Newton told ESPN's Lisa Salters (h/t NFL.com's Jelani Scott).

Yes, the win is important for a Patriots team trying to maintain some respectability. However, there's plenty more to be gleaned from a close game against the league's lone winless team.

Here, we'll examine three other Patriots takeaways from Monday night.

New England's Defense Is a Problem

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

The Patriots defense was never going to be championship-caliber this season. When players like Dont'a Hightower and Patrick Chung opted out of the 2020 season, it left New England with a shell of its former defense. Stopping the run has been an issue all season, ranking just 22nd in rushing yards allowed.

Against the Jets, however, the entire defense looked bad. Star cornerback Stephon Gilmore didn't play, but that hardly excuses surrendering 262 yards and three touchdowns to Joe Flacco or allowing New York to build a 10-point fourth-quarter lead.

The Jets came into Monday night averaging fewer than 12 points per game. They dropped 27 on New England and at times made it look easy.

If the Patriots are going to have any shot at rebounding and pushing for the postseason, they're going to have to find answers on the defensive side of the ball—and in a hurry. With the Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals looming, New England could potentially be at eight losses before December

The Patriots Will Have to Deal with the Ups and Downs of Cam Newton

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

Newton has been up and down as the Patriots starter this season, and we saw more of that on Monday night. While he did complete 27-of-35 pass attempts, he also struggled to push the ball down the field in the early going, which helped lead to the 10-point hole. The good news is that he rallied late and helped lead the comeback.

Newton was mostly good against New York, but even he knows that isn't cause for celebration.

"This is not like 'I just did my job today.' That's what it's supposed to be each and every week," he said, per Curtis Crabtree of ProFootballTalk.com.

It's certainly worth noting that Newton was playing without wide receivers Julian Edelman and N'Keal Harry in a team that generally lacks offensive weapons anyway. However, the reality is that the Patriots are likely to continue getting from Newton what they got on Monday: stretches of mediocrity mixed with stretches of brilliance.

While Newton still has room to grow in Josh McDaniels' offense and can be a high-level starter at times, he isn't going to provide the consistency at quarterback New England long enjoyed with Tom Brady.

Jakobi Meyers Deserves More Opportunities

Adam Hunger/Associated Press

If Newton is going to find some consistency, wideout Jakobi Meyers will likely be part of the equation. The second-year receiver became Newton's go-to target with Edelman and Harry out, and he delivered in a big way.

Meyers caught 12 passes for 169 yards on Monday night.

While burning the Jets doesn't mean that Meyers is set for superstardom, it does show what the undrafted N.C. State product is capable of doing. Meyers has come on in recent weeks, catching 10 passes for 118 yards against the San Francisco 49ers and the Buffalo Bills.

Meyers should remain a focal point of the passing attack even if Harry and Edelman make their way back onto the field. He has the potential to be a long-term piece of this offense, regardless of who is under center in 2021 and beyond.