In what has become one of the most heated rivalries in the National Football League in recent years, the New York Jets (5-3) will host the New England Patriots (5-3) on Sunday Night Football. The AFC East adversaries are tied for first place, competing for sole possession of the division lead after a Buffalo Bills (5-4) blowout loss at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys this afternoon.
The Patriots’ defense will need to get it together as the Jets’ ground-and-pound offense is finally starting to gain steam. Shonn Greene is running better than ever and it’s opening up opportunities for Mark Sanchez and the air attack. As always, the Gang Green secondary is consistently shutting down opponents, but they face a huge challenge in Tom Brady and a receiving corps led by Wes Welker. Check out our pre-game here.
You can let me know what you’re thinking by commenting on this post or mentioning me (@Zach_PPI) on Twitter. I will post some of your insight throughout the night.
12:20: The Jets are now at 5-4, in second place in the AFC East. The Patriots advance to 6-3 and are in sole possession of the division lead, after the Bills also lost this Sunday, dropping to 5-4 with the Jets. Tom Brady had time all night and took advantage of it, throwing for three touchdowns. New York’s offense was unable to get anything going in the second half and fell short tonight.
11:57: And the game is over. Final score: 37-16 Patriots. In many ways, this was a mini-Super Bowl for the Jets, who would have taken first place in the division if they beat their rivals on Sunday Night Football.
11:44: Three turnovers for the Jets. Zero turnovers for the Patriots. Sanchez can’t take the blame for the pick on the tipped all, but it was his second interception that hurt the most, letting this game get fully out of reach as Ninkovich returned it for a touchdown. McKnight’s muffed catch on a punt return led to a field goal. There were mistakes on both sides of the ball that allowed the Patriots to capitalize all night long. Tom Brady will never let you off the hook if you make the wrong decision. He is 26 of 39 (66.6 percent) for 329 yards and three touchdowns.
11:41: This game is for all intents and purposes over as the Jets just turned the ball over on downs. But as is standard with Bill Belichick, he will keep passing the ball and try to run up the score on a tired, unmotivated defense. The Jets are losing this in the worst way possible, they really let the Patriots run away with this. They’ve scored 31 of the last 38 points going back to the end of the second quarter. New York simply came out of the stall jogging in the third quarter, as the Patriots hit a full sprint immediately.
11:38: Sanchez threads the needle on a 38-yard pass to Jeremy Kerley that brings them into Patriots territory. Andre Carter sacks Sanchez for his third QB takedown of the night on the next play. And wait, it can’t be, Carter with another sack! That’s four on the night for Andre Carter! (4.5 technically, as he shared the Pats’ fifth sack with Mark Anderson.)
11:31: On 2nd & 20, Sanchez drops back, sees LaDainian Tomlinson short over the middle, but once again Rob Ninkovich is there to pick him off. Eyeing Sanchez, Ninkovich read the quarterback perfectly and quickly moved in to cut off LT and snatch the ball, easily taking it fifteen yards into the endzone and effectively ending this game. 37-16 Patriots. With 7:45 left in the game, Sanchez & Co. face a seemingly insurmountable 21-point deficit.
11:29: Five wide on first down from the 20-yard line, and Sanchez scrambles, aiming for Keller 20+ yards downfield but overthrowing the tight end. Would have been called back on an illegal use of the hands penalty on tackle Wayne Hunter anyway. 1st & 20 from the 10-yard line.
11:24: Two plays later, Brady hits Deion Branch, lined up wide left, on a short curl. Kyle Wilson had him covered and was there for the tackle, but Branch slipped through Wilson’s arms and into the end zone. Touchdown, 30-16 Patriots. 8:04 left in the game. I mentioned earlier that you see “rookie” mistakes by second-year player Kyle Wilson from time to time. If you needed a reminder, there it is. I can assure you that Rex Ryan is furious with that poor display of tackling.
11:23: On 3rd & 4, Brady converts yet again, hitting his favorite target Wes Welker for a 1st & goal. This is certainly a momentum-killer for the Jets offense, which finally had a solid touchdown drive and is now watching their defense get picked apart at the hands of Tom Brady.
11:18: Brady is going no-huddle and it’s working well, confusing the Jets as they’ve blown coverage on just about every completion on this drive. The Patriots have moved the ball all the way down to the Jets 24-yard line and have a 1st & 10.
11:11: On 2nd & goal, the Jets went to a play that was established by another New York team years ago. The Plaxico Burress fade. Plax towers over just about every player on the field, so why not just throw it up the air and let the guy that jump the highest grab it? It took the Jets a little while to figure it out, but in a game against the Chargers in week seven, Sanchez hit Plax for three short touchdown passes. 23-16 Patriots.
11:07: Safety James Ihedigbo was injured on the play, leaving the Patriots with even less depth at safety (Patrick Chung is inactive today) if he can’t come back in.
11:03: In what looked like zone coverage, Dustin Keller hit a gap and Sanchez saw him open over the middle for about a 25-yard gain. The Jets offense is finally showing some signs of life. Remember what I said about Sanchez in clutch time before?? But they face another road block, with a 3rd & 2 on the Patriots’ 10-yard line. They put the vet, LaDainian Tomlinson, in the game and keep it simple. Handoff to LT who goes up the midle for three yards and a 1st & goal from the seven-yard line.
11:00: The first play of the drive leads to a Santonio Holmes first down on a slant. Sanchez keeps it on the next for a four-yard gain. Greene makes it to midfield on second down, leaving the offense with a 3rd & 2. Again, Sanchez keeps the ball and lands just past the marker. Great awareness as he felt that he had just enough room to get the first down and he was right.
10:57: Down two touchdowns with just under 19 minutes remaining in this game, any hope of a comeback from the Jets lies in Mark Sanchez’s hands. We’ve seen plenty of fourth quarter comebacks from the young QB, who seems to thrive in clutch time. He knows what the Jets need: seven points. Now let’s see if he can go out there and actually get it done. But Sanchez has looked uneasy all night.
10:53: On third down, needing to hold off the Patriots, the Jets defense once again crumbled as Donald Strickland is beat by Rob Gronkowski in man coverage, who is open in the end zone for another touchdown. The Gang Green defense has not found an answer for Brady tonight. Gronkowski taunted Strickland after the reception, and the penalty will be assessed on the kickoff. 23-9 Patriots.
10:50: Mark Sanchez sees Shonn Greene short over the middle and the ball bounces off of his chest and into the air. Patriot Jerod Mayo grabs for the ball and it tips off of his hands and back about ten yards into the hands of Rob Ninkovich for an interception.
Tom Brady has come out strong yet again and strings a few passes together. Six minutes left in the quarter and the Patriots have a 2nd & 5 on the Jets’ six-yard line. If the Jets want a chance to win this game, they need a stop right here.
10:48: Another young player stepping up: Jeremy Kerley, the slot receiver, makes a catch for a first down on a slant route over the middle that brings the Jets to the 38-yard line.
10:46: Nobody in New York doubts that Joe McKnight was worth the price of trading Leon Washington anymore. Great kick return to the 40-yard line from the sophomore running back, return-man, and defensive specialist. His speed and overall skill set makes him a dangerous player for a much lower price than what Washington would have cost them. By the way, who’s even heard Leon’s name this year? Where is he?
10:43: I was incorrect. Gronkowski stepped out-of-bounds and came back in before making the catch, so he was ineligible. 3rd & 16, 13-9 Patriots. Wes Welker makes a catch short of the first down marker and Stephen Gostowski hits a chip shot field goal. The Jets just dodged a bullet, and are now down a touchdown. 16-9 Patriots.
10:37: The Patriots next drive stalls again, and on the punt Joe McKnight muffs the catch and drops the ball. Another Jet fell on it but was unable to hold on and it was recovered by the Patriots at the Jets’ 10-yard line. On 3rd & 12, Brady avoids a sack and has seemingly a year in the backfield, eventually finding Rob Gronkowski wide open in the left side of the end zone for a touchdown. 20-9 Patriots, and the play will be reviewed.
Gronkowski dove as he caught it and the replay clearly shows two hands between the ball and field. Without a doubt, touchdown Patriots, who now have all the momentum in this game and leave the Jets needing to put something together on this drive or risk letting this game get away from them.
10:35: I didn’t mention it, but Mark Sanchez called a timeout on the last drive that left the Patriots with an extra twenty seconds. Rex Ryan ripped his quarterback at halftime, commenting that it was one of the stupidest things he’s ever seen.
10:32: Shonn Greene drops a short pass on second down because he feels the hit coming. Incompletion on third down as well on a pass intended for Plax. Another three-and-out, as obviously zero momentum was retained from their touchdown drive before the halftime break. Sanchez has looked shaky tonight and three misfires on that drive won’t help his confidence as the night moves forward. Conley punts for a touchback witn 12:56 left in the third quarter.
10:29: Big stop as the Jets hold the Patriots to a three-and-out. Mesko punts to the Jets’ 45-yard line. Weird play on first down as Santonio Holmes trots down the left sideline and Sanchez throws a ball about five yards behind him. It seemed as though Holmes may have thought it was a pass play.
10:20: The Jets will need to stop stepping on their own feet if they want to see more offensive success in the second half. They were able to score a touchdown on their last drive, momentum they will need to maintain into the third quarter. With the Patriots receiving the kickoff, it is important for the Gang Green defense to hold off Brady and avoid letting them get ahead by two scores.
10:16: Mark Sanchez is 10 for 16 for 137 yards, but hasn’t made plays when needed most. The run game is seeing some continuity, again moving the ball well, averaging 4.9 yards per carry in the first half. Shonn Greene rushed for 46 yards on nine carries, LaDainian Tomlinson adding another 28 on four runs.
10:12: Unlike what has been the case for most of this season, the Jets are letting up the majority of offensive yards through the air. The Patriots have rushed for just 11 yards on eight carries, Green-Ellis accounting for eight yards on three carries. Tom Brady is 12 for 22 for 194 yards and a touchdown, and has been utilizing tight end Rob Gronkowski all night who has 79 yards on five receptions and a touchdown.
10:08: It has been a very close game so far, but as the result of a bad Eric Smith personal foul and a Darrelle Revis hold on Wes Welker earlier in the drive, the Patriots have the lead going into halftime. Total yards: Patriots – 205, Jets – 192. First downs: Patriots – 10, Jets – 12. Total plays: Patriots – 30, Jets – 34. As predicted, a back-and-forth game from the divisional rivals so far.
10:04: Personal foul on Eric Smith for a facemask. These are the kind of mistakes that you absolutely can not make in the red zone. Patriots 2nd & 10 from the 16-yard line and they lose yards on a screen pass to the right. 3rd & 12. Rob Gronkowski runs a flawless post route, cutting left and into the end zone as Brady ropes one to the leaping tight end for a touchdown. 13-9 Patriots. Nine seconds left in the half.
10:00: With under a minute left in the half, Brady strings a few completions together and gets the offense to to the New England 46-yard line. He finds Rob Gronkowski on the left sideline for a firstdown but on the hit, the ball pops out, ruled a fumbled recovered by Darrelle Revis. The play will go to official review. His elbow hitting the ground forced the ball to pop out, but he should be down by contact. (Update: That is confirmed by the referee.) Patriots’ ball at the 31-yard line, 38 seconds remaining.
9:54: On 2nd & 10, Sanchez hits Keller on the three-yard line to set up a 3rd & goal opportunity just short of the end zone. On what could have been a designed run, Sanchez drops back for just a second and takes off for the end zone, stretching his arm across the goal line for the touchdown. 9-6 Jets. After the extra point, Vince Wilfork shoves a Jets player and is called with a personal foul, ensuring a touchback on the kickoff from the 50-yard line.
9:49: Mark Sanchez showing his expertise, using a hard snap count to draw the Patriots offsides. A huge LaDainian Tomlinson run went for 32 yards and a Sanchez pass on the next play to Patrick Turner for another 22 puts the Jets at the 10-yard line with 2:27 remaining and they take a timeout. My call: play-action pass to Santonio Holmes on the first play after the stoppage. (Update: I was wrong.)
9:42: A rare Tom Brady moment: he fumbles a snap on 2nd & 8 that he falls on for a loss of five yards. On third down, Brady is nearly sacked in the end zone by Jamaal Westerman, and throws the ball away, called an intentional grounding which is a safety by rule. 6-2 Patriots, and they will punt to the Jets, who finally get on the board but still desperately need to get the offense moving.
9:37: Sanchez tries to find Burress downfield deep right on first down. Patriots defensive back Sterling Moore is called for a hit on a defenseless receiver, but once again the drive falls short after the Patriots’ fourth sack of the game and another incomplete pass. Conley punts and the Patriots will start in bad position again, this time from the eight-yard line. There is 5:14 remaining in the half.
9:32: Three-and-out for the Patriots who will punt from their own end zone. Kyle Wilson pushed a Patriot into returner Jeremy Kerley and was called for a ten-yard penalty, bringing the Jets back to their 37-yard line. With solid field position, they have one of their best offensive opportunities so far this game. With Brady’s tendency to manage long, drawn-out drives to end a half, this may be the last time Gang Green touches the ball before the intermission.
9:30: The storyline surrounding this game all week was the Darrelle Revis/Wes Welker matchup. Welker, who is leading the league in yards and is on pace to break the single-season record, has been targeted twice and is without a reception with just over seven minutes left in the first half.
9:27: The drive stalls around midfield after a near-sack that ruled intentional grounding and a tackle from behind on Mark Sanchez who scrambled on third down. After that first drive, the Jets offense has looked anemic, stalling after a few plays and failing to string together big plays as they did early. T.J. Conley’s punt took a great bounce and roll, finally downed at the seven-yard line.
9:20: Jets fans everywhere are ecstatic with the breakout of Plaxico Burress over the last few weeks. He catches a big pass across the middle of the field for 21 yards on a post route. This is a different role than what Plax was used to with the Giants, where he was a #1 receiver that stretched the field. He is now used across the middle (on a lot of slats and posts) for his speed, and in the red zone for his height.
9:17: Kyle Wilson with another mistake, if you could call his missed interception that, failing to get across the field quick enough to cover Deion Branch who gains twenty yards on the play. It doesn’t cost them though, as three straight incompletions will force a punt from the Jets’ 42-yard line. Wilson is in his second year and was expected to take time to develop. He has impressed so far this season but it’s the little mistakes that remind you he’s 24 years old.
9:11: A very questionable call on third down erases a great scramble and first down pass to Plaxico Burress on the right sideline. Burress, lined up right, ran a slant route that broke towards the line, extending his arm at the defender as he cut. He would have been open without the extension, which in my opinion is something that you would see nine out of ten receivers league-wide do in that situation. The Jets are forced to punt and and the Patriots will start on their own 39.
9:08: Andre Carter bursts through the line on second down and gets to Sanchez quickly for a loss of eight yards on the sack. The Jets have already given up two sacks and need to protect the quarterback better and give him time if they want to capitalize on what is a, for a lack of better words, bad defense.
9:05: The Jets will start from the 16-yard line on their third drive. They are running strong today and two Shonn Greene carries go for a first down. This will be the key in the game, getting Greene going early. If he gets off to a good start, the Patriots’ defense will be in for a long night.
9:03: Just throwing this out there, Gostowski has hit from both 50 and 36 yard tonight on his two field goal attempts. Jets kicker Nick Folk missed his attempt from 24 yards. I am going to go out on a limb here and say that I could’ve put that between the posts. Fine, one out of ten times.
9:02: A 2nd & 10 pass to Rob Gronkowski on the left sideline is batted and nearly picked off as there were multiple Jets in the area of the ball. On third down, Brady tried to lob a ball up to Danny Woodhead down the left sideline in the endzone but he’s only able to get a hand on the ball which falls to the turf. Stephen Gostowski bangs another field goal through, from 36 yards this time. 6-0 Patriots.
8:57: Two unsuccessful runs leave the Patriots with a 3rd & 8 but blown coverage by the Jets has just two defensive backs in coverage on three receivers. Brady hit a wide open Ochocinco who takes off running, finally tackled just past the 20-yard line.
8:54: Sanchez nearly picked off on a play-action pass intended for Dustin Keller about twenty yards downfield. The ball sailed over Keller’s head and should have been intercepted by the safety that was back in zone coverage. A sack on third down means a punt for the Jets. Just to give you an update, there is 5:34 remaining in the first quarter following the T.J. Conley punt, which went out of bounds at the 27-yard line.
8:52: The Jets will start their second drive from the 25-yard line. On first down, Jeremy Kerley was open short over the middle and Sanchez finds him for a nine-yard gain. Shonn Greene gets the carry on second down and powers through the line for a gain of about five yards and a first down.
8:48: The Jets left a big opportunity on the field with that missed interception. The ball literally went through Wilson’s hands and bounced off of his chest. Great play by the young cornerback but he needs to finish it next time as he would have prevented the score.
8:45: A loss of two on a Green-Ellis run and an incomplete pass attempt to Wes Welker leaves the Patriots with a 3rd & 12. After a 12-men-in-the-huddle penalty they will be moved back five yards to the 32-yard line. A pass intended for Deion Branch on the left sideline is nearly picked off by Kyle Wilson. Stephen Gostowski knocks through a 50-yard field goal on the next play, the first score of the night. 3-0 Patriots.
8:42: Rob Gronkowski burns safety Eric Smith for a 21-yard gain on second down past midfield. Green-Ellis with a gain of six yards on first down, taking the offense to the Jets’ 38-yard line. On second down, Chad Ochocino, wide open on the right sideline grabbed his first reception in almost a month for a first down before stepping out of bounds immediately after the catch.
8:40: The Patriots’ offense are onto the field for the first time. Tom Brady finds tight end Aaron Hernandez to the right for a 12-yard first down. BanJarvus Green-Ellis, who saw a lot of success against this defense in October, gets a carry and gains three or four on the play. Guard Brian Waters was injured his leg on the play.
8:37: A Shonn Greene run and a ball thrown out the back of the end zone leaves the Jets at 3rd & goal on the six-yard line. Sanchez was Burress in the back of the end zone but could not connect. Nick Folk misses the chip shot field goal, and after a great opening drive we are still scoreless in New Jersey.
8:35: LaDainian Tomlinson gets the first carry of the game for a gain of four yard, bring the Jets to the Patriots’ 35-yard line. A Santonio Holmes post route on the next play leaves him wide open in the middle of the field, but he trips, falling just past the ten-yard line for a 1st & goal. This offense has looked electric so far and is taking advantage of a lacking pass defense.
8:31: The Jets will get the ball first and Joe McKnight receives the kick, returning it just past the 30-yard line. Santonio Holmes, lined up wide right, catches a ball for a 15-yard gain and a first down on the first play of offense. Plaxico Burres grabs another on a slant over the middle for another first, past midfield.
8:30: Some more tweets from Pats fans: @CJDragoon said, “Time to step it up Pats defense! Everyone is counting the pats out. Rockin my Gronk jersey hard,” referring to tight end Rob Gronkowski. HHD87 said, “I think brady will have a good game as well as welker. I’m nervous about the defense as well, all pats fans are.”
8:25: Fans getting in some last second thoughts on Twitter. @nweiser09 said, “Time for the #Jets to give the Patriots their third loss in a row. In a few hours the Jets should be in first place.” @GreenLanternJet said, “You could not hear Revis’ name announced during intros. This place is Cape Canaveral on launch day.”
8:23: Faith Hill is singing, and you know what that means. It’s time for Sunday Night Football. Kickoff coming shortly.
8:06: We are getting closer to an 8:20 p.m. kickoff tonight. With the Jets coming off of two straight wins, and the Patriots coming off of two straight losses, there is no doubt that Gang Green is the favorite tonight, but not by much. If New York wants to walk away with a victory, they will need to limit The Law Firm, Patriots running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who burned them for 136 yards and two touchdowns. On the other hand, the Patriots will have to find a way to shut down Shonn Greene, who the Jets often try and get going early to in turn open up the pass game and the play-action.
7:48: It’s nice out in East Rutherford, New Jersey, home of MetLife Stadium and the Jets. 50 degrees, partly cloudy, and light winds. Weather should not be a factor in the game.
7:46: Any thoughts on the game? Predictions? Lets me know. Comment on this post or mention me on Twitter, linked above.
7:42: The absence of Patrick Chung will hurt the Patriots’ secondary tonight. They have the league’s worst pass defense as is, allowing an average of 314 yards through the air each game. They have a stronger front seven and can stop the run, but Shonn Greene and the Jets’ offensive line are hitting their stride. As is always the case when these two teams meet, expect a lot of emotion on the field and a closely contested game.
7:26: With the injury report out, the Patriots will be missing Patrick Chung with a foot injury. Also inactive for the Pats are Brandon Spikes, Taylor Price, Dane Fletcher, and Ryan Mallett. The Jets will be without Shawn Nelson, Brodney Pool, and Kenrick Ellis.
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