Three games in 11 days. Two wins in five days. The New York Jets will take it.
The Jets (2-1) spent the first three quarters on Thursday night simply dominating the New England Patriots (1-2) in every way possible en route to a 24-3 victory at MetLife Stadium.
New York now has two straight wins over New England, including last year’s season finale at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. But this win snapped an eight-game losing streak for the Jets against the Patriots at MetLife.
It was the Jets’ finest performance so far this season. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers played with peak efficiency and threw two touchdown passes. Running backs Breece Hall and Braelon Allen combined for more than 100 yards rushing, while Hall scored once. Tight end Tyler Conklin caught five passes for 93 yards and was one of eight Jets to catch at least one pass.
The New York offense had an incredible 40 minutes in time of possession.
The Jets' defense held New England to 81 total yards through the first three quarters and the Patriots possessed the ball for just 19:56. The New England offense finished with 10 first downs, went 2-for-10 on third down and had 139 total yards.
New England was under-manned and it made a difference on offense. Injuries forced the Patriots to sit starting left tackle Vederian Lowe (knee) and left guard Sidy Sow (ankle). Both were replaced by rookies.
That allowed the Jets pass rush to feast, especially in the first half, as New York had seven sacks, with Will McDonald IV leading the way with 2.5 sacks. He now has 5.5 sacks in his last two games.
Little went right, and it got worse for the Patriots after the Jets forced a fumble early in the fourth quarter as safety Chuck Clark ripped the football away from New England running back Rhamondre Stevenson and recovered it. It led to a Greg Zuerlein field goal.
The win came at a cost as right tackle Morgan Moses was injured in the third quarter after the back of his left leg was rolled up on during a play. He fell to the ground in agony but ended up walking off the field under his own power with a noticeable limp. He went to the locker room for further evaluation with what New York called a left knee injury.
The Jets later declared him out and outlets covering the game reported Moses would have an MRI on Friday.
Olu Fashanu, the Jets’ first-round pick in April, came on to replace him in his first action at the position after a collegiate career where he primarily played left tackle.
The injury came just a few days after the Jets lost defensive end Jermaine Johnson to a torn Achilles tendon. He was moved to the injured list before Thursday’s game. New York also sat linebacker C.J. Mosley due to a toe injury.
The Jets now have 10 days before their next game at home against the Denver Broncos on Sept. 29. Following that, New York heads to England to face Minnesota at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Oct. 6, followed by a Monday night showdown with Buffalo at MetLife on Oct. 14.
