The Patriots faced off against the New York Jets on Sunday in a largely uneventful game where the defenses stole the show.
Neither team scored in the first quarter, then both hit field goals in the second to bring the score to 3-3 going into halftime. After the half, there was no more scoring until New England rookie Marcus Jones returned a punt 84 yards to the house with only six seconds left in the game.
The score ended up being the only touchdown in the game and the first score that had taken place in over half an hour of in-game time.
Here are some studs and duds from the 10-3 victory.
Stud: Cornerback Marcus Jones
This one is self-explanatory.
Jones had the first real breakout game of his very solid rookie campaign. While he is officially a cornerback (and has been used as such at times throughout the season), he’s really more of a full-time returner at this point, and boy, did he put those skills to use on Sunday.
Jones returned four punts for 109 yards in Sunday’s victory, including an 84-yard score to win the game for New England with under 10 seconds to play.
MARCUS JONES ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Game winner. 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/ZJdLzAVbeP
— Pats Buzz (@PatsBuzz) November 20, 2022
Jones is now second in the NFL in total return yards this season and has averaged an impressive 16.6 yards per return. He is also tied for the league lead with five returns of 20-plus yards this year.
Dud: The Offensive Line
Center David Andrews was active for the game after missing the previous two with a concussion. However, he then left midway through the first quarter with a thigh injury that kept him out for the rest of the game.
Backup center James Ferentz played in Andrews’ stead, but, as had been the case in the games Andrews had missed, the offensive line looked distinctively less organized with him as the center.
The Patriots allowed six sacks and eight QB hits in the contest, with some of them coming at pivotal moments when the offense needed a first-down conversion.
This New England offensive line seems to desperately be missing the play of lineman Ted Karras, who left the team for the Cincinnati Bengals in free agency last offseason. Karras had served the team as a great reserve guard and center on a bargin of a price for a few seasons, but ultimately priced himself too high for the Patriots to bring him back in that role.
Without Karras, the team has had a tough time patching up holes in their already inconsistent offensive line, and may already be setting themselves up to acquire more help on that front in this upcoming offseason.
Stud: Mac Jones
Here, I’ll say it: Quarterback Mac Jones had his best game of the year.
The second-year pro showed more resemblance to his rookie self on Sunday than the quarterback who had been at the helm of the Patriots’ offense this season.
Jones threw 27 passes (23 completions) for 246 yards, putting up a 104.6 passer rating in the process. While this performance was not statistically anything to truly gawk at, Jones also was just making much better decisions and throws on Sunday than he had been in previous weeks.
The CBS broadcast mentioned that Jones and the Patriots receiving corps worked on timing during their bye week, and that work certainly paid off. Jones looked far more confident and accurate with his throws than he had in any game this season and moved the offense up and down the field against a good Jets defensive front.
New England’s offense still has a long way to go if they want to compete with top teams such as the Buffalo Bills or Kansas City Chiefs, but this game was a great starting point for Jones to regain the footing he established in his rookie season.
Stud: The Defense
New England’s defense has been a stud for them all season long, and this game was no different. The unit held the Jets to just three points, with pressure on the defensive line making New York quarterback Zach Wilson’s day a nightmare.
Wilson completed just 9 of his 22 passes for only 77 yards and led the team in rushing on the day with 26 yards through his scrambles. No Jets wide receiver recorded over 35 yards through the air.
On the Patriots’ side of the football, outside linebacker Matt Judon recorded 1.5 sacks on the day and also recorded two QB hits. Middle linebacker Ja’Whaun Bently led the team with nine total tackles.
New England’s defense has been playing at an other-worldly level in recent weeks, and even against AFC East competition, does not show any signs of stopping soon.
Dud: Red Zone Offense, or lack thereof
The Patriots had just two drives all game long that even made it to New York’s red zone, with one of them culminating in the field goal that made up their only offensive points in the contest. The other drive ended in a missed field goal.
New England just could not make it into the red zone during the game and had drives that tended to stall out on the Jets’ 30 or 40-yard lines due to a penalty, a sack, or just a bad play call.
The team was able to significantly improve their ability to move the ball up and down the field on Sunday, but their inability to get into the red zone – something that has hindered them all season – continued to rear its ugly head. As Jones gets his feet back under him in the offense, this may fix itself. However, only time will tell.
