New York Jets (2-1) – New England Patriots (1-2): 24-3
For a divisional duel in the AFC East, the scenario was rather bland. New York dominated its subject against an apathetic, lethargic, lymphatic New England team. In the middle of this long, quiet river, the captain of the Greens, Aaron Rodgers (27/35, 281 yards, 2 touchdowns) steered his boat to perfection, enough to attack the next pitfalls in the best possible way.
Opposite, the Patriots are far from the eye-catching performances of the first two weeks. The defense showed a wait-and-see attitude. The attack, however, did not make the trip. Jacoby Brissett (12/18, 98 yards) suffered behind a phantom offensive line. Drake Maye made his NFL return with 4 minutes to go, without making the stadium vibrate.
Vintage Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers had a date with Metlife Stadium. Erased this terrible injury, for his return home, Rodgers dissected the Patriots defense from start to finish. Accompanied by his legendary nonchalance, the four-time MVP needed a drive to oil the machinery.
Behind, he allowed himself to distribute the ball to everyone. Clean, he converted the complicated situations on the 3e attempts (10/15). He even allowed himself to win a new series with his legs with an “old-school” slide. In the end, it was his receiver Allen Lazard (3 receptions, 48 yards, 1 touchdown) who took advantage of a quick read from the quarterback to score the first touchdown.
The running game was also a good element. Braelon Allen, recently named Rookie of the Week, once again showed off his legs. While his partner Breece Hall finished a well-constructed drive before halftime (14-3).
In terms of nice stats from the first half, the Jets had 2 drives with 6+ first attempts obtained, as many as… all season last year (2 out of 208 drives in 2023).
And the Patriots in all this?
New England has been far from its triumphant era. The offense is to be pitied. Jacoby Brissett could not exist and Drake Maye came close to an interception, behind a line lost in the face of the Jets' blitz calls. Quincy Williams (LB) puts out a major performance.
But the real disappointment probably comes from the Boston coaches. On the field, New England did not appear to be a prepared team, nor a team capable of adapting. Worse, it was also very undisciplined. In short, there was nothing to prevent the end of the division rivals' walkover. Thus, after laser passes in the midfield, Aaron Rodgers exploited the outside zones in the same way, until finding Garrett Wilson in the end zone (21-3).
Bryce Baringer (P) was the Patriots' busiest player of the night (5 punts). He held off the Jets more than the defense (400 yards received, 133 rushing, 267 passing), while Rhamondre Stevenson (RB) gave them the ball back on a fumble. New York had the leisure to control the clock (40 min 04) and add 3 points (24-3)
The two franchises now look to next week with different dynamics, but 10 days to prepare as best they can. The only downside for the Greens: Morgan Moses' (RT) knee injury.
