New England Patriots: 5 observations from Week 6 win over Jets

The New England Patriots grinded their way to a victory yesterday, defeating the New York Jets by a score of 24-17.

Well, it wasn’t pretty. That much is for sure. In the end though, the New England Patriots did what we all thought they would: beat the New York Jets. A win is a win is a win.

The Patriots traveled to MetLife Stadium with one goal in mind. To leave with a better record than they entered with. As a fan, I expected this game to be a cupcake — and not the Kevin Durant kind. A real cupcake. We’re talking 45-10, pulling the starters midway through the fourth quarter. That kind of cupcake.

The Jets proved to be far more of a test than one would have predicted, as they rolled on offense and were solid on defense. After falling behind 14-0, the Patriots scored 21 unanswered points, including a patented score-half-score to ultimately put the game away.

This was an interesting game. Like I said earlier, I didn’t expect this to be a game in which I was on the edge of my seat until the final play. But professional sports are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get. Like that? I just made it up.

Now folks, I introduce to you all my brand spanking new column, which I will be writing weekly. Five observations I made that I thought were notable. Could be anything about the game, the Patriots, the referees, or even something funny I saw in the stands. Without further ado…

Rob Gronkowski is unguardable

When Atlas betrayed Zeus and the other Greek Gods, he was given a choice between two options as a punishment. He could either spend his life trying to guard the one they call Rob Gronkowski in man coverage or carry the world on his shoulders for eternity. Without hesitation, he assumed the position and has been holding up the Earth ever since.

Watching Gronk run routes and catch passes is a lot of fun. I’m sure ESPN has created simulations of Aaron Judge and Lebron James playing football, but that’s essentially what you have in Gronk. A physical specimen who was blessed with speed, strength, and hands as soft as a baby’s bottom.

Gronk has the hands that Donald Trump wishes he had. Big enough to smother the football and secure possession. If you’re lucky enough to play perfect coverage on Gronk, it’s likely that he will still come down with the ball. That has to be frustrating.

Gronk finished the day with 6 receptions for 83 yards and two touchdowns. He routinely overmatched defenders with his size and speed and even when he was covered he went and got the ball.

Last but not least, I just want to mention Gronk’s charisma. It’s not entirely related to football, but it’s one of the reason’s he’s so good. He’s out there having a blast and playing the same way he’s been playing since he was in the backyard with his 4 brothers. If you think Travis Kelce is the best TE in the NFL, you’ve got some soul searching to do, my friend.

Defensive Woes

What do Michael Jackson and the Patriots defense have in common? They’re both BAD. Really bad. It’s not a good sign when you make Josh McCown look like 2011 Drew Brees, and that’s what we did yesterday.

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To be honest, I thought this would be the game that gets us on track defensively. This was going to be the one where we wouldn’t blow a single coverage and we wouldn’t have to be nervous when the Jets offense came onto the field. Yes, I was nervous when the JETS offense came onto the field.

With Stephon Gilmore sidelined with an injury, Josh McCown cut through the New England Patriots secondary to the tune of 354 yard and 2 TDs to go along with 2 INTs. He out-dueled Tom Brady on offense and frankly, we’re lucky to have won this game.

The Patriots having a weak defense is no secret to anyone. I keep hoping that they’ll make the necessary adjustments and shut a team down. It hasn’t happened yet, but like Jim Halpert said on proposing to Pam, “when it happens, it’s going to kick your a–.”

Fumble or no fumble?

The first thing you’ll see in a recap of this game is the call that was made on an Austin Seferian Jenkins reception. It was probably the craziest reversal I’ve ever seen.

In the 4th quarter Josh McCown hit Austin Seferian Jenkins who ran to the pylon and crossed the plane. It was called a touchdown on the field and I had no objection; it looked totally legit. Malcolm Butler begged to differ. He was going crazy at the ref to the point where I thought he was going to shove him to the ground.

Here is the play in question:

The ruling on the field was a touchdown, but after review, it was called back. It was ruled that the ball was fumbled before crossing the goal line and then the ball landed out of bounds. It resulted in a touchback in favor of the New England Patriots. Wild right?

One thing is clear. The ball definitely came out of Seferian-Jenkins’ hands for a split second. Where I disagree with the ruling, however, is that the ball was fumbled “out of the endzone”. To me, it looked like Seferian-Jenkins recovered the ball right after he lost it, and then fell across the plane and into the endzone. If the ball was indeed out of his possession when he went out of bounds, I don’t think there was conclusive evidence to overturn the call on the field.

I mean, I’ll take it. But it just doesn’t feel right. It would be like a homeless person giving you money… you don’t want to take it but you could definitely use it. I don’t think there’s a right call on this play, and though I disagree with the call, I’m not arguing.

Welcome to the doghouse

Mike Gillislee, come on down! Let’s all give a warm welcome to the newest member of the Bill Belichick’s dog house resort, where running backs come to grow old and senile.

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After fumbling in the 1st quarter, Mike Gillislee didn’t see the field until the late 3rd quarter. Bill has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to childish shenanigans like fumbling. If you’re going to fumble, you’d better have a plan for when you’re no longer in New England, because those days could come soon.

Horror stories of Stevan Ridley may get thrown around, telling of how a promising back fumbled one too many times, resulting ultimately in his exit from the team. I hope you’re doing well, Stevan.

Few men have made it out of the dog house alive, but it can be done. It remains to be seen if Gillislee has checked in for an extended period of time or if his stay was brief, but we will see in the days to come.

With multiple backs producing for the Patriots and Dion Lewis looking sharp, we may see some “rest” for Gillislee in the near future. I hope he’s back out next Sunday, but there are no promises.

The effects of Brady’s poor passes

I almost had a heart attack when Chris Hogan got lit up over the middle and didn’t get up immediately. Hogan is a tough, gritty player who isn’t afraid of contact. Did you know he played lacrosse in college?

What led to Hogan getting leveled was a poor pass from Tom Brady, which was placed behind him while he was coming across the middle. Hogan reached back to grab the pass and left his front and side vulnerable. This resulted in Hogan on his butt and me fearing a crack in his ribs.

This wasn’t the only time that this happened. Brady threw a rainbow pass to James White on a wheel route later in the game. While it was a beautiful pass that resulted in a solid gain, it left White to get crushed. James White was running with his head up watching the ball, while the safety was charging at him. It’s a miracle he didn’t get end up with a concussion.

Now, I would never question the doings of Tom Brady. He’s more accurate with his golden arm than I will ever be with anything. Him doing what he does is the reason for roughly 20% of my life’s joy, so I’m not giving him advice. Just observing.

From my perspective, it looks as if these kinds of passes can lead our receivers down a dark path (i.e. the tunnel to the locker room). Our receivers haven’t been very healthy recently and I’m starting to think Brady’s precision in keeping the ball away from defenders leads them towards more contact. Just a hunch.

Moving forward

So there you have it. My five observations from this week’s game. The biggest takeaway, though, is that the Patriots came away with a win.

Moving forward, the Patriots will attempt to get their defense on track. If they can do that, they’ll be a problem for other NFL teams. I’m giving them until Thanksgiving to get everything straightened out, and after that it’s code red.

Next week, the Patriots play the Atlanta Falcons in a Super Bowl LI rematch. The hype videos and comeback videos will be a plenty, so there will be no shortage of excitement leading into Sunday night.

Next: Patriots gridiron news: Dion Lewis has worked his way back to 2015 form

The New England Patriots are a team I’m extremely confident in, and for good reason. We’ve had success for such a long time that I don’t believe we’re capable of sustained bad football with the personnel we have. Bill won’t allow it. Tom won’t allow it. Robert Kraft won’t allow it. That’s not the Patriot Way.