Jets vs. Patriots: 5 Things We Learned in New England's 30-21 Win over New York

As expected, the New England Patriots and the New York Jets played to a very close game. As expected, the Patriots offense and the Jets defense were at the forefront of that.

It was the performance of the Patriots defense against the Jets offense, though, that allowed New England to hang onto a lead while its offense struggled, and it also prevented the Jets from taking a lead.

The Patriots have put 30 points up on 13 straight opponents in the regular season, but that was far from the biggest story of the day.

Patriots Defense Prove They Can Make Stops

With four straight three-and-outs to start the game, the Patriots defense proved that despite being one of the league's worst from a statistical perspective, they are a unit that is capable of making stops.

A large part of their success came as a result of pressure on Mark Sanchez, tipped passes and bad blocking from the Jets offensive line overall.

In fact, the Jets didn't have a receiver catch a single pass until there was 10:30 remaining in the second quarter.

Of course, that success was tested later on when the Jets put together a solid drive in the middle of the second quarter that went 78 yards in 13 plays and elapsed 7:54 that finished on a Shonn Greene touchdown, and followed that up with solid drives in the fourth quarter to draw the score closer. Still, the hot start for the Patriots defense was a large part of their success, as it forced the ball into Sanchez's hands.

A total of seven three-and-outs forced by the Patriots defense is a large reason that New England was able to hang onto their three-point lead.

Before garbage time, they had only given up 232 yards on the day. That's half what they had given up before today.

But That They'll Still Let Anyone into Any Game

Two times, the Patriots built a 10-point lead. Two times, that lead evaporated on the very next drive.

A long drive by the Jets helped them climb back from down 10 in the first half, and a special teams gaffe on an 88-yard return by Joe McKnight allowed them to bring the deficit back to just three points.

No matter what the Patriots do on defense, it seems they are consistently susceptible to coughing up leads. That puts the pressure on their offense to score touchdowns on every drive, and when that unit struggles, you see close games like the one today.

It wasn't all roses for the Patriots defense, though, as the Jets were able to climb back into the game and draw within six points late in the fourth quarter.

The Patriots really don't mind giving up yards in garbage time, or points. As long as they log the win, that's all that matters to them. 

The Running Game Is Capable of Stepping Up When Needed

Last week against the Raiders' league-worst run defense, the Patriots balanced out their attack by keeping it on the ground just as much as they put it in the air. They picked up 183 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries against Oakland, and followed that up by exposing the Jets' swiss cheese run defense, which ranked 27th.

New England's ability to pick up yards on the ground was a big reason they were able to maintain a lead. They rode the running game to two touchdowns and ran the ball 35 times.

The lead man in the charge was BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who accounted for both rushing touchdowns along with 27 carries and 136 yards. This was a big day for him, as he proved he is still deserving of a bulk of the carries in New England's offense, which loves to spread the load across a wide group of backs. 

Wes Welker Can Be a Deep Threat

It was just one play, but a 73-yard reception by Wes Welker to open up the second half swung the momentum right back in New England's favor after a rare red zone interception by Tom Brady killed a last-minute chance to score for the Patriots in the first half.

Revis was initially in coverage on Welker on the play, but the shutdown cornerback released on the coverage and safety Eric Smith wasn't ready to answer the bell. With that, he gave up two catches for a combined 77 yards. The other was a four-yard reception near the end of the first half that gave the Patriots a first down.

Welker had five receptions for 124 yards on the day, continuing his hot start against a Jets defense that is considered one of the best in the league against the pass. Although it didn't all come against Revis, the fact that the Patriots were able to get Welker involved is a big reason they were able to come out of the game with the win.

Patriots Prove They Can Win a Game When Brady Is Held in Check

Remember what I said about 10-point leads? Well, the third time they built a 10-point lead (24-14), they didn't let it crumble. A sixth three-and-out allowed the Patriots to build the lead to 13 at 27-14, and they never looked back.

Their ability to run the ball late was key to slamming the door shut on a Jets comeback.

It's almost funny that on a day where Brady threw for 321 yards and completed 72.7 percent of his passes, we talk about him being held in check. New York's incredible pressure on Brady contributed to that, as Gang Green ganged up on him for four sacks and an interception (albeit on a Hernandez drop).

The Jets also held the all-world quarterback to just one touchdown, but their ability to score on the ground (two touchdowns) helped lift the offense in spite of the shortcomings of its quarterback.

The fact that the Patriots were able to win this game by two scores without Brady playing like the best quarterback of all time is a testament either to the Patriots rebounding on defense or being made to look much better than they are against a lackluster Jets offense.

Running the ball well will be essential in January, and this is the type of that inspires confidence in the Patriots ability to win playoff games. 

Erik Frenz is the co-host of the PatsPropaganda and Frenz podcast. Follow Erik on Twitter  @erikfrenz.