The Jets ran their mouths all week and it kills me that they backed it up. The Patriots struggled in all 3 phases of the game and picked the worst time of the year to do it. The Pats played from behind most of the game and were eliminated from the playoffs by the Jets, 28-21.
Offense
The offense came out without Welker who was benched for making several foot/toe references in a press conference alluding to the Jets' coach Rex Ryan's foot fetish. Though I think the punishment was a bit harsh considering it was a playoff game, I understand that Belichick had to make it clear that he does not approve of his players getting into personal attacks and providing bulletin board material for the other team. At the end of the day, the benching of Welker did not affect the final outcome in any way.
The Pats were able to move the ball well on their first two drives by mixing up formations and using several runs to the outside. However the first drive ended with an INT resulting from a horrible overthrow by Brady trying to set up a screen play to BJGE. The Pats were able to get a stop on defense and the Jets missed a FG keeping the score tied at 0.
The offense was able to march back down the field on their 2nd drive into the red zone. However the Pats had to settle for a FG after Crumpler had a bad drop in the end-zone. The Pats had two possessions deep into Jets territory and only 3 points to show for it.
The Pats struggled for most of the game after that. The Jets had a great defensive game-plan of rushing only 3, leaving CBs Revis and Cromartie to handle the WRs on the outside, and then putting the remaining defenders in the middle of the field to limit Welker and the TEs. Brady was sacked 5 times with many of them coverage sacks where he had to hold the ball longer than he normally would because he could not find many open receivers. Even when receivers were open, it looked like Brady was a little gun-shy after the INT on the first drive. It seemed like he was afraid of causing another turnover.
One problem that I've noticed with recent Patriots teams is their inability to make game-time adjustments. With single coverage to the outside, the Pats lack of an explosive WR really hurt them in this game. Branch was blanketed by Revis so he was a non-factor for most of the game. There wasn't another WR on the other side of the field that the Jets had to respect.
With the Jets only sending 3 rushers, the obvious way to beat that is to run the ball. Unfortunately the Pats took 3 quarters to figure that out. The Pats were finally able to move the ball but there was no sense of urgency from the offense! They wasted more than 7 minutes and ended up turning the ball over on downs. Such poor clock management reminded me of McNabb in the Super Bowl many years ago.
Defense
Overall I think the play of the defense was just okay. They got several stops throughout the game but were unable to make any game changing plays when it mattered most.
The main problem was that the Pats could not get any pressure on Sanchez. Even an average QB like Sanchez can make plays when given enough time to throw and he did just. He threw for 3 TDs on 16 of 25 throws for 194 yards.
The Pats did not commit enough to stop the running game. The Jets were able to rush for 120 yards at over 4 yards/carry. The Pats should have loaded up the box to stop the run and forced Sanchez to throw more. Instead, Sanchez was able to take advantage of play-action and play efficiently.
After allowing a long return by Cromartie on a failed onside kick attempt, the defense HAD to make a stop from their own 20 to keep it a 1 TD game. However they gave up a long TD run which pretty sealed the deal.
I think Meriweather had a horrible game. He attempted to make too many shoulder tackles instead of wrapping up which allowed the ball carriers to gain extra yards. He definitely took a step back this year.
In the 2Q, CB Butler got beat deep again yielding a 37-yard completion to Edwards. I had such high hopes for him considering how fast he is but he cannot make the play. Hopefully Leigh Bodden will be healthy and ready to go next year.
Special Teams
The special teams play that stands out is the fake punt late in the 2Q. It seemed like a bit of a panic move with the Jets only leading by 7-3. It was a gutsy call and unfortunately, it was horribly executed. Chung fumbled the snap and could not pick up the first down after recovering the ball. This play left the Jets with a short field and they capitalized and extended their lead, 14-3 heading into the half.
After the Pats kicked a FG to make the score 21-14 late in the 4Q, the Pats lined for an onside kick. They were not able to recover the onside kick and then compounded the poor execution by allowing Cromartie to pick up the ball and rumble all of the way down to the NE 25-yard line. The Jets proceeded to score another TD 2 plays later, 28-14. The last glimmer of hope that the Pats could miraculously come back was extinguished on that play.
Other Thoughts
I can't stand the Jets. There are so many hate-able guys on that team: Rex Ryan, LT, Edwards, Revis, Cromartie, and Bart Scott just to name a few. It kills me that the Jets dashed our Super Bowl dreams this year but I'm relieved that they were beaten the following week by the Steelers.
The Pats did not play very Patriot-like in this game. Welker was benched. The offense struggled for most of the game. Belichick made a mistake challenging a completed pass early in the game. The Pats were unable to make the necessary adjustments in-game until it was too late. There were bad penalties like the Mankins' unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that killed a drive at the end of the 1st half. When the Patriots were finally able to move the ball late in the game, there was no sense of urgency and lots of time ticked off the clock. At the end of the day, the Jets played well and the Patriots didn't and the final score showed that.
It was a great run this year but unfortunately the Patriots came up short again. The Patriots have several holes to fill but here is my wish-list:
- Passrusher. Other teams' QBs are too comfortable and too many average QBs look like superstars. The Pats need a passrusher to force the other QBs into rushing their throws and making poor decisions. This should help the young secondary as well.
- Game-changing running back. I love BJGE's quiet workmanlike attitude but other teams won't game-plan around him because he's not a homerun threat. The Pats need someone who can break tackles, make people miss, and potentially break off a long TD here or there. If the Pats could get a talent like this, other teams will have to respect the running game which should open up the field for the receivers and enhance the play-action.
- A legit deep threat. The Pats don't have another solid WR to line up opposite of Branch to help stretch the field. Tate is a nice special teams player but he doesn't command any respect when he streaks down the field. The Pats dink-and-dunk too much and other teams have figured this out. It's time to get a speed-burner and to send someone deep every once in a while.
