After a heartbreaking home loss to the Cowboys in overtime, Patriots fans breathed a sigh of relief when they looked at the schedule and noticed that their next game would be the New York Jets. The only doubt that crept into my mind is whether the Jets would fight because they were coming off a bye week. If you were a casual sports fan watching this game, you would think the Patriots were coming off a bye and the Jets a tough overtime loss. The Jets did not look prepared on offense or defense. The Patriots scored touchdowns on their first two drives while the Jets went three and out and a missed field goal. Then, their prized number 2 pick rookie quarterback got knocked out of the game with a knee injury. The Patriots then scored on 7 of the next eight possessions and only punted the ball once. Bill kept his starters in the game early in the 4th quarter to build their confidence. He was perhaps sending a message to the league that the Patriots will be a force to be reckoned with this season. In this article, we will look at five takeaways from the game.
1. Winning the turnover differential stat-one of the Patriots’ Achilles heels this season is the number of turnovers this season. The Patriots had 11 turnovers entering the game and ended the game with zero in that column. They are tied for fifth with four other teams with 11 giveaways. On the other hand, the Patriots forced three turnovers from the Jets 3 to bring their takeaways to 11. The logic is obvious, good teams take the ball away rather than give the ball away. If the Patriots are to be a playoff team, then their net turnover differential needs to be high in the plus column.
2. Offensive Line Shines-although the Jets are a terrible team but they have a decent defensive front line which statistically gets after the quarterback. However, the Patriots’ makeshift offensive line did an outstanding job of protecting Mac Jones and opening holes in the run game for the running backs. Jones was sacked only once, and he did not face constant pressure. The success of this team will be based on how this line builds on this performance.
3. Mac Jones makes further strides-Jones ability to operate this offense has grown each week, and this performance against the Jets will have him feeling even more confident. He completed 24 of 36 passes, 307 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. He showed his arm strength with another bomb to Kendrick Bourne for 46 yards in the game. It makes it consecutive weeks that the duo has hooked up on the deep throws. It was also good for Mac to win his first home game and end the 4-game home losing streak. He has also put himself in the conversation for offensive rookie of the year as he continues his solid season.
4. Josh McDaniels needs to continue the trickery- I have to give credit where credit is due, Josh McDaniels is starting to dial up more imaginative play calling. Against the Buccaneers, he featured two plays where Jakobi Myers made throws for 45 yards. In this game, he put the ball in Kendrick Bourne’s hand on a trick play, and he threw it for a 25-yard touchdown pass to Nelson Agholor.
5. Barmore is proving to be a stud pick- it may be a distant memory now but the Patriots had to move up in the second round to select Christian Barmore. He has shown he is worth it with his versatility in both dominant in the run and pass game. He finished with three tackles, two hits, and five pressures on the quarterback. At times, his impact doesn’t show up on the stat sheet but his disruption leads to the interceptions in the secondary.
The Patriots look to get back to .500 when they travel in Week 8 to Los Angeles to face the Chargers.