Rodgers Shines as Jets Stomp Patriots

The New England Patriots’ dominance over the NFL – and the New York Jets – is long gone.

The Jets (2-1) snapped an eight-game home losing streak against the Pats (1-2) with a dominant 24-3 win on Thursday night.

With quarterback Aaron Rodgers back to full health, the Jets offense has been revitalized, all while their staunch defense dominated New England’s ineffective offense all night.

Rodgers’ Efficient Night

Rodgers looked like every bit of his old self against New England. Operating a balanced Jets attack, he made plays both in the pocket and on the move against the Patriots.

Although he took two sacks, Rodgers’ movement gave New England all kinds of issues in coverage. Since the Pats had trouble getting him to the ground, their secondary was exposed for much longer than they would have hoped. The wily veteran Rodgers was then able to punish them with pinpoint accuracy.

The Jets signal caller completed 77% of his passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns with no turnovers, all while completing at least two passes to eight different players. Interestingly enough, Jets tight end Tyler Conklin was Rodgers’ top target on the night. He posted five catches for 93 yards, leading the team in both figures.

All of New York’s key skill players made their mark as well. Wide receivers Garrett Wilson and Allen Lazard both found the end zone in the victory, as did running back Breece Hall.

Jets Defense Bares Its Teeth

Facing an offense lacking explosion, the Jets had an opportunity to be aggressive and take the game to their opponents. Needless to say, that’s exactly what they did.

The Jets sacked Patriots quarterbacks Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye a staggering 7 times. Second-year defensive end Will McDonald led the way with two sacks.

Veteran safety Chuck Clark went on to force and recover a fumble from New England running back Rhamondre Stevenson in the fourth quarter to put any hopes of a comeback to rest.

New York proved to be especially stiff on third down, surrendering a first down on just two out of 11 of New England’s conversion attempts.

New England receiver DeMario Douglas had a solid night, catching seven balls for 69 yards. Nevertheless, he was the only Patriot who gained more than 20 yards through the air.

All in all, the Pats gained a measly 139 yards of total offense.

Up Next

The Jets will look to keep rolling when they host the Denver Broncos on Sept. 29 at 1 p.m.

Meanwhile, the Patriots will have to try and bounce back against the reigning NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers. That game will be in San Francisco on Sept. 29 at 4:05 p.m.