Thoughts & Reactions: Patriots Soar Over Jets When It Counts
The New England Patriots overcame a late fourth quarter deficit to beat the New York Jets 22-17 at MetLife Stadium.
Well, it was another dog fight between the New England Patriots and New York Jets, but Tom Brady and company overcame a late fourth-quarter deficit to defeat their AFC East rivals 22-17.
Brady and the offense struggled early. The Jets held them to two quick three-and-outs to start the game. What made matters worse is that right end Rob Gronkowski left the game with a back injury and did not return. In the meantime, Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Jets took a 10-0 lead on a field goal and a touchdown reception from Fitzpatrick to Brandon Marshall.
The Patriots, finally finding their stride, got on the board with a field goal by Stephen Gostkowski and eventually tied the game with a touchdown connection between Brady and rookie wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell. New England failed to take the lead heading into the half on a missed field goal by Gostkowski.
The veteran kicker did put the team up 13-10 in the third quarter and the game was held at that score until Fitzpatrick connected on a touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone to Quincy Enunwa to put the Jets up 17-13.
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The Patriots drew closer with another field goal to make the score 17-16 and after a stop by the defense, Brady led the team down the field and capped off the nice come-from-behind drive with another touchdown pass to Mitchell. New England then attempted to go for a 2-point conversion, but failed as James White failed to extend the ball over the pile on as he went into the end zone and then out of bounds.
With the team up 22-17 in the final two minutes of the game, the Patriots’ defense stepped up with a big play to seal the game. Defensive end Chris Long stripped the ball from Fitzpatrick and Trey Flowers recovered to seal the deal.
With the victory, the Patriots are now 9-2 on the season and have a two-game lead over the Miami Dolphins in the AFC East.
Thoughts
Any fan must be excited about the performance of rookie wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell. The Georgia product followed up a break out game against the 49ers by catching his second and third career touchdown passes. The second of which, an 8-yard catch over Darrelle Revis, was the game-winner.
Overall, he appears to be gaining trust from Brady as the two connected on a few crucial plays. If he continues to gain that trust, Mitchell could become the player they had in Brandon LaFell back in 2014. He has the ceiling to become even better
On the defensive side of the ball, the Patriots were able to get off the field when they really needed to. It was nice to see defensive end Jabaal Sheard back in the flow of the defense. He looked to be a bit more explosive in his pass rush technique. It was also nice to see the defense force two turnovers. A forced fumble by Malcolm Butler and the strip sack back Long were two plays that essentially won the game for the Patriots.
Player/coaches reactions
Tom Brady on 200th win via ESPN:
"“I love winning games. I think that’s what it comes down to. That’s why we all play, and I’ve just been a part of so many great teams and played with great coaches. Nobody could win a football game by themselves. It takes everybody. … It means I’ve been around for a little bit and played with a lot of great players on a lot of great teams.”"
Chris Hogan on Malcolm Mitchell via Patriots.com:
"“He’s a big part of our success… he’s got awesome hands. We always look for him to make those kind of plays.”"
Devin McCourty on Chris Long’s sack-fumble via Patriots.com:
"“We knew it was going to be a good game, come down to the last [possession]. When you take that field, it’s all on you. Offense did the job, going down and scoring. Now it was all on us to get a stop and Chris came through with a big play. The sack-fumble is something we needed and he made the play.”"
Next: Boston Bruins Showcase Offensive Strength In Win
The New England Patriots will next host the Los Angeles Rams at Gillette Stadium.